A helicopter and Alpine Rescue team managed to drop a bag to the climbers stranded on Mt Cook this afternoon.
A DOC officer speaking Japanese has been calling on the DOC radio included in the bag but there has been no response so far.
These packs were designed for the Inglis/Doole entrapment (November 1982) and were dropped to them and helped them survive for 13 days.
The drop bags have only been used once since then, for six Australians who were trapped earlier this year. However they were rescued immediately after the bag was dropped so it wasn't used.
Photo attached;
show tent, one climber coming out of tent, their gear stash, schrund they are in. The red bag at the back of the tent is the drop bag.
This is the list of contents of the drop pack.
2 Bivvy bags
2 sleeping bags
2 roll mats
1 shovel
1 cooking platform
2 pairs gauntlet mitts
2 balaclavas
2 pairs booties
1 cooker
3 gas bottles
1 pot
1 tin opener
2 bowls
2 cups
2 cans peaches
1 can pineapple
2 cans creamed rice
1 toilet paper
2 pairs hand warmers
Tea/Coffee/Milo/Sugar
2 chocolate bars
4 muesli bars
2 'Cup of Soup'
1 box barley sugar
2 Raro sachets
2 packets biscuits
4 dehydrated meals
2 cans sardines
2 glow sticks
Matches/candles
1 DOC radio with Japanese written instructions
Media inquiries please to Maggie LEASK, Communications Manager, Canterbury District Police, 03 363 7815, 0274 363 701.
Information will be placed on this web site as it is received.