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Man rescued after being buried by avalanche near Wānaka

Sep 24, 2024

The Mountain Safety Council is warning people to not rush into alpine environments if they're not prepared properly after a climber was rescued from an avalanche near Treble Cone on Monday.

It is the second human-triggered avalanche in the area, with a previous one on Saturday.

The man, who was with a well-prepared group, was dug out from beneath a metre of snow.

But the council's chief executive Mike Daisley told Morning Report that people shouldn't be exploring the back country when the weather is not conducive to being there.

"Increasingly we are, and this is not related to this particular incident, but we are seeing people looking to explore some of these environments with less knowledge and less experience," he said.

Daisley added the avalanche risk in the area is high at the moment.

"The avalanche risk has stepped up from considerable to high. So that's what we're expecting to see for the next couple of weeks.

"Some brief weather windows encouraging people out mixed in with a constant storm cycle for the next two or three weeks."

He recommended sticking to ski fields, where the avalanche risk is actively managed.

Main image (RNZ/Tess Brunton): Treble Cone.

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