Police say it remains “unlikely” the search for three men missing on Aoraki Mount Cook will resume today.
The search for Kurt Blair, 56, and Carlos Romero, 50, from the United States, and a Canadian national was launched on Monday morning after they were reported overdue.
But the operation has been on hold since later on Monday due to the weather, and the search was now considered unlikely to resume until at least tomorrow.
Aoraki Area Commander Vicki Walker said police were not in a position to release the name of the Canadian man due to family wishes.
Highly technical alpine conditions
Earlier today, Walker told Breakfast that once resumed, search and rescue teams would be operating in a “highly technical alpine environment”.
“It requires skills, knowledge, experience, planning, and the right equipment to go into those environments,” she said.
“It’s not for the faint-hearted.”
She said police believed the trio were helicoptered to a plateau hut where they then made an attempt to summit the peak via Zurbriggen Ridge. A jacket and ice axe believed to have belonged to the men were found before the search was paused.
She said specially trained Department of Conservation staff and helicopters would be used in the search on the specific area around where the items were located.
“People who go there are planning successful trip, but they’ve got to be skilled in training and ability.”
