KEY POINTS:
A Scottish climber has praised the experienced guide who ensured her safety before falling to his death while leading her up Mount Cook.
Anton Francis Wopereis, 54, is being remembered by friends and fellow mountain guides as a great man of the outdoors, a fierce competitor and an
expert at managing risk.
His partner, Barbara, told the Herald she always knew he might die on a mountain "but I hoped it wouldn't happen".
"I will miss him dreadfully, but I guess it goes with the territory. I would never have stopped him [climbing]."
The climber Mr Wopereis was leading when he died was also extremely experienced, and had climbed around the world.
She survived because she was secured separately to an anchor point on the mountain face while Mr Wopereis climbed above her to try to secure a new anchor.
He fell when an ice slab came away from the mountain and hit rocks, sending him on a 60m fall to his death on a steep slope 3400m above sea level, on the mountain's Linda Glacier route, on Tuesday morning.
The Scottish woman was interviewed by police and the New Zealand Mountain Guides Association after a gruelling wait to be rescued by other guides.
"She was coping remarkably well," said association executive officer Dave Crow.
"She was full of praise for [Mr Wopereis] and also for other guides that came to his and her assistance."
"She appreciated his guiding and communication, and the attention to detail."
Nelson-born Mr Wopereis had been climbing for more than 35 years and had climbed Mount Cook nearly 30 times since 1976.
He had climbed, skied and guided throughout the world.
Long-time friend Dave Macleod said Mr Wopereis was a quiet, gentle person, but immensely strong physically "in terms of his fitness".
His partner Barbara said keeping fit was his passion. "He was always careful about what he ate."
Mr Macleod said Mr Wopereis offered unconditional friendship "which I think is a rarity these days".
When not mountain climbing or working part-time as a survey technician, Mr Wopereis would often be out mountain biking or cross-country skiing.
"He had a competitive spirit that would surface in his mountain-biking. You would often go out with him on what you thought was a gentle ride which would quickly turn into a race.
"Even though he was 54, he still had a lot of toys in the sandpit so to speak."
Mr Wopereis was good at analysing the risk in a climb and saying "yes" or "no", Mr Macleod said.
"He wasn't a cavalier type of mountaineer and guide."
Mr Wopereis lived with Barbara in Wanaka, and helped care for her four children.
Barbara said: "He loved his step-father role. He was always ferrying them from place to place."
Mr Macleod said: "He was always buying something for the kids to encourage them into the outdoors."
Mr Wopereis is survived by five brothers.
