Speaking generally, Chris Prudden says too often people develop "summit fever" near the top and do not heed the risks associated with a tricky climb.
An Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter spokesperson confirmed last week it "responded ... to a person that had fallen, sustaining critical injuries", 50m below the summit of Single Cone.
"With the weather closing in, the team left the [Queenstown Airport] hangar within five minutes and located the patient five minutes later.
"A critical care paramedic was offloaded to provide brief medical care before the paramedic and injured person were winched back on board.
"The patient was initially taken to the rescue helicopter base for medical stabilisation before being transported to hospital."
At the time of the incident, Mr Prudden, who has climbed Single Cone "a few hundred times", was guiding clients who had just summited.
From about 200m to 300m away, he heard loud screaming — "it’s a bit more than someone going ‘yahoo’, that’s the sound of something going wrong".
Simultaneously, the climber’s companion was letting off some expletives, he says.
"We couldn’t see anything, we just kept walking.
"We got down to Wye Saddle and then all of a sudden the helicopter comes ripping over."
It is understood the climbers tackled a rock slab beside a gully which they baulked at going up.
Mr Prudden said the one who fell, luckily landed on a ledge below the summit — "below that ledge there’s like a 200m drop".
Even so, it is believed he sustained bad head injuries.
The temperature was about zero and a cloud bank was lingering around the peak, Mr Prudden said.
He suggested anyone tackling Single Cone needed a degree of experience, equipment and/or both.
"People are out there doing this mountain running gig, they take a water bladder on their back and off they go with a light pair of shoes and stuff — but it’s not recommended.
"It’s at the point where there’s some difficulty and risk factor that takes it above your Sunday walk."
The problem, he suggests, is "the old summit fever thing".
"Getting to the summit takes over.
"They forge on and take that risk."
