Timaru Herald – Grave fears climber in crevasse

Published on Saturday, January 1st, 2000, under Media

Timaru Herald

Grave fears are held for the safety of a climber believed to have fallen down a crevasse near the summit of Mt D’Archiac, in the headwaters of Lake Tekapo, on Wednesday night.

Aucklander John Sutherland, 25, was climbing with his companion when he slipped down the icy north face. He was not secured by ropes.

His companion, also from Auckland, and two other climbers, Ellis Emmett and Andrew Ashley, spent until Thursday lunchtime searching for Mr Sutherland before making the journey down the mountain to raise the alarm.

Three climbers from a search and rescue team spent yesterday looking for the missing climber. Timaru police Sergeant Geoff McCrostie said Mr Sutherland’s ice axe and climbing rope had been found beside the crevasse by the other climbers.

“We think he is either buried in snow or in the crevasse.

“He slid over a lip and out of sight of his companion. There has been no sign of him since.”

The two men were experienced climbers and were both members of the Auckland University tramping club. They had come to the South Island especially to make the climb and were to spend last night at Mt Cook celebrating New Year.

Mr McCrostie said Mr Sutherland was the more experienced of the two climbers. The pair were 200 metres from the summit of the 2875m mountain when the accident happened.

“This was as far as they wanted to go and they were on their way back down the mountain, ” Mr McCrostie said.

Mr Sutherland had been working for Telecom in Auckland for six months and his team manager Patrick Everton said he was really excited about his trip to the South Island. Mr Everton said Mr Sutherland had done a lot of climbing but although he was experienced he was quite young.

A climbing companion of Mr Sutherland, who did not wish to be named, said Mr Sutherland was an experienced climber who knew the technical aspects of climbing well. He was extremely fit and quietly very confident.

Mr Sutherland has been a member of the tramping club for six to seven years and was renown for not making small talk but getting on with the job when climbing, his companion said. He was also a good leader of other climbing trips. The climbing companion said Mr Sutherland made a point of climbing with experienced people and never got himself into dodgy situations. However, Mr Sutherland is known to like to travel light and may not have much gear with him.