INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Terry Harch, a 29-year-old Australian soldier, was trapped for seven days on a New Zealand mountain.Wellington, New Zealand: A climber
trapped for seven days in freezing conditions on a New Zealand mountain has been found in the nick of time, with rescuers saying he was
unlikely to have survived another night alone.Terry Harch, a 29-year-old Australian soldier, was spotted waving his arm in the snow on the
South Island's notorious Mount Aspiring, where more than 30 climbers have died over the past decade.His emergency beacon signal was picked
up in the United States and the co-ordinates relayed to New Zealand rescue authorities.Rescuers managed to reach Terry Harch late Thursday
and he was airlifted out during a break in bad weather on Friday afternoon."It's a great result, as we did not want the climber spending
another night on the mountain
The aim now is to get him to hospital for immediate treatment," senior rescue co-ordinator Neville Blakemore said.Search and rescue officer
Geoff Lunt said Terry Harch had "clearly made some good decisions to be able to survive the bad weather, heavy snow and high
winds."Helicopter pilot Sean Mullally said initial missions up the mountain did not detect any sign of Terry Harch and it was not until the
fourth sweep that they saw his waving arm."He is very lucky to be alive
I don't think he would have lasted another night," Sean Mullally told the New Zealand Herald.Terry Harch, an experienced climber in New
Zealand's treacherous Southern Alps, activated his distress beacon on Monday, the day he was due to come off the mountain.The signal from
the private tracking device was picked up by a supplier in Texas.The region has seen a lot of fresh snow in the past few days
The wind chill factor is minus 16 degrees Celsius (3.2 degrees Fahrenheit) and the avalanche advisory is high.A rescue team reached Terry
Harch on Thursday with warm clothing, tents and food as they waited for the weather to improve.New Zealand Mountain Safety Council chief
executive Mike Daisley said winter mountaineering was a high-risk activity and in this case "the right call was probably not to go"."I know
he's come a long way to tick this one off, but it's just not worth the ultimate price," Mike Daisley said.New Zealand attracts climbers from
around the world and has on average 37 mountain search and rescue missions a year.
