Rescue in avalanche conditions earns crew NZ SAR award

Crew’s NZ SAR award recognises your support as a FRIEND of the rescue helicopter

We are incredibly proud to have been awarded a Certificate of Achievement by the New Zealand Search and Rescue Council (NZ SAR) for a rescue carried out on Mt Taranaki late last year.

In September 2016, our crew of Grant Smith (pilot), Andy Cronin (crewman), Mike Johns, Jeremy Johnston and Vaughan Smith (Alpine Team volunteers), battled avalanche debris, falling slabs of ice and failing light to rescue three trampers stranded on the eastern side of the mountain.

The dramatic rescue required our highly skilled team to be winched onto the mountain. They then dug a snow and ice wall around the three trampers until they could be extracted from the mountain.

Our crew put their own lives at risk as they undertook one of the most challenging jobs we’ve ever attended. This award is testament to our crew’s dedication but also to you, our FRIENDS of the Rescue Helicopter. Without your support, the outcome of this mission could have been very different. This award is yours too.

Thank you.