Keep Safe In The New Zealand Backcountry
With rocky mountains and expansive alpine ranges, New Zealand has a vast amount of backcountry to explore, perfect for a variety of snow adventures including skiing, snowboarding, hiking and climbing.
With so much terrain to be explored always remember to be prepared for the unexpected to happen.
Although we may not experience huge metres of snowfall like such places as Europe, Canada and America, the risk of avalanche is still extremely high in the New Zealand backcountry. Whether snow, mud or rockfall you should be aware of the risks and what to do to avoid them or in the event that one should occur.
The weather in NZ mountains can deteriorate extremely rapidly. Make sure you check the weather and avalanche forecasts before and during your trip for all of the time that you will be in the mountains and backcountry. Prepare for the worst conditions and ensure you can seek safe shelter.
This is a small piece of advice for you to consider before entering New Zealand backcountry. You should be well experienced in your undergoing activity, have a great understanding in the area you are entering and ensure that appropriate measures are in place within your group to recognise that when there is a problem the appropriate authorities are alerted. Ensure you and your group have in place, and fully understand a procedure to enable rescuers to find you quickly.
The New Zealand Outdoors Intentions process, endorsed by New Zealand's search and rescue agencies, provides three simple options which enable you to 'tell someone' all the details about your land-based trip into the outdoors.
