Japanese climber Hadeaki Nara speaks of his six-day ordeal trapped near the summit of Mount Cook.

For those of us involved in some way with this tragic death on Mount Cook late last week, closure has been reached. The Christchurch Press ran a front page article this morning which is mainly an interview with rescued climber Hideaki Nara. Here is his story.

For hours, Japanese climber Hideaki Nara huddled in the snow, desperately digging an ice cave with a pen and small knife as icy winds blasted across Mount Cook.
The lone survivor of the six-day ordeal on New Zealand's highest mountain yesterday told his story in Christchurch, including his discovery that his friend, Kiyoshi Ikenouchi, had died only hours before a rescue.
Nara, 51, and Ikenouchi, 49, were trapped about 3700m up the mountain in bad weather last week. Rescuers made the most of a brief break in the severe conditions to fly a helicopter to the men early on Friday.
It was only when Nara went to tell Ikenouchi that they were saved that he realised his friend had succumbed to the freezing temperatures. The two men had spoken during the night.
High winds on Friday morning gave Nara little hope of being rescued that day, so when a helicopter appeared he felt "very lucky".
Nara said a massive snowfall buried their tent on Thursday.
"When it collapsed, Ikenouchi was in the tent and he was trying to escape from the tent and bring his stuff with him, but he could only bring his sleeping bag, not his tramping boots," Nara said via an interpreter.
He said Ikenouchi had a sore back from being cramped up in the tiny tent for so long and had opted to stretch out in his sleeping bag rather than share the small ice cave Nara had created.
"On the last day there weren't many words between us; only one or two maybe, trying to encourage each other, but I had to think about myself as well. I really told myself to fight this difficult situation. I tried to move my hands and toes. I did whatever I could think of to keep me going," Nara said.
"I thought about my family and people that know me; if I died here that would have a big impact on them. I didn't want that to happen."
A helicopter managed to drop emergency supplies and a radio to the climbers last week, but it was never recovered. Nara said the pair had heard something hit the tent, but thought it was falling ice.
He did not know why he had survived, while his friend died.
"I don't know what was the crucial thing that made our lives so different. The only thing I know is that I was curling up inside the snow cave and Ikenouchi was in the sleeping bag outside," Nara said.
"Because I didn't have a sleeping bag, I knew it was important for me to stay in the cave, because it was very cold outside. It was an awkward position, but I knew that's what I had to do."
Nara attended Ikenouchi's funeral in Christchurch yesterday, along with the 49-year-old climber's wife, mother and friends who flew in from Japan.
"While I was in hospital I couldn't feel what happened was real, but today I saw him at the funeral and finally what happened sank in. Really, there's no words to describe how I feel, but I felt I had a big hole inside me a feeling of loss."
Nara said he had known Ikenouchi for 15 years and they had climbed many mountains together in Japan.
"I haven't decided whether to climb again. I wanted to go back to Mount Cook if Ikenouchi was alive to try again with him, but now he has passed away, so I'm thinking about my mountain-climbing future."

Latest Update. Climbers did not know about survival pack !!

The Japanese climbers stranded for days in horrific conditions on Mt Cook, with one perishing overnight, did not know a survival pack had been dropped by their tent yesterday.
Japanese mountain guide Kiyoshi Ikenouchi, 49, died just hours before rescuers reached him on Aoraki/Mt Cook this morning, while his companion Hideaka Nara, 51, was airlifted alive to Christchurch.
Police Inspector Dave Gaskin said rescuers confirmed this morning the pair were unaware of the supplies that had been dropped to them.
But it may not have made much of a difference in the end, as the pair were already very well equipped, he said.
"Indications are that, if anything, they were over-equipped and that may have been one of the reasons why they were very slow in the first two days of their trip."
DOC area manager Richard MacNamara said the week of waiting had been very stressful for the waiting search team.
It was "extremely hard" to know that Mr Ikenouchi died within hours of rescuers reaching him, he said.
"The only good thing to come out of it is that at least there is some closure for the family."
SEVEN DAYS IN FEROCIOUS CONDITIONS
The pair endured seven days at 3700m on the country's highest peak in ferocious weather conditions which prevented earlier rescue attempts.
Good weather this morning allowed the rescue to go ahead but rescuers found Ikenouchi, the guide on the expedition, dead on the mountain.
Nara was airlifted from the mountain and suffered frostbite to his hands and face. He was able to walk to the helicopter.
Constable Paul Swanson said Nara was talking to an interpreter but was very unwell.
Mr Ikenouchi - who helped in a rescue on the mountain five years ago - is the 69th climber known to have died on New Zealand's highest peak, and the seventh Japanese.
Ikenouchi and Nara are understood to have lost their tent on Wednesday and may have lost a sleeping bag as well, leaving only one between them.
The pair were in contact during the night but lost verbal communication about 1am.
But when daylight and a rescue helicopter arrived this morning, Ikenouchi was discovered dead.
The men spent last night in the open as their tent either became buried in snow or blew away, said Gaskin.
The pair were attempting Mt Cook's Grand Traverse, climbing from the Hooker Valley to the South Peak, summiting from there, before heading down to Plateau Hut.
The slow progress meant they were caught out by a mountain storm and forced to bivouac at high altitude.
The conditions finally cleared this morning and the rescue team flew in by helicopter at 5.30am.
The position where the climbers were holed up meant a rescuer had to hang from a long rope beneath the helicopter and scoop up the climbers in separate trips.
"It's pretty perilous sort of stuff," said Gaskin.

Thanks to Stuff for latest information.

One climber survives ordeal and now in Christchurch. Second climber dead.

SURVIVOR: Japanese climber Hideaki Nara is lifted to Christchurch Hospital after being airlifted from Aoraki/Mount Cook.

The Westpac Rescue helicopter prepares to leave Aoraki/Mt Cook with Hideaki Nara bound for Christchurch Hospital this morning.

LATEST: 0900 Friday 5 December 2008

Japanese mountaineer Kiyoshi Ikenouchi, who died just hours before rescuers reached him on Aoraki/Mt Cook this morning, helped in a rescue on the mountain five years ago.
The 49-year-old from Tokyo and his companion, Hideaki Nara, 51, endured seven days at 3700m on the country's highest peak in ferocious weather conditions which prevented earlier rescue attempts.
Good weather this morning allowed the rescue to go ahead but rescuers found Ikenouchi, the guide on the expedition, dead on the mountain.
Nara was airlifted from the mountain and suffered frostbite to his hands and face. He was able to walk to the helicopter.
Constable Paul Swanson said Nara was talking to an interpreter but was very unwell.
Ikenouchi and Nara are understood to have lost their tent on Wednesday and may have had only one sleeping bag between them.
The pair were in contact during the night but lost verbal communication about 1am.
But when daylight and a rescue helicopter arrived this morning, Ikenouchi was discovered dead.
The men spent last night in the open as their tent either became buried in snow or blew away, said Inspector Dave Gaskin.
"The guy (who was rescued) was on top of the snow," he said.
After days of rescue attempts thwarted by bad weather, a helicopter was yesterday able to get close enough to drop a pack of emergency supplies and a radio to the tent site, but once again wind prevented a rescue.
The conditions finally cleared this morning and the rescue team flew in by helicopter at 5.30am.
The position where the climbers were holed up meant a rescuer had to hang from a long rope beneath the helicopter and scoop up the climbers in seperate trips.
"It's pretty perilous sort of stuff," said Gaskin. Thanks to Stuff for permission to use photographs and great undates during past 5 days..

I must say I am proud of our rescue services, helicopter pilots, DoC rescue team and staff. and the media for excellent reports. Let's not get into the blame game. We should be beyond this.

One climber rescued, one found dead

At 8 am TV One was saying two climbers have been brought out alive. However, Stuff website quoting the headline

One climber rescued, one found dead

by BECK ELEVEN at Mount Cook Village - The Press Friday, 05 December 2008
LATEST: A Japanese climber rescued from Aoraki/Mt Cook this morning is being airlifted to Christchurch Hospital with frostbite, but his companion has been found dead.
Good weather conditions saw rescuers use a helicopter to pluck one man off the mountain this morning.
The rescue is understood to have been made between 5.30am and 6.10am.
It is understood the second man died during a ferocious storm last night.
Constable Paul Swanson the climber was talking to an interpreter but was very unwell.
The men spent last night in the open as their tent either became buried in snow or blew away, said Inspector Dave Gaskin.
Mountain guide Kiyoshi Ikenouchi, 49, and Hideaki Nara, 51, both from Tokyo, have spent seven freezing nights 3700 metres up the mountain after gales near the summit prevented earlier rescue attempts.

This is a tragic outcome as it would have been brilliant if the two had of come about alive.

Japanese climber no stranger to dangers

The weather everyone is wating for. A clear day to rescue the two climbers. Photo Bob McKerrow

Tomorrow must be the day, or Saturday at the latest. I was a little more encouraged about the survival of the two climbers after reading this NZPA article and listening to members of the resue team earlier this evening. Let's continue out thoughts and prayers for them.

NZPA © A Japanese mountain guide, one of two men currently trapped on Aoraki/Mt Cook, is no stranger to the perils of New Zealand mountain climbing.Kiyoshi Ikenouchi, 49, from Tokyo and Hideaki Nara, 51, also from Tokyo, remain stranded today as rescuers wait for a break in the foul weather to attempt to pluck them to safety.
Yesterday, a helicopter managed to get close enough to drop a pack of emergency provisions and a radio to the pair, but was unable to land.
During the drop, one of the climbers emerged from their red tent and waved, easing rescue team concerns about a lack of life on the mountain.
Japanese-speaking Department of Conservation officer Karen Jackson has tried to make radio contact with the pair but there has so far been no response.
In a strange coincidence, she was Mr Ikenouchi's interpreter when he climbed Mt Aspiring in 2001.
Three years later Mr Ikenouchi was part of the rescue team that helped when two Japanese climbers were hit by an avalanche on Zurbriggen's Ridge on the mountain. One of the climbers died.
Ms Jackson recognised Mr Ikenouchi in the visitor centre last week and talked to him about his current climb.
Inspector Dave Gaskin, of Timaru, said yesterday police were not too worried by the lack of radio contact from the climbers as the pack had been dropped from 10m and could have been damaged.
Also, it had landed behind the tent and as they were not "out enjoying the view" they may not realise it was there, he said.
It was also possible the men were stranded in an area with bad reception.
Mr Gaskin said today the climbers were "pretty well off, much better than I thought they'd be".
The weather was still "wet, snowing and blowing" and the safety of the rescue crew was the main concern, he said.
Winds are still high in the rescue area where the two men have been trapped above 3700m since last week, and Mr Gaskin said it could be Saturday before the pair was rescued.
The Alpine Rescue Team is on standby to carry out the rescue whenever there is a break in the weather.
They may attempt to drop another pack tomorrow if the weather does not clear enough for the rescue.

Climbers' silence raises fears

The summit ridge of Mount Cook Aoraki where the climbers are stranded near the middle peak at a place dubbed middle peak hotel.

8.00 am. Thursday Just watched a live interview at 8.00 am with the head of the rescue team at Aoraki Mt. Cook. It raining in the village and snowing higher up. They have called off any helicopter rescue attempts for the morning. The worst scenario could be, no chance of a rescire til Saturday, when the forecast is expected to be settled.

Fears are growing for two Japanese climbers stranded on Mount Cook after the men failed to make contact. The waiting out period brings back so many memories of when I worked at Mt. Cook as a member of the Alpine rescue team in the early 70s. I remember having to wait for days to see whether Murray McPhail and Helen Irwin, trapped of the face of Mt. Sefton would survive the horrendous storm. They did, and so did Mark Ingles and Phil Doole. But there is something strange about the information when you piece it together. Rescuers have seen only one climber and they have not used the radio dropped yesterday.
Rescuers are also worried that only one of the men has been sighted.
It was also revealed that neither climber had a concession to act as a guide in the area.
A helicopter "surfed" in strong winds to drop emergency supplies yesterday but there were concerns the package may not have been recovered.
A radio was also dropped to the climbers, with instructions written in Japanese, but rescuers had heard nothing.
Department of Conservation Mount Cook area manager Richard McNamara said the rescue team today hoped to drop a second radio to the stranded mountaineers.
Kiyoshi Ikenouchi, 49, and Hideaki Nara, 51, have been trapped 3700m up the nation's tallest peak since last week. They have pitched a tent in a crevasse dubbed Middle Peak Hotel.
McNamara said one of the men was again spotted peeking his head out from the tent as the helicopter hovered yesterday.
The same man was spotted when the helicopter first flew over the tent on Tuesday.
McNamara hoped the climbers had the fresh supplies, but could not rule out the possibility that the pack had not been picked up. "The kit landed right right beside the tent; it brushed the tent. The weather was OK the wind was pretty strong, but it wasn't as though they were blinded in a snowstorm," McNamara said.
Making contact with the men was vital.
"It certainly makes the job a lot easier if we can talk to them," McNamara said. "We've got a plan in place and we'll just carry on with that and that really is just to try and make contact one way or the other. If we get a break in the weather, it's likely we'll get another machine up."
Ikenouchi is an experienced mountaineer, having completed several winter ascents of Mount Fuji.
However, Nara has less alpine experience. It was thought Nara may be with Ikenouchi as a climbing customer.
The police area commander for Mid-South Canterbury, Inspector Dave Gaskin, said neither climber had a concession to be guiding in the area.
"That's the thought-pattern at the moment, but we can't confirm that has happened. At the moment, we're just treating it as two climbers climbing together," Gaskin said.
"Obviously, they didn't have any guiding concessions so they weren't allowed to guide in the park.
"If he is guiding, which we cannot confirm and it would be irresponsible to even suggest it, what he would be doing would be illegal guiding, and that happens all the time."
Gaskin said there could be any number of reasons for the lack of radio contact.
He could not be sure the package had reached the men.
"There may be a possibility that they haven't even got it yet and they didn't even realise that it had been dropped, but I would think you'd have a fair idea," he said.
Between 100mm and 150mm of rain was forecast for the main divide today, possibly hampering the rescue. "Bearing in mind (that) to operate at that level you need really good weather, we might not get in there until the end of Saturday." Thanks to the Ch Ch Press for the latest news.

THEY ARE ALIVE

AS I GO TO BED TONIGHT, MY PRAYERS AND THOUGHTS WILL BE GOING OUT tO KIYOSHI AND HIDEAKI. AT 10 PM TONIGHT THE WEATHER FORECAST WAS NOT GOOD AND RESCUERS SAID THE WEATHER MAY NOT BE SUITABLR FOR RESCUE UNTIL SATURDAY.
However, having worked in the 70s at Mt. Cook Aoraki in the rescue team, you can get those short breaks in the weather, long enogh to pluck people out to safety.
The two Japanese climbers stranded on Aoraki/Mt Cook have been named.
They are Kiyoshi Ikenouchi, 49, from Tokyo, the guide, and Hideaki Nara, 51, also from Tokyo.
A pack of emergency provisions and a radio were dropped to the pair this afternoon by a helicopter with Alpine Rescue team members aboard. ( SEE PHOTO LEFT)
Constable Brent Swanson said the helicopter left at 1.15pm with a pilot and two team members aboard and managed to get close enough to drop the pack but not land.
A person came out of the red tent searchers spotted yesterday and could be seen moving around.
The 70 litre pack containing emergency rations, a cooker and fuel and a radio with instructions in Japanese, landed right by the tent. Now the rescue centre is waiting for any radio messages.
A Department of Conservation officer who speaks Japanese has been calling on the radio included in the bag but there was no response.
The winds are still high in the rescue area where the two climbers have been trapped above 3700 metres since last week, and rescuers say it could be Saturday before they can reach the men.
Two helicopters searching for the pair yesterday morning spotted a red tent and a person believed to be one of the climbers waving from near the mountain's summit ridge.
However, they were unable to make a rescue because of the high winds and near zero visibility.
The two men, in their 40s, were due back at Mt Cook Village on Saturday. They were last seen on Friday when they were on the upper Empress Plateau.
Rescuers had hoped for a gap in the bad weather today to allow them to reach the men.
However, high winds were preventing helicopters from reaching the required level, Department of Labour spokeswoman Shirley Slatter said.
"We'd been watching it all night actually, but it was still too windy during the night. They (the helicopter crew) gave it a go at first light but they didn't get that close."
Ms Slatter said there was a slim chance the weather would calm down tomorrow evening, but it was more likely to be Friday or even Saturday before a helicopter could get in.
She said the situation would continue to be closely monitored and a rescue mission would be launched as soon as it was safe.
"They have a tent, they've got good gear and we know they have good sleeping bags."
It is thought the second climber may have been still inside the tent when searchers passed by yesterday.
"You can make all those presumptions, but at this stage we don't actually know," said police constable Stu Mori yesterday.
"He may be ill, he may be injured. He may not have had enough time to get his boots on and get out [of the tent]."
Mr Mori said one of the climbers was known to be experienced - having climbed Mt Cook and other mountains around the world. It is not known if the second climber is experienced.
Mt Cook guide Trev Streat said the pair could be reasonably comfortable because it had not been excessively cold over the last few days, but it would depend on how they were equipped.
"If they have got dry sleeping bags and good shelter they should be able to sit out a few days in a storm."
Rather than staying in the tent - exposed to the high winds - "a snow cave or hiding out in a crevasse is probably a better idea".
Mr Mori said the extent of the pair's supplies was unclear.
"We don't know what food and rations [they have], we don't know the medical conditions. It's an unknown factor at this stage."
It was presumed the pair had been on the mountain since Friday.
"Every trip is different. But all climbers are prepared to spend a night out, or two or three nights out, because ... that is the nature of the beast with our changeable weatherR