A skier has survived after tumbling 400m in New Zealand's high alps and landing on a glacier
A skier has survived after tumbling 400m in New Zealand's high alps and landing on a glacier
5 September 2020
It's emerged the man had climbed Mt Aspiring, northwest of Wanaka, with a friend on Thursday and was skiing down its technical West Face when the descent went wrong.
Despite seeing his companion tumble below, the man's friend was able to compose himself enough to complete his own descent and seek out his injured mate on the glacier.
He then set off an emergency beacon that led to rescuers Lionel Clay and Gary Dickson flying on to the mountain in a helicopter within 45 minutes.
The skier survived the ordeal with only leg injuries and was airlifted to Dunedin Hospital.
The helicopter crew say is was a very, very fortunate outcome, partly because the pair were very experienced and knew what they were doing
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