KEY POINTS:
New Zealand's mountaineering community is still trying to unravel the mystery of how one of their experienced guides plunged to his death on Mount Cook - despite being one of the country's most cautious climbers.
Anton Wopereis, 54, was guiding celebrated Scottish climber Vicky Jack on the mountain
when he climbed above her to attach a fresh anchor to the slope and fell 60m, hitting rocks and sustaining fatal head injuries.
Ms Jack, who at 51 became the oldest woman to climb Mount Everest and has also scaled the tallest peaks on each of the seven continents, survived because she was safely anchored below Mr Wopereis when he fell on New Year's Day, fatally striking his head on a rock.
The subject of a book about her climbing exploits - The Sky's the Limit - Ms Jack said in an interview last October: "I'm not a proper climber, it's just a hobby which developed over time.
"There is no way you can beat nature - I have total respect for the elements - but to win is to get to the top and so I keep going."
Ms Jack has been interviewed by police and the New Zealand Mountain Guides Association (NZMGA) to try to establish what happened to Mr Wopereis who was found still dangling from his rope with horrific head injuries. It is thought he struck his head on a ledge as he fell or smashed against the rock face.
"We are mystified as to precisely how he became detached from the mountain," said NZMGA executive officer Dave Crow.
"We may never know the specific reason for that. As experienced as he was, he obviously didn't see itcoming."
There was speculation the ice Mr Wopereis was attached to had been loosened by three other climbing parties before him.
"Something has given way and the chances are it was his foothold or something. He was obviously comfortable with his placement on the ice."
A guide's log released exclusively to the Weekend Herald by the NZMGA has given an insight into the struggle by guides to reach Ms Jack and Mr Wopereis after he fell.
The un-named guide recalled seeing Mr Wopereis and Ms Jack below him on the mountain before the accident, with other guides and their climbers also visible.
About 9.30am or 9.45am, the guide heard another guide shouting below him.
"Couldn't hear what he said but was aware from tone of some urgency," the log reads.
After moving to where he could hear him "he said something may have happened to Anton".
He then heard another guide over the radio at the bottom of the mountain's Summit Rocks "giving info, including likelihood of 60m fall and no response so far from Anton".
The two guides gathered their clients together. One guide was allocated the task of securing the clients in a position to enable evacuation from the top of the Summit Rocks whilst the second guide descended with extra equipment to reach Mr Wopereis and Ms Jack.
While the log author reached Ms Jack, the third and fourth guides that were lower down reached Mr Wopereis. "We decided [Ms Jack] also needed to be attended to as she was in a position to inadvertently drop debris on Anton."
While Mr Wopereis was positioned to be evacuated by a rescue team, the guides brought Ms Jack down to the base of the Summit Rocks where she could be safely picked up and flown out.
A funeral service for Mr Wopereis will be held in Wanaka on Monday.
