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Two Climbers Die on Aoraki / Mount Cook; Two Teammates Rescued as Specialist Teams Recover Bodies

Two climbers from a four-person party have died on Aoraki / Mount Cook while two teammates were rescued and airlifted uninjured. Specialist alpine teams located the bodies and are attempting recovery in challenging, icy conditions. One of the deceased was a registered guide and the other their client. Aoraki's crevasses, avalanches and shifting glaciers make it one of New Zealand's most hazardous peaks, with more than 240 recorded deaths since the early 1900s.

01:52 PM, 11/25/2025Society
Two Climbers Die on Aoraki / Mount Cook; Two Teammates Rescued as Specialist Teams Recover Bodies

Two members of a four-person climbing party have died on Aoraki / Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest peak, while the other two were rescued, authorities said.

Police Area Commander Inspector Vicki Walker said search teams located the bodies and specialist alpine searchers are working to recover them "in a challenging alpine environment." Authorities have not publicly released the victims' names.

The New Zealand Mountain Guides Association confirmed that one of the deceased was a member of the organisation and the other was that guide's client. Sgt. Kevin McErlain told local media the two who died had been roped together when they fell near the summit.

Rescue crews were alerted late on Monday night that the climbers required assistance on the Southern Alps peak, which rises to 3,724 metres (12,218 feet) on New Zealand's South Island. Two members of the party were airlifted to safety by helicopter in the early hours of Tuesday and were uninjured, Inspector Walker said.

Search teams in two helicopters scoured the mountain through the night; the remaining two climbers were found dead several hours later. Specialist recovery teams are now working to bring the bodies down from difficult, icy terrain.

Aoraki / Mount Cook is renowned among experienced mountaineers but is technically demanding and hazardous: crevasses, avalanche risk, rapidly changing weather and glacier movement all contribute to danger. More than 240 deaths have been recorded on the mountain and in the surrounding national park since the early 20th century, and dozens of victims have never been recovered.

That record includes a December 2024 incident in which three climbers—two Americans and one Canadian—were believed to have died on Aoraki after being missing for several days. The Americans, Kurt Blair, 56, of Colorado, and Carlos Romero, 50, of California, were certified alpine guides; authorities suspended that search after discovering personal items indicating a likely fall.

Police and mountain safety groups reiterated that even experienced climbers face serious risks on Aoraki and urged parties to take appropriate precautions, check conditions, and travel with properly qualified guides and equipment.

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