Man suffers fatal slip and fall while back-country skiing

Photo / NZH

A man died after slipping and falling while back-country skiing with another man near the Treble Cone ski field in Central Otago yesterday.

Senior Sergeant Craig Dennison said rescue teams took an hour to find the man, indicating he had fallen a fair way.

He could not confirm the nationality of the men.

An Alpine Cliff Rescue spokesman, who asked not to be named, said the 22-year-old slipped in icy conditions in an area behind the Treble Cone ski field.

"He was ski touring at the time. One [of the men] has taken a slip on some firm ice [and] he was unable to stop himself," the spokesman said. "It's an unfortunate incident and the fault of no one."

The second man raised the alarm about 1.10pm.

Rescue teams took about an hour to find the pair, which was "quite a rapid response", the spokesman said.

A Treble Cone ski area spokesman said the accident was not within the ski area boundary but the men were skiing "off the back of the summit" and probably accessed the area using the ski field access road.

LandSAR referred all inquiries to police.

Police were working to advise the man's family of the accident and the death had been referred to the coroner.