21/08/2026
As a ski industry professional and ski guide, it is a privilege to have a team like Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust on hand should the proverbial hit the fan. These guys and girls work seamlessly with all of the professional ski patrollers and mountain guides throughout the Canterbury region in the winter months to help pick up the pieces if something goes wrong. Canterbury skiers and snowboarders can be rest-assured that they are in good hands and this is a prime example, see the story.
Porters Alpine Resort
Broken River Ski Area
Mt Cheeseman Ski Area
Craigieburn Valley Ski Area
Temple Basin
Mt Olympus Ski Area
Hanmer Springs Ski Area
Mt Lyford Ski Area
New Zealand Mountain Guides Association
New Zealand Mountain Safety Council
๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: Broken River Ski Area
๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ง๐๐ฝ๐ฒ: ๐ฆ๐ธ๐ถ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐
๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐: ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐, ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ผ, ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐
A ski tow accident left a young boy with a back injury. The Westpac Rescue Helicopter was the only way to get him safely off the mountain.
The rescue helicopter crew were finishing another mission when they were called to Broken River, a club ski field located in the Craigieburn Range, in the heart of the Southern Alps.
โIt was a beautiful day โ one of the best of the season,โ says Courtney, a paramedic on the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.
The young boy had been injured on a ski tow, suffering hyperextension injury, where the rope tow yanked him forward fast and he flexed backwards.
โThese injuries can be serious. An ambulance canโt get up to Broken River so the rescue helicopter really is the only way to get the patient quickly and safely to specialist care,โ Courtney says.
Ski patrollers prepared for the helicopterโs arrival, making a landing zone by packing down snow and spraying a large โHโ on the landing spot.
โLanding on soft, knee-deep snow can be challenging, but the patrollers did an awesome job preparing the site to make it as easy as possible for us to land.โ
The stretcher from the helicopter was placed on a patroller ski sled. Ski patrollers and the rescue crew used the sled to get the stretcher to the medical room, where the young boy was waiting, and to then transport him back to the helicopter.
โThis mission highlighted the strength of teamwork, with our team and the Broken River crew combining their skills and expertise to overcome the challenges of this remote landscape and get this young boy to Christchurch Hospital as quickly as possible.โ
Find out more about the Westpac Rescue Helicopter and its missions at www.airrescue.co.nz.
