The sole survivor of this morning's avalanche in Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park says she just got really lucky, managing to end up with her face out of the snow so she could still breathe, while two dear friends lost their lives.
Jo Morgan, mother of Trade Me founder Sam and wife of well known businessman and political figure Gareth Morgan, dug her way out of the avalanche on Mount Hicks and set off an emergency locator beacon to get help around 6am.
The avalanche claimed the lives of two guides, with Jo Morgan the sole survivor. (Source: Other)
Two male guides died and their bodies have been recovered.
Mrs Morgan was rescued and has returned to Christchurch where she told 1 NEWS the party had set off at two o'clock this morning to climb.
"And that's a normal time for climbing. It's not being foolish or anything. And we just hit a slope that was unstable and it was laden with the type of snow that obviously avalanches," Mrs Morgan said.
"We all got thrown down the hill, tied together, as climbers do. And they were buried and I was buried too but I had my face out so I could continue to breathe.
"I survived and my friends, my very dear friends who I've climbed a lot with, they haven't. And so, I'm absolutely broken," she said.
"It's not really about me. There's two very dear friends of mine who have lost their lives today in just tragic circumstances, and I, just got really lucky and managed to end up out of the avalanche with being able to breathe still."
A personal locator beacon was set off early this morning, with two men and a woman in trouble. (Source: Other)
Police Area Commander Inspector Dave Gaskin said that while the two deceased were New Zealand residents, they were from overseas and police still need to inform next of kin.
He said the two men were well-known in the area and the tragedy will have a huge effect on the local community.
Mrs Morgan also said it's just a very sad time for the climbing community.
"And I just feel very lucky that I've survived and through nothing more than luck probably."
She thanked the Search and Rescue personnel who answered her beacon at five o'clock in the morning "and the people that came to help me", describing SAR as "an amazing service".
Department of Conservation director general Lou Sanson, who was at Mt Cook Village this morning, described Mrs Morgan's actions as a "textbook recovery".
She had been "completely buried" in snow for about 30 minutes until she was able to activate her personal locator beacon and then took another 20 minutes to free herself.
"She's done a textbook recovery. She had one hand free to get snow out of her mouth and then release the PLB (personal locator beacon)," Mr Sanson said.
He said time is absolutely critical in such situations.
"From that 6am response we were able to swing into action and to be on the mountain by 7.30am," he said.
"She described being able to put her arm up and feel air above her somewhere. She was getting cold and then she came to the surface and couldn't see her two companions."
"She completely freed herself and sought help," Mr Sanson said.
The group had left Empress Hut, the highest hut in the Southern Alps, this morning and had reached Harper Saddle.
Mr Sanson praised the actions of DOC staff first on the scene as part of the Alpine Cliff Rescue team and helped recover the bodies of the two mountain guides, who were friends of many of his staff.
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