KEY POINTS:
A New Zealand climber is recovering from head injuries after spending more than two weeks in an induced coma after a fall in Canada.
Stefan Hadfield, 24, from Hamilton, recently regained consciousness after the fall at Whistler Blackcomb skifield in British Columbia on March 1.
His parents, John and Monika, and younger sister Ilana, flew to Canada immediately after the accident and have been maintaining a vigil at his bedside.
"He has an incredible thirst for life and for adventure, I know in my heart that he's bringing that same strength to fighting this," his mother told Fairfax newspapers.
Hadfield has represented New Zealand at the X-Games in Malaysia and in boulder climbing competitions in Europe.
He flew to Canada in February to join the Pole-to-Pole Challenge, an expedition to travel from the South Pole to the North using only human power.
He had been through the selection process but the fall happened days before training for the Pole-to-Pole was due to begin.
- NZPA
