A coroner has criticised the actions of an alpine club after a beginner mountaineer slipped and fell some 250m to his death.
Paul John McLauchlan, a 34-year-old architect from Wellington, died shortly after the fall at the Whakapapa ski area on Mount Ruapehu on August 7, 2010.
In his finding, released today, Palmerston North Coroner Tim Scott said Mr McLauchlan was part of a group part in an alpine instruction course with the Wellington section of the New Zealand Alpine Club at a basic or beginner level.
The group left Wellington for the mountain about 5pm on the Friday night and arrived at Whakapapa about 11pm.
They then had to walk for about two hours to their hut accommodation and got to bed between 1.30am and 2am.
They got up between 7.30am and 8am.
"They were then expected to sleep for six hours - although [I] ... do not think this was achieved - then get up, eat breakfast and proceed to the day's activities. Frankly I think this was unwise and potentially dangerous," Coroner Scott said .
"What concerned me more was that I got the very clear impression from hearing the evidence that there was probably a prevailing culture - or at least an undercurrent - wherein fatigue was acceptable, even to be encouraged on the course."
The snow was slippery that day and if the climbers fell they would stop only if they came to the bottom of the slope or "self-arrested".
Coroner Scott said this hazard was recognised by instructors, but it was minimised and "put into the memory bank".
"In fact the sliding hazard - as witnesses conceded at the hearing - was a major hazard faced by the party on the mountain that day and should have been maximised not minimised."
The coroner was also critical of the competitive attitude of the group, who called themselves "the A Team".
"Some of the evidence was that a certain level of competition is to be expected, especially in a group of active young men, and is healthy and to be encouraged within parameters," he said. "I do not agree. I think that competition is a potential recipe for disaster in respect of a group of beginner climbers."
Mr McLauchlan was paired with another man on a slope which was described as easy to moderate, but which was still subject to a real sliding hazard.
After they had secured themselves to the slope by hammering in a snow stake and an ice screw, their rope became tangled.
The men remained on the slope for about 25 minutes trying to untangle it before Mr McLauchlan decided to to unclip himself so he could got to a more level area to undo the knot.
His climbing companion gave evidence that he heard something and saw Mr McLauchlan on his side, his ice axe in the snow above his head.
His crampons had become locked together and were no longer engaging the snow and he began to slide.
He slid over one large rock and appeared to have hit another rock at the bottom of the slope before coming to a stop on a frozen creek bed.
His backup ice axe was found embedded about halfway down the slope.
He had suffered significant head injuries and was unconscious when he was found. He died soon afterwards.
Coroner Scott said the area chosen to perform the activity was too dangerous.
"(The area) should have been so well chosen that while there was a chance you could fall and not walk away the probability was that you would be safe."
Coroner Scott did not think it necessary to make any recommendations because the club had already taken steps to modify its instruction process and programme and to minimise the likelihood of a similar tragedy occurring in the future.