One of the climbers, in blue, is reached by members of the Queenstown Alpine Cliff Rescue team on The Remarkables just after 4.30am Sunday. Photo: Supplied by NZ Police
A search and rescue operation which safely retrieved two climbers who got into difficulty on the side of The Remarkables took more than 12 hours in deteriorating conditions last Saturday.
The two men in their 20s became trapped on the mountain after ice-climbing in the backcountry near The Remarkables Ski area.
In a statement, Constable Pepper Ruston from Otago Lakes District Police Search and Rescue said the pair became lost while attempting to walk back to the skifield.
After triggering a small avalanche, they made the sensible decision to take shelter in a rock bivvy and call the police for help, she said.
Although the climbers were appropriately dressed for climbing and had mobile phones with navigation apps, they were not well-placed to spend the night on the mountain with only a small amount of food and a single silver rescue blanket between them, she said.
Police search and rescue personnel and members of the Alpine Cliff Rescue (ACR) team mobilised in deteriorating conditions, with a severe south-west gale and poor visibility.
There were two attempts made to drop the ACR team in to the rescue area at 7.30pm and 8.30pm via helicopter, but both had to be called off due to high winds and whiteout conditions, Ruston said.
The decision was then made for a four person ACR team to go into the area on foot and shortly after midnight the team was en route from the ski lift towards the climbers' location.
"Conditions were treacherous, with blizzard conditions and a temperature of minus 8 degrees Celsius. The avalanche risk in the area was significant but the ACR team included a member who was qualified to assess avalanche risk and was therefore able to minimise the risk."
The team reported they were within a few hundreds metres of the climbers at 2.20am but said they were having to move cautiously due to the avalanche risk, she said.
The pair were located at 4.30am and with help from the ACR team walked out to the ski field before being taken back to the SAR base and arriving at 7am.
Members of the Alpine Cliff Rescue team in blizzard conditions and with a temperature of -8C. Photo: NZ Police / Supplied
Ruston said climbers were assessed and found to be fit, although cold, tired and embarrassed.
They had researched the weather conditions before setting out but were caught out by the rapid weather change and had not checked the avalanche risk, she said.
They were not carrying avalanche gear, nor a first aid kit and they did not have a locator beacon or navigation equipment aside from the phone app, she said.
Queenstown Alpine Cliff Rescue Team coordinator Russ Tilsley said people should do their research before heading into the backcountry.
"Taking the time to check and plan for the worst could save your life - and prevent others from having to risk theirs to come to your aid."
A regional avalanche forecast is available via the website avalanche.net.nz and anyone going in via a ski field should check-in with the ski patrol to let them know where they are going and when they intend to return, he said.