Two men have died in separate climbing accidents at Mt Cook this weekend .
died
['man', 'die', 'separate', 'climbing', 'accident', 'mt', 'cook', 'weekend']
Two men have <m> died </m> in separate climbing accidents at Mt Cook this weekend .
http : / / www . odt . co . nz / news / national / 273204 / second - climber - dies - mt - cook
Second climber dies at Mt Cook
Sun , 15 Sep 2013
Two men have <m> died </m> in separate climbing accidents at Mt Cook this weekend .
The Aoraki Mt Cook Alpine Rescue Team worked today to recover the body of a climber after bad weather hindered efforts yesterday .
The climber fell in fading light yesterday near the Mt Sefton Bivvy , and rescue teams were unable to reach him or his companions due to the weather .
Police are still at the scene and say more details will be released later .
The first of the deaths this weekend was that of a New Zealand climber who fell on Friday morning .
The 36 - year - old , who had been living in Melbourne , slipped and fell approximately 200 metres down a steep ice gully as he was approaching the Tasman Saddle Hut , police said .
His brother witnessed the fall and had to spend the night in a hut before rescuers could reach him .
The victim was still alive when rescuers reached him , Helicopter Line pilot Jim Campbell told the Herald on Sunday .
"He was very badly hurt and he'd lost his hat and gloves in the fall so he was very cold . "
The rescue team had to carry the man by stretcher down a glacier , walking two hours to reach a rescue helicopter .
A Westpac Rescue Helicopter from Christchurch was called to help with search and rescue co - ordination at the Mt Cook base .
By the time it arrived , the man had been transported to Mt Cook Village by a local helicopter service and had been pronounced dead by paramedics .
He had been planning a four - day ski tour of the area and was using the Tasman Saddle Hut as a base , police said .
Mr Campbell said police told him the man was well - equipped but was not wearing crampons when he slipped .
A massive rescue bid was made shortly after 11am on Friday , with members of the Aoraki Mt Cook Department of Conservation Alpine Rescue Team , Alpine Guides , The Helicopter Line , Twizel and Fairlie police and Westpac Rescue paramedics all called in to help .
Constable Joseph Rush , of Twizel police , said the weather conditions were severe , with poor visibility , strong wind gusts and - 15C temperatures .
The man's name will not be released until family have been notified .