Skier buried for 13 minutes

Two back-country snowboarders have saved the life of a skier buried under a metre of snow for 13 minutes after an avalanche in the Eyre Mountains, near Kingston.

The two rescuers watched the avalanche engulf the skier on Thursday and were quickly on the scene, using transmitter beacons they were carrying to detect him underneath the surface. They then dug him out.

The buried skier was understood to be a Queenstown man, and was believed to have escaped without serious injury.

The trio were part of a group - reported to include four clients and one guide - dropped in the area by a heliski company.

Mountain Safety Council regional avalanche forecaster Chris Cochrane, who was aware of the incident, said it showed how crucial it was to get the proper training before going out in the mountains.

"If you're not prepared, people can die.

"If they had been out there without the proper gear, there would have been dogs there getting a body," he said.

The avalanche risk was "considerably" high at present and people must have the right gear, he said.

Heliski patrons were given a pack, which included a shovel and an avalanche beacon, and 20 minutes' training before being dropped off in the mountains.

The skier was lucky his group knew what it was doing, had the appropriate gear and knew "how to use it".

Because of the amount of snow in the past week, those taking on the back country spots should be experienced.

A second back-country skier had a lucky escape in the mountains above the Motatapu Valley on Thursday. He was only metres away from being swept under another avalanche.

Mountain Safety Council alpine and avalanche programme manager Andrew Hobman said the avalanche risk this week had been high.

"There is still a significant risk of human-triggered avalanches, which is obviously what happened here," he said.

Avalanche conditions should be expected over the coming weekend and Mr Hobman reminded back-country skiers to be cautious.

"Avalanches will occur where they traditionally haven't been.

"Read the advisory and go the extra mile to check [with] local guides before you head out."

The company that dropped the party into the Eyre Mountains is understood to be Alpine Heliski Queenstown.

Staff from two other Queenstown-based companies operating heliski services - Harris Mountains Heliski and Southern Lakes Heliski - denied they were involved in Thursday's incident.

Alpine Heliski Queenstown operations manager Tim O'Leary was also contacted, but hung up after saying he was too busy to talk.

The skier and one of his rescuers declined to talk about the incident yesterday.

 

 

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