The Australian climber stuck on Mt Aspiring for seven days has been rescued after a break in the poor weather that had hampered the rescue efforts.
The Australian climber stuck on Mt Aspiring for seven days will be flown off the mountain as soon as there is a break in the weather.
Meanwhile, experts say he was lucky not to have become another fatality statistic.
The Mountain Safety Council chief executive Mike Daisley said winter mountaineering was a high risk activity and was "certainly not for the faint of heart".
"However, there's a degree of common sense that's got to come into the planning of trips like this, especially if you're solo.
"I think he's probably sat there going over where he went wrong for many hours wondering if this would be the end for him. It would have been a bloody scary situation to be in."
The man was found alive, with some "slight frostbite", just north of the plateau at Quarterdeck Pass.
Rescue Coordination Centre NZ watch leader Neville Blakemore said due to the strong winds they were unable to winch him out.
Instead, four Wanaka Alpine Rescue crew members were dropped off to look after him for the night with warm clothing, tents and food.
Blakemore said it appeared the man was an experienced climber.
"One of the teams found his heavy equipment at one of the huts, so we assume he got there, and made a push for an assent of the mountain, but the weather caught him out.
"We believe he made a snowcave to stay warm. He's an experienced climber, an Australian army captain so has probably done a lot of survival training.
The Australian climber, who had been missing for seven days, was spotted by rescue helicopters on Thursday night. Photo / Supplied
"It he hadn't had that experience, we probably wouldn't have this outcome."
It was an "extremely dangerous" rescue mission, Blakemore said.
"For the person in trouble and for the rescuers it is extremely dangerous. There is high avalanche risk at the moment, and the weather is not ideal for flying. It takes high skill from all involved."
Senior search and rescue officer Geoff Lunt said the plan today was to send in the Southern Lakes and Aspiring helicopters as soon as the weather allowed it and remove the five men from Quarterdeck pass, Mt Aspiring.
There were another two Alpine Rescue Crew to pick up from the nearby French Ridge hut.
"The climber has been sheltering for the past two nights at the pass and he has clearly made some good decisions to be able to survive the bad weather, heavy snow and high winds," Geoff said.
The weather conditions were promising for the rescue later today.
There were 10km/h south east winds which were expected to rise to 30km/h by noon. The wind chill is minus 16C with scattered rain easing this morning.
Snow was at 1200m and the party was currently about 2300m up Mt Aspiring.
Daisley said a lot of people were hoping for the best but feared the worst.
"Worryingly, we knew from our insights that 25 per cent of mountaineering fatalities in New Zealand are from Australia, so we're very glad he's been found okay," he said.
"It's an amazing outcome; The rescue agencies that coordinated and responded to this tricky situation deserve a huge thanks for their skill and tenacity."
Daisley's message to those who head into the mountains above the snowline, especially those on their own, was one of prudence and caution.
"There's been a lot of snow in the last couple of days. The NZ Avalanche Advisory for the region was on high when he set out and the winds have been a factor as well."
He advised visiting climbers to pay attention to local knowledge and to do their homework on the risks involved.
"It's a good example of where the right call was probably not to go. I know he's come a long way to tick this one off, but it's just not worth the ultimate price. If the locals aren't keen on going up, you can be sure there's a good reason why."
