A solo climber was rescued from the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park early on Friday.
The climber, in his 30s, set off his personal locator beacon on the top of Boys Glacier after he was injured in a fall on Thursday evening.
"There were immediate concerns for the climber's welfare," said Keith Allen, a senior search and rescue officer for Maritime NZ, adding there were real risks of hypothermia and frostbite.
"The climber confirmed he was cold and wet but was able to shelter in a sleeping bag for the night," said Allen.
Due to weather conditions and nightfall a helicopter was not able to launch until Friday morning.
Cloudy weather complicated the recovery but the climber was rescued above 6000 feet on Friday morning by helicopter.
Department of Conservation (DoC) search and rescue project lead Scotty Barrier said a helicopter was able to nose into the steep terrain so rescuers could jump out, rope together and traverse to the climber to extract him from a dangerous location which was in a potential avalanche path.
Allen said the climber was rewarmed and assessed by the search and rescue team. Fortunately, he had no significant injuries.
"The weather was challenging, and this incident is a reminder for people venturing into unforgiving terrain in the mountains in winter that the environment and weather need the utmost respect," Barrier said.
He praised the climber for using the DoC intentions system and carrying a personal locator beacon.
