A 19-year-old German backpacker is tonight in Rotorua Hospital after sliding 50 metres down an icy slope near the summit of Mt Tongariro today.
The man and his three companions were hiking over the Tongariro Alpine Crossing at about 1pm today when he slipped and fell, while on the side trip to the Mt Tongariro summit. Fortunately he stopped before falling over a bluff.
His friends called Ambulance and the Taupo-based Greenlea rescue helicopter with crew was dispatched to the mountain. The icy surface meant that nobody was able to climb down to him, and it was too risky for the helicopter to hover above him while he lay in his precarious position, so a two-man LandSAR Ruapehu Alpine Rescue Organisation (RARO) team was flown in to assist. The two rescuers accessed him using crampons and ice axes. He was then lifted off the mountain and flown to hospital.
The man has suffered injuries to his feet and legs and was very cold. The air temperature on the mountain was zero degrees, but with wind chill it felt like minus 10. He was lightly clad in shorts and running shoes.
In the wake of this incident Police are warning trampers and hikers that the summer season is over, and people venturing into the alpine environment need to be properly dressed and equipped. People on the mountain today were wearing shorts and running shoes, which might be fine in the low country, but in the alpine environment this simply doesn't cut it.
Information about proper clothing and equipment is available on the Mountain Safety or Department of Conservation websites.
For further comment or clarification please call Senior Constable Barry Shepherd, Taupo Police. Phone 021 191 3650.
