Will Rowntree: Mountain Guides Association spokesperson on the death of a skier at Mount Cook National Park

There is renewed advice to be careful, even in good conditions, after an avalanche claimed a life on Mount Dixon near Mount Cock. One person was trapped in an avalanche yesterday morning and died before search and rescue could get to them. Will Rowntree is a spokesperson for the Mountain Guides Association and with us. Hi, Will.

Kia ora, Heather. Thanks for having me on.

You're welcome. What happened?

So, yeah, a member of our association was out skiing on Mount Dixon. uh one of the highest peaks in the country and very close to uh mount cook itself um he wasn't working i was in a recreational trip with uh three other uh members of his party who both all three of them were very experienced as well uh sadly he was uh avalanche while descending on skis and got taken off the sort of the northeast side of the mountain uh and down a very long way uh and then was buried in an avalanche and unfortunately didn't survive.

Is it unusual to have an avalanche in a region that is currently rated as having moderate risk?

Yeah, that's a really good question. The definition, the travel advice, for example, for a moderate risk, which is level two of a five-level scale, is heightened avalanche conditions on specific terrain. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully. And the real take home there is that it doesn't mean no, you know, there's a moderate, there's still a chance of an avalanche and you still have to always have your wits about you. And the person involved or the entire team involved were highly experienced and so it's an example of, how the mountains are such a dynamic place and even a really small avalanche in such big consequential terrain can lead to the worst-case scenario.

Yeah. Now, I take it you obviously know who it is who's passed away, but they haven't yet officially been named?

No, I don't, and we can expect more information on that tomorrow. I did know the person very well, and... can attest to not just his but also the entire team's experience and their qualifying factors for being there in the first place.

All right. Well, hey, sorry for your loss, mate, and thank you for your time. Will Rowntree, New Zealand Mountain Guides Association spokesperson.