A group of southern 4WD enthusiasts are taking advantage of optimum weather conditions as they try to salvage their snow-buried vehicles from Waikaia Bush Rd today.
The 13 vehicles are stuck more than 1300m up the Old Man Range, near Roxburgh, after being abandoned about two weeks ago.
A local bulldozer accompanied by the 4WD drivers departed "up the hill" on the salvage operation at 6.30am, Fork Station manager Reagan Tickle said.
Conditions were ideal, with blue skies and no wind, and the thinner covering of snow was melting quickly.
By early afternoon the group were still making their way up the range to the vehicles.
Mr Tickle earlier said they'd ''be lucky to get there."
The group of 38 people, mostly from Invercargill and Winton, were stranded in the vehicles for almost 20 hours before being rescued.
The Central Otago District Council stopped members of the group from salvaging their cars last Friday but had since been given permission, provided they followed an agreed safety plan, which included closing the road below the snow line during the salvage.
