Climber keen to try again

A harrowing night in a snow cave has not put English climber Rob Horsenail off trying to climb Mt Cook.

Bad weather forced Mr Horsenail, 26, and Zealand couple Erin Hawke, 34, Rod Barker, 33, and Nepalese guide Phurenje Sherpa, 30, to abandon their attempt to reach the summit on Thursday. They had been marking the 50th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary's conquest of Mt Everest.

Mr Horsenail said yesterday that the party would have died had they not decided to leave their snow cave and try to reach Plateau Hut.

When they woke up after the night in the snow cave it was still blowing a blizzard in white-out conditions.

"I said: 'We either die trying (to reach the hut) or die doing nothing."'

The party battled ferocious winds for 6 1/2 hours to reach the hut. They were evacuated by helicopter on Saturday morning after the weather eased.

Mr Horsenail reached Mt Cook's summit in December, and hopes to try again in summer with his father, Nick, 52, also a keen mountaineer.

- NZPA