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Two climbers rescued from Remarkables in blizzard conditions
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, he 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, he 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, he said.
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, he 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, he 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, he 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.
VIA RNZ
The chief executive of the Parliamentary Service is confident there will be enough room to accommodate the increased number of MPs and their staff coming into Parliament.
On current numbers, up to 131 MPs could be sitting in the Chamber following the election, brought on by a record overhang result.
Clerk of the House of Representatives Dr David Wilson told the Spinoff that currently the debating chamber had enough chairs to seat 124 MPs – including the Speaker of the House – and work was being done to accommodate more by altering the seating arrangement.
In a statement, Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said planning for a larger Parliament had been going for “some time”.
“Now that the election results have confirmed an increase to the number of members we are looking at several options.
“We are confident we will be able to accommodate all members within the Chamber.”
VNP / Phil Smith
Gonzalez-Montero said office accommodation for members and their staff would be “stretched” for a short time, but the new Members’ Building was only a few months away from “practical completion”.
That building – located behind Parliament – was due to be ready to occupy in April next year and had capacity to accommodate around 30 backbench MPs.
“All members should be in fit-for-purpose accommodation from that point,” Gonzalez-Montero said.
Following the 2023 election, 123 MPs sat in the Chamber – a record number at the time. That decreased to 122 following the resignation of National MP Judith Collins.
Collins held the seat of Papakura and stepped down in May and Parliament voted against holding a by-election because it was too close to the election.
The election result also meant high-ranking National Party MPs like Chris Bishop, Paul Goldsmith, Nicola Willis and Gerry Brownlee – Speaker of the House and an MP for 30 years – would likely not make it back into Parliament.
Only resigning or retiring MPs were permitted to give a valedictory speech meaning none of them would get the chance to give a valedictory statement.
Asked if their would be special allowances for valedictories, Wilson said in a statement that normally only MPs were allowed to speak in the House but the House could suspend its own rules or temporarily alter them.
“It could do so to allow former members to address the House.”
Wilson said no such arrangements could be made until the next Parliament opened and members sworn in.
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