A 36 - year - old Australian man died on Friday after falling 150 meters from a ridge in Aoraki / Mt . Cook National Park on New Zealand ’ s South Island .
died
36 year old australian man die friday fall 150 meter ridge aoraki mt cook national park new zealand s south island
A 36 - year - old Australian man <m> died </m> on Friday after falling 150 meters from a ridge in Aoraki / Mt . Cook National Park on New Zealand ’ s South Island .
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Australian Ski Mountaineer Dies in Fall in New Zealand
September 16 , 2013 9 : 36 am
A 36 - year - old Australian man <m> died </m> on Friday after falling 150 meters from a ridge in Aoraki / Mt . Cook National Park on New Zealand ’ s South Island .
Duncan Robert Rait , a New Zealand native living in Melbourne , Australia , was with a group of ski mountaineers who had just arrived by helicopter to a ridge top location near the Tasman Saddle Hut .
While en route from the drop - off location to the hut he slipped from the ridgeline and fell to his death .
Rait had planned to spend four days ski touring in the area with his brother .
Although not a factor in the accident , rescue efforts were hampered by weather conditions .
The rescue team were dropped at the hut and then descended to the location of the injured man as the helicopter became grounded due to poor weather .
Rait was returned to Mt . Cook Village , where he was pronounced dead .
The day following Rait ’ s death an inexperienced and reportedly ill - equipped mountain climber with rental gear , 31 - year - old Robert Buckley of the U . K . but living in Christchurch , New Zealand , slipped on ice and fell 700 meters to his own death elsewhere in the same National Park .