Exhausted climbers airlifted from Aoraki/Mt Cook's Summit Ridge in complex rescue mission

The rescue of two exhausted climbers from near the top of Aoraki/Mt Cook is one of the highest altitude rescues in New Zealand for some time and has been described as “complex” by those involved.

A climbing party of two who became exhausted called for help to get off the mountain, about 3.45pm on Monday.

Maritime NZ Rescue Co-ordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) senior search and rescue officer Julian Tovey said the climbers were near the top of the mountain on Summit Ridge.

“Based on several factors, including the weather, and the equipment requirements; the Aoraki Mount Cook Alpine Cliff Rescue Team advised an emergency medical services helicopter, based out of Queenstown, was best suited for the rescue,” Tovey said.

“Due to the altitude of where the climbers were located, the crew of the helicopter needed to make it lighter, they did this by reconfiguring the machine with less equipment than they would normally carry, to ensure it could safely operate at the altitude required.”

The Helicopters Otago machine, piloted by Marcus Evers-Swindell with winch operator and rescue paramedic Jodie Burton, and rescue paramedic Lee Den Haan on board, then flew from Queenstown to Aoraki/Mount Cook Village. Den Haan was dropped off there and two members of the rescue team were collected, he said.

The helicopter then proceeded up the mountain, and the two climbers were winched to safety at 6.45pm before being dropped back at the village about 7pm. The rescue team on Monday was made up two members of the Aoraki/Mount Cook Alpine Cliff Rescue Team, a winch operator and pilot from Helicopters Otago.

Burton said the rescue team was lucky with the time of the day, and the weather conditions which were on their side for a successful rescue.

“They made the right choice in calling for help. They were experienced climbers, and they had all the right gear, and by calling for help they avoided getting into a worse situation,” Burton said.

Burton said the crew had removed all non-essential equipment from the helicopter to make it light enough to reach the altitude the climbers were at.

She said it was the highest altitude rescue she had ever done, and she credited the “exceptional” skills of Evers-Swindell, those of the Alpine Cliff Rescue Team and her own training with helping make it a successful rescue.

Burton, who has working in the field for a decade, advised those going into the back country to be well-equipped, carry a personal locator beacon, and to let people know where they are going.

Tovey said at an altitude of over 3300 metres, this was one of the highest altitude rescues coordinated by RCCNZ for some time.

“While there have previously been rescues at the summit, this rescue was just as complex as a summit rescue,” he said.

Another high altitude rescue was conducted on the mountain in November 2021, with a climber retrieved after getting into difficulty.

Tovey acknowledged all responding agencies for their skills and professionalism during the rescue.

“This rescue was performed flawlessly, and a great example of a RCCNZ coordinated incident response which was deliberately planned and executed, and ensured the people in need were able to be safely taken off the mountain.”