nzlegend 1 Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 Here are two months, August and September with all the skiing related callouts listed for the Air Rescue Trust helicopter based in Christchurch, about 2/3 of all call outs (car accidents etc incl) went to Mount Hutt! usually Sports Accidents (includes hiking, skiing, climbing) account for only 11.9% of call outs. Mt Hutt is a wrecking ground! those people must be glad they live in NZ where the Rescue helicopter is community sponsored and backed and not Japan where you have to pay. 03.08.06 Called out to Mt Hutt to a skiing accident where a 28 year old man had sustained a spinal injury. He was flown to Christchurch Hospital. 05.08.06 Called out to Mt Hutt where a 19 year old male had fallen and sustained head and spinal injuries. He was flown to Christchurch Hospital. 09.08.06 Called out to Mt Hutt to a skiing accident involving a 32-year-old male. He was flown to Christchurch Hospital with hip and leg injuries. 10.08.06 Called out to Mt Hutt to a snowboarding accident. A 29 year old woman had sustained a spinal injury and was flown to Christchurch Hospital. 10.08.06 Called out to Arthur's Pass to a climbing accident involving a 19-year-old tourist who had slipped and sustained a back injury. He was flown to Christchurch Hospital. 13.08.06 Called out to Mt Hutt where a man in his 20's had fallen and sustained head and collarbone injuries. He was flown to Christchurch Hospital. 16.08.06 Called out to Mt Hutt to a snowboarding accident involving an 18-year-old female. She was flown to Christchurch Hospital with a back injury. 18.08.06 Called out to Mt Hutt to a skiing accident. Two patients were uplifted and flown to Christchurch Hospital, one a 33-year-old Japanese visitor who had fallen and sustained a back injury and the other a 23-year-old Canadian who had fallen off his snowboard and sustained a spinal injury. 23.08.06 Called out to Mt Hutt for a skiing accident where a 46 year old male with leg injuries was flown to Christchurch Hospital. 23.8.6Called out to Temple Basin to a 30 year old male with a broken leg. He was flown to Christchurch Hospital. 01.09.06 Called out to Mt Olympus to a skiing accident involving a 26 year old female. She had sustained shoulder and spinal injuries and was winched on board the helicopter and flown to Christchurch Hospital. 06.09.06 Called out to a skiing accident at Mt Hutt involving a 13-year-old male. He had sustained a spinal injury and was flown to Christchurch Hospital. 06.09.06 Called out again to Mt Hutt to a skiing accident where a 20-year-old male had fallen and sustained a head injury. He was flown to Christchurch Hospital. 07.09.06 Called out to Mt Hutt to attend a 14 year old female who had fallen and sustained a neck injury. She was flown to Christchurch Hospital. 08.09.06 Called out to Mt Hutt where a 20 year old male had fallen and sustained a lower back injury. He was flown to Christchurch Hospital. 10.09.06 Called out to Broken River to a snowboarding accident involving a man in his early 30's who had sustained a neck injury. He was flown to Christchurch Hospital. 10.09.06 Called out to Mt Hutt to uplift two patients. One was a woman in her 20's who had fallen from her sledge and sustained a lower back injury, and the other patient was an 18-year-old woman who had fallen while skiing and dislocated her elbow. They were both flown to Christchurch Hospital. 12.09.06 Called out to Mt Hutt where a 24 year old woman had fallen and sustained a head injury. She was flown to Christchurch Hospital. 13.09.06 Called out to Mt Hutt to uplift a 43 year old man who had fallen and sustained a back injury. 15.09.06 Called out to Mt Hutt where a 20 year old woman had fallen and sustained a neck and back injury. She was flown to Christchurch hospital. 15.09.06 Again called out to Mt Hutt where a 25 year old woman had fallen and sustained a spinal injury. She was flown to Christchurch Hospital. 17.09.06 Called out to Mt Hutt to a skiing accident involving a 15 year old male with a jaw injury. He was flown to Christchurch Hospital. 24.09.06 Called out to Mt Hutt to a skiing accident where an 18 year old woman had fallen and sustained a spinal injury. She was flown to Christchurch Hospital. 25.09.06 Called out to Broken River ski field where a 48 year old male with leg injuries was flown to Christchurch Hospital. 27.09.06 Called out to Mt Hutt for skiing accident where a 17 year old girl with spinal injuries was flown to Christchurch Hospital. 29.09.06 Called out to Mt Hutt for a skiing accident where a 30 year old male with chest injuries was flown to Christchurch Hospital. Teleboy (former forum poster) would know all of this all too well. Questions have to asked? is the increase of snowboariding and park riding contributing highly to the increase in accidents? should Park skiers earn a licence of some sorts before gaining access to the rails and big table top? While the air ambulance is free is not a cheap thing to run, a six million dollar helicopter doesnt run on unleaded nor go without its expensive maintainance routine, the sponsors of the service must looking at the ski industry with increasing vexation. Rescuing a car accident victim is one thing or and heading out to the same mountain every second day to cart away self induced 'yard sale' victims is another. The pilot can probably fly there blindfolded now Seeing carnage like that makes you wonder some times, why? non-skiers especially must think we are completely potty! I was searching for an accident involving an a friend of a friend and found all this info. Link to post Share on other sites
Kumapix 0 Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 wow, that's pretty scary Link to post Share on other sites
eskimobasecamp 0 Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 jeeeez some of those sound nasty - a lot of people hurt themselves real bad this year. very glad i didn't have spinal or head injuries i got pulled out by patrol on a sled, but the sled could not access where i was, so it all took a while to get me out. on a slightly different note, i was more than impressed with the ski patrol out there, they dealt with the situation so well. i really felt in safe hands at that time. they are lucky to have such great search and rescue down there. do you know those skiing accidents were park accidents? one of my friends goes up in the helicopters when something happens in hakuba, but the organisation and decision-making in that all sounds a bit messed up from what i can gather and heard last year, when the copters went out. i've never hung out at the hakuba clinics much - but in nz i couldnt believe the sheer numbers of people bandaged up and on crutches - so many people caned themselves in the parks down there. Link to post Share on other sites
nzlegend 1 Posted October 18, 2006 Author Share Posted October 18, 2006 Quote: Originally posted by eskimobasecamp: do you know those skiing accidents were park accidents? no that was an educated guess, not all of them would be park, there will always be people crashing into eachother,losing control at high speed, crashing into rocks etc but just by the sheer nature of the beast a park is the devils playground when it comes to nasty stacks and bone crunching season ending wipe outs. The park would have surely been contributing heavily to that list. Link to post Share on other sites
eskimobasecamp 0 Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 Yep i'm sure it would. My brother was lucky in France, he got air-lifted when he wiped out big in the park last year. Think he dislocated his shoulder. But yeh everyone i saw at the clinics in NZ had broken bits, and had probably done it at Snow Park - lots of Japanese boarder in there too. I met a couple of people who wiped out and hurt themselves skiing chutes, but most were park injuries. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 Quote: Originally posted by Kumapix: wow, that's pretty scary I wonder if EBC is listed there!! Link to post Share on other sites
eskimobasecamp 0 Posted October 18, 2006 Share Posted October 18, 2006 lol i wasn't at mount hutt Link to post Share on other sites
SerreChe 2 Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 The Helicopter Mountain rescue unit is a couple of Kms from my house back home. Easy to tell when they're having a busy season, also easy to see when they're in a rush as well as which direction they are going for. During my 2 day glacial hike at Les Ecrins this summer, a stick with 2-3 guys was wiped out by a rock fall. They called in the Heli to rescue them. My parents back home saw the heli leave the base and heading towards Les Ecrins where I was hiking early in the morning. They were a bit worried... These guys are always busy. In my region, mountaineering kills more people than road accidents, and when you know how the french drive...it puts it all in perspective. These helicopter pilots as well as their crews are awsome. Unfortunately a few years back a couple of choppers crashed in the same season. As far as I am concerned these guys are heroes. This is the un-official website of the mountain rescue heli unit back home. Interesting, with some nice pictures, also has stats from last season: PGHM Link to post Share on other sites
snosurf 0 Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 Whoever has shares in Christchurch Hospital is laughing! In other news, several insurance companies will be hurting. Link to post Share on other sites
Hokkaidough 4 Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 What actually is the policy at resorts here with air ambulance? Anyone know? Link to post Share on other sites
skidaisuki 0 Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 If the chopper's free they probably got bored and faked injury Link to post Share on other sites
SerreChe 2 Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 I think it is great to have free heli rescue as long as people do not abuse the system. Link to post Share on other sites
ibk6020 0 Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 have seen the local air ambulance here from my window in innsbruck heading up to the stubiatal glacier a few times a day and the place has only been open for a week! will try to find some heli rescue figures for this area to post could be quite intresting me thinks! Link to post Share on other sites
johndknm 0 Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 presumably christchurch hospital is government owned and therefore free and therefore costing the NZ taxpayer a packet. I remember blackhawks on the innsbruck autobahn for Davos.. freeness or not depends on resort and country and insurance cover.... Is the park too dangerous for the punters to have access to? Should they be restricted ? (im a nay but the q has to be asked...) Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 Quote: Originally posted by phool: freeness or not depends on resort and country and insurance cover.... Local governments in France decide if it is free or not. even then, if you need rescue from the BC when you are unprepared and inappropriately equipped, you are going to pay. If rescue is a result of accident or nature getting the better of you then it is free. Example: if you are touring on foot or snowshoes and fall down a crevasse without being roped up then there is a good chance you will pay for the rescue. If your are roped up when a fall happens and have been able to prevent the situation from getting any worse through the application of appropriate equipment and technique... but still need to call rescue, then it is likely that it will be free. If you call rescue because you are lost then you will pay. Link to post Share on other sites
SerreChe 2 Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 Absolutely correct spud, although I have not heard the local council make anybody pay yet (maybe they have and I have not heard about it) in my region. Link to post Share on other sites
Thunderbird2 0 Posted November 4, 2006 Share Posted November 4, 2006 That list is crazy. Link to post Share on other sites
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