Climbers spend third night in the open

By MONIQUE DEVEREUX

Two Canterbury University students have spent their third night huddled in a snow trench near Arthurs Pass, just kilometres from rescuers.

Blizzard conditions yesterday continued to hamper the rescue of Craig Helm, 22, and Nicholas Gordon, 21, who went climbing in the Temple Basin area on Sunday and were expected out that night.

They were well equipped for a day's climb but have no sleeping bags or tents. It is not known what, if any, food they are carrying.

The men were spotted by searchers yesterday and were both standing and waving, indicating they were unhurt. But an attempt to drop warm clothes, sleeping bags, food and a radio to them was aborted when high winds made flying into the area too dangerous.

They have built a trench in the snow for shelter, and are hunkered down about 1500m up a ridge near Phipps Peak, behind the Temple Basin skifield.

Senior Constable Phil Simmonds, who is running the search and rescue operation, is hoping for a break in the weather this morning to fly in.

An alpine rescue team was being dropped below where the men are stranded and will this morning mark out a safe route for more rescuers.

Another team is at the nearby Deception Hut from where, when the weather is clear, they can see the place the men are stranded.

Because snow has fallen non-stop since Monday morning the terrain in the Temple Basin has changed and Mr Simmonds said the stranded men would not necessarily have the equipment to climb out by themselves. They would also be tired and weak after three nights in the snow.

Extra climbing gear will have to be taken in to bring the men out if they can walk.

If they are unable to move, the rescue team is reliant on the weather clearing and winds dropping to allow a helicopter in to winch them out.

When the climbers went into the area on Sunday it was clear and fine. But overnight the temperature dropped to minus 4C and a blizzard caused whiteout conditions.

Yesterday was milder until soon after the men were located, when whiteout conditions returned.

Mr Simmonds said the situation was "quite frustrating" as the men were only a matter of kilometres away from the search and rescue base at Arthurs Pass village.

Jared Steel, a flatmate of Mr Gordon and Mr Helm, said the pair had been on a trip with friends.

The group had stayed at the Broken River DoC shelter on Friday night and Mr Steel understood the friends raised the alarm when the men did not return from their day tramp on Sunday night.

Mr Steel said he and his flatmates spent a sleepless night on Monday worrying about the missing men but were yesterday relieved to hear they were alive.

The stranded men are fourth-year civil engineering students and have completed a snow and ice course as part of their geology studies, he said.

Mr Gordon and Mr Helm are also members of the university tramping club and competed last year in the club's annual 24-hour endurance event.

Mr Steel said they had tramped back-country courses and were both fit and strong.

"They have got the theory and experience behind them," he said.

"As [another flatmate] Jane said, I think the key thing is they know each other really well and they know each other's limits. It's brilliant they are alive and waving [to searchers]."

Mr Simmonds said the men's parents were at Arthurs Pass village and were "holding up okay".

He said the pair had done everything right by telling friends their intended route and when they were expected to return, so the rescue got under way as soon as possible.

"But the weather took a bit of a turn for the worst and that's what we are fighting."