The climbers who died were part of a four-person group. Photo: Corey Serravite//Unsplash
Two climbers are dead after a fall from Aoraki, also known as Mount Cook, which is New Zealand’s tallest peak. Two others in the group of four were rescued.
According to reports, one of the climbers who died was an internationally recognized mountain guide based in Wanaka, a resort town on New Zealand’s South Island. Thomas Vialletet was described by New Zealand Mountain Guides Association president Anna Keeling as “a careful and diligent climber.” The other man who died was a client from the United States.
The party of four were roped together in pairs when the accident occurred on Monday night. They were climbing from Empress Hut to the summit when Vialletet and his partner fell from the west ridge of the mountain. The other two, another guide from New Zealand and his client, were flown off of the mountain on Tuesday morning, just a few hours before rescuers were able to recover the bodies of the two who died.
Inspector Vicki Walker, the police area commander, said that the bodies were recovered “in a challenging alpine environment.”
Aoroki is 12,218 feet high. It is part of the Southern Alps, a range that runs along the entire length of New Zealand’s South Island. It’s a relatively popular climb for experienced mountaineers, full of technical terrain including crevasses, avalanche-prone areas, and often experiences rapidly changing weather. Since the beginning of the century, over 240 deaths have been recorded in the area, and many of the bodies of those who perished have never been found.
At the beginning of November, Vialletet posted on Instagram about how excited he was to start his climbing season in New Zealand.
“Just back from guiding the east ridge of Aoraki/Mt. Cook…a 25hr push from Plateau Hut!” he wrote. “So many years spent looking at that magnificent skyline, thinking one day it will be awesome to wander that way to climb the mighty Aoraki. Guiding it, it’s like a professional dream that came true for myself.”
