Two climbers who were caught in an avalanche in the Remarkables Range in Otago have been rescued but "left shaken by the event".
The pair - experienced climbers - got caught in an avalanche on Double Cone on Tuesday.
They managed to avoid getting buried and "extricated themselves uninjured," police said in a statement.
The pair moved a short distance away from the avalanche site but due to the continued risk of an avalanche were unable to move safely from that spot.
The two climbers spent a night in a snow cave while rescuers tried to reach them. (Source: 1News)
This all played out during poor weather conditions including high winds and blowing snow making it hard to see.
That same day two attempts to get an alpine rescue team by helicopter to the climbers were made but conditions prevented this from happening.
The climbers were advised to dig a snow cave and shelter overnight, ahead of a further rescue attempt yesterday (Wednesday).
Police say the pair were well-equipped for a night in a snow cave.
Another rescue attempted was made on Wednesday morning involving the alpine rescue team and helicopter but weather conditions stopped it being successful.
However the helicopter was able to land the rescue team 1.2km away and 300m below the climbers’ position.
The rescue team made their way through difficult conditions to the climbers’ location and made contact with them shortly after 10.45am.
Shortly after this the weather conditions had cleared enough for a helicopter to reach the party and extract all back to Queenstown.
"The climbers were shaken by the event and felt that there was no way they could have made it off the mountain unassisted, due to the dangerous avalanche conditions," police said.
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