Two climbers stranded almost 2500 meters up Aoraki/Mount Cook have been airlifted to safety, according to the Department of Conservation. After spending two cold, grueling days holed up in Empress Hut beneath the mountain’s west face, the men were finally rescued by helicopter around 8:30 am on Saturday.
Aoraki Search and Rescue supervisor George Loomes reported the men were in surprisingly good spirits, and fortunately, they had prepped for a long stint in the mountains. Loomes tipped his hat to the Helicopter Line pilots and crews, who managed to snag a brief window of decent weather and pull off the rescue in tricky conditions.
Before that, though, poor weather kept rescuers from reaching the climbers sooner. While bunkered down, the pair stayed in touch with the Aoraki Mount Cook Alpine Rescue Team via radio, and they had enough food and water to stretch out their supplies. It’s believed, however, that they may have suffered frostbite during their stay in the alpine wilderness.
Thankfully, they were well-equipped with both food and communication gear – a lifesaver, literally.
