Sunday afternoon at 1545 our team was tasked by Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) to a rescue on Otira Slide, just below the summit of Mt Rolleston Low Peak.
Operation Summary
One member of a party of four climbers was hit by rockfall, causing them to fall down the mountain, suffering severe head trauma and other injuries, but remained conscious. The party set off their PLB at 1535.
At 1609, 2 team members arrived at Garden City Helicopters (GCH Aviation) in Christchurch and were flown to Arthur’s Pass at 1630.
By 1741 our team were airborne from Klondyke Corner to the site, and the patient was reached by 1831 after a dropoff below the site at Goldney Ridge.
The patient was safely secured and winched at 1925, then taken to Christchurch hospital by helicopter.
Learnings from this accident
In winter, mountaineers are wise to be wary of avalanche risk, with certain terrain & conditions exacerbating the risk. In summer, a major hazard is rockfall. The risk increases exponentially with group size, especially when travelling down loose rock slopes, in gulleys, and rollovers where rocks can accelerate quickly and dislodge more rocks onto team members.
Consider this on your summer mountaineering trips:
1. Limit group size – large groups are hard to manage and put more people in the firing line
2. Stay close together or travel one at a time between safe spots
3. Fall line discipline: respect the fall line of rocks. Stay aware of your surroundings both above and below.
4. Wear a helmet. This patient was wearing a helmet and it saved their life.
Please donate
If you would like to support our team to perform more rescues like this one, please consider donating: https://alpinerescuecanterbury.com/donate/. All funds raised go towards team training and equipment.
Alpine Rescue Canterbury 