Climbers Conor Smith (left) and Sarwan Chand died after falling from Marian Peak in Fiordland on Monday. Smith spoke to the media just two weeks ago about how his inclusion in the NZ Alpine team had set him up for "an amazing lifestyle", taking him rock climbing around the world. Photo/NZ Alpine Team
Climbers Conor Smith (left) and Sarwan Chand died after falling from Marian Peak in Fiordland on Monday. Smith spoke to the media just two weeks ago about how his inclusion in the NZ Alpine team had set him up for "an amazing lifestyle", taking him rock climbing around the world. Photo/NZ Alpine Team
A young Greymouth rock climber whose dice with danger came to a tragic end after rescuers yesterday found his body with that of a fellow climber at the bottom of a Fiordland cliff told the media just two weeks ago what climbing means to him, describing the challenge of seeking out unclimbed peaks.
Conor Smith, 22, who grew up in Greymouth, had forged a name for himself in the rock climbing world following his selection in 2015 to the New Zealand Alpine team.
His body was found still roped to his climbing companion Sarwan Chand, another member of the New Zealand team. Chand had spent about four years on the West Coast working for the Department of Conservation.
Smith, a graduate of the Tai Poutini Polytechnic outdoor education course, featured in the Greymouth Star only two weeks ago having just returned from four weeks' climbing in Canada.
He spoke then about how his inclusion in the NZ team had set him up for "an amazing lifestyle" which took him rock climbing around the world.
"For me, climbing is a really personal thing. I'm not really interested in guiding or teaching other people at this stage. It's something I do for me and I want to push myself mentally and physically," Smith said.
Lake Marian in Fiordland not far from Marian Peak in the Darren Mountains where the two climbers' bodies were recovered. Photo / Wikimedia
Smith said he was not so much drawn to the challenge of Mount Everest or other big mountains, but to seeking out unclimbed peaks and being the first to explore those new challenges.
"I want to head overseas to remote places no one else has ever been and push my own physical and mental limits," he said.
Smith and Chand had been overdue for 24 hours from a climbing expedition at Marian Peak, in the Darran Mountains, when they were reported missing on Monday afternoon.
A Southland police search and rescue team recovered their bodies yesterday.
Sergeant Tod Hollebon, of Te Anau police, said the pair had clearly suffered a fall.
A statement from the New Zealand Alpine Team acknowledged the deaths "with great sadness''.
"While details of the accident are not yet fully known, we believe that while climbing, the leader fell before being able to place gear after the belay. This resulted in a ... fall, pulling the team off the wall."
Smith and Chand both joined the national team in late 2015.
"They were both well liked and respected members of the team. They were experienced and competent mountaineers with many successful ascents in New Zealand and overseas.''
Smith excelled as a rock climber, while Chand had a long list of successful ice and alpine ascents.
"To lose two of our friends and team-mates together in this way is devastating for us. Our thoughts are with their family and friends.''
Tai Poutini Polytechnic said Smith was a "vibrant and engaging" graduate of the 2014 outdoor education course, and his drive to succeed had set him apart from his peers.
He was awarded the Cave Creek Student Excellence Award while at the polytechnic.
Outdoor education programme head Dave Ritchie said Smith was a special person to everyone who knew him.
"Conor was a vibrant and engaging student with a wry sense of humour and a humble approach - a rare and beautiful combination in a young man. His strong internal motivation to excel at everything he attempted, which was a lot, was an example to all around him. We will miss him greatly and remember him fondly."
Tutor Paula Roberts recalled his dreams and ambitions for climbing, which were set to take him all over the world.
"He was super-determined and was always hungry to learn new things. He always reminded me that it's the top 3 per cent that counts - I have so many great memories of climbing adventures with Conor," Roberts said.
Greymouth High School principal Andy England remembered an adventurous student who "preferred getting out there rather than sitting down doing work".
"Conor was a top mountainbiker when he was at school. He was a really, really neat kid, a very talented sportsman who found his calling when he went to Tai Poutini Polytechnic."
West Coast Alpine Club president Jason Blair mourned the loss of both men.
"Sarwan (Chand) was a member of the West Coast Alpine Club, as was Conor before he left Greymouth," Blair said.
Smith is the second former Tai Poutini Polytechnic student to die in tragic circumstances in as many weeks. On April 12, 18-year-old apprentice builder Rory Hayward died in an accident while repiling a bach at a remote site near Hari Hari.
The polytechnic said today staff and students at the Greymouth campus had been offered counselling to deal with both deaths.
