Hikers lucky to be alive after spending days in wild blizzard near Thredbo
A group of hikers are lucky to be alive after wild weather forced them to survive days in the snow at Kosciuszko National Park.
NSW
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A group of hikers are lucky to be alive after a getting caught in a blizzard and surviving for days in Kosciuszko National Park.
The four hikers left Thredbo Village on Sunday in hazardous conditions to explore the back-country of the park, but when the weather deteriorated into blizzard like conditions, they were forced to seek shelter in a nearby hut and call for help.
A rescue operation was launched, but the Alpine Operations Unit abandoned their search on Monday because of strong winds and low visibility.
After two days stranded in Seaman’s Hut, police managed to arrive using snow vehicles, as conditions continued to worsen.
Police successfully rescued the four hikers, a 33 and 36-year-old man, and two 34-year-old females just before 10am yesterday.
Despite the hikers being safe and well, police warned inexperienced trekkers to follow all safety precautions and never sway off track even if the weather conditions are favourable.
In the wake of the rescue, police have asked the public to reconsider leaving the safety of ski resorts in alpine areas during winter.
Seaman’s Hut, where the group sheltered, is about 12km from Thredbo Village, and sits just off the Mt Kosciuszko summit walk.
The stone-walled hut was built after two skiers — Laurie Seaman and Evan Hayes — were caught in a snowstorm and perished in the area in 1928. The grieving families built it as a memorial to their sons, in the hope others might find it and avoid a similar tragedy.
Many similar mountain huts in Kosciuszko National Park were lost in the Black Summer bushfires.
The historic huts are maintained by volunteers, who try to keep them stocked with firewood and some non-perishable food for the hungry and lost.
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