When Dave Willis started sliding down an icy mountain, he thanked his lucky stars he was going feet first.
“If I’d gone down headfirst, I don’t think I’d be here to tell the story,” Dave says.
In August, Dave went on a trail run with three mates to Avalanche Peak in Arthur’s Pass, a track he’d done before. An experienced trail runner, Dave has completed a number of ultra-marathons and trains with Christchurch run club Live to Run Trails.
“We were looking forward to our adventure in the hills. We thought the river was too high to try Goat’s Pass and the Bealey Spurr track was a bit short. We wanted a climb, so Avalanche Peak it was.”
The group set off from Arthur’s Pass, scrambling across the slightly snowy ridgeline. They were 10 km into the 20 km mission when they started the descent to Crow’s Hut.
“I sat on the snow to put some gloves on before the descent. When I stood up, I lost my footing and slipped. The snow had turned to ice and I couldn’t stop myself. As I was sliding, I was trying to push myself away from the bits of rock that were sticking up under the ice.”
The view from the crew … the arrow and red circle point to where Dave lay in the middle of the scree slope.
Dave was hurtling towards a big rock sticking up at the end of the icy patch. He hit it arm first, tumbled over twice and then started sliding in the scree.
“I was lucky again that I was feet first. I managed to dig my heels into the scree and after about four metres managed to stop myself. Then I just lay there and put my hands over my head to protect myself from the rocks coming down behind me.”
Once the scree and rocks settled, Dave took cover behind two big rocks and waited.
“You wouldn’t believe it, but I actually felt lucky. I suspected that I had busted my arm and thought if that was all the damage I had done, I’d gotten off quite lightly.”
Dave and his mates were each carrying personal locator beacons, with one of the team also carrying a radio.
“There was a couple of hundred metres of scree below me. I knew there was no way I was going to be able to get down there. My mate radioed the Department of Conversation in Arthur’s Pass.”
“It wasn’t long before we heard the whirr of the rescue helicopter and boy did it sound good – a real relief.”
Dave remembers being amazed at the skill of the rescue helicopter pilot.
“He sort of hollowed out some space in the scree and landed on one skid so the paramedic could get out to access me. It was pretty impressive to watch.”
That paramedic was Critical Care Paramedic Hernan Holliday. He remembers spotting Dave on the side of the mountain amidst the scree and rocks.
“Dave was in a very precarious position. Rocks were still falling and there was a long way left to fall from where he had stopped. He needed the helicopter – there was no other way to get him off that mountain,” Critical Care Paramedic Hernan says.
Hernan assessed Dave’s injuries and then prepared him to be winched up into the helicopter.
Dave says once Hernan arrived, he knew he was in safe hands.
“Hernan just told me where to hold on to and said to let them take care of me, and that’s exactly what I did. It was pretty surreal being winched out.”
After picking Dave and Hernan up off the mountain, the rescue helicopter landed at Arthur’s Pass where Hernan gave Dave a full assessment before flying him to Christchurch Hospital.
“It turns out I hadn’t broken my arm, but the doctors at the hospital did need to glue my elbow back together. I also had a hematoma on my tricep, wrist and leg.”
According to Dave’s Strava app on his watch, he fell 120 metres. Doctors estimate it will take six months for his arm to fully heal, but Dave is counting his blessings.
“You never think you will be the person who needs to be picked up by the rescue helicopter but, unfortunately, I needed a lift that day.
“I’m so appreciative that the rescue helicopter crew was there for me. They literally plucked me off the side of a mountain and for that, I will be forever grateful.”
