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Feb 1, 2005, 5:24 AM
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01 February 2005
By ANNA CLARIDGE
Fall asleep and you're dead: those words played over in Guy McKinnon's mind as he huddled on a tiny mountain ledge, facing a 1500m plunge to certain death.
The 29-year-old Christchurch climber spent Saturday night 60m below the summit of New Zealand's highest mountain, trapped on a ledge the size of a stove top, his broken leg dangling over the edge of the 1500m drop.
An experienced climber, McKinnon had already been to the top of Mount Cook twice but decided to tackle the tricky North Ridge in a solo climb on Saturday.
"I hadn't been out climbing for a while and I wanted to do something big, and the North Ridge has always appealed as a climb," he said.
From his Christchurch Hospital bed yesterday he told of his lucky escape and the long wait for help.
McKinnon began the climb on Saturday, reaching the Empress Hut by mid-morning, and then the Green Saddle. The weather was fine and the snow firm.
The next step was the North Ridge, which has a series of three rock steps before a short climb to the summit.
"The first two (steps) went by without any difficulty and I was surprised how easy they were," McKinnon said. "The third step was hard, and most people actually go around the step and on to the side of Sheila Face, but, foolishly, I kept ferreting my way up, zig-zagging across.
"There was a little bit just at the top of the last step that was slabby, with smooth rock that is hard to get foot-holes in. I still had my boots on and didn't change into my rock-climbing shoes, which was silly.
"I greased off a toe-hold and fell about five metres. When I landed, my foot was jammed between two sharp, pointy rocks. If they hadn't been there to grab on to and impale my foot, I would have been gone."
McKinnon knew instantly his leg was broken and set off his emergency locator beacon to alert rescuers.
"I got into my bivvy bag. There was some ice in a crack next to me, so I chipped it off and made a cup of tea on the ledge."
The cold set in about 3am and McKinnon got a bad case of the shivers. Safe in the knowledge his locator beacon would bring rescuers in the morning, he concentrated on keeping awake. "I was thinking `if I go to sleep, I'm going to fall off here'."
At dawn on Sunday, McKinnon saw a helicopter tracing his path up the mountain. It landed at the Empress Hut, where a searcher read of McKinnon's plans in the intentions book, and from there the helicopter found him.
"I gave them the signal that I had broken my leg and they seemed to understand."
Two long, cold hours later – after a helicopter with a winch was flown from Christchurch – he was thrown a harness to lift him to safety.
"At that stage (when I was doing up the harness) I thought there was one last chance to stuff it up again, but I managed to do it OK."
McKinnon said it was "pure luck" his fall had been broken by the ledge, and he thanked rescue pilots who had flown in tough conditions to reach him.
"I'm not the only climber that has benefited from their skill. Up there, they are dealing in metres, and I'm just grateful they were there."
His Christchurch-based parents were at his bedside yesterday, relieved to have their son safe.
McKinnon was on annual leave from his job at the Canterbury Museum when he tackled the mountain, and he expects to be back on light duties in a few weeks.
McKinnon said even the most experienced climbers could make mistakes.
"(Experience) doesn't stop you from doing stupid things," he said. "I think I made a number of significant errors of judgment and I should have exercised more caution. I was a bit over-confident and I should never have put myself in a position where I could fall off a mountain."
McKinnon has had an operation to put pins and a plate in his broken leg and plans to steer clear of the mountains for a while. "I'm thinking of buying a sea kayak," he joked.
In a little over a year, six climbers have died on Mount Cook.
source: http://www.thepress.co.nz
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