Stuck in a Snow Cave

In November 1982, 23-year-old search-and-rescue mountaineer Mark Inglis was on a training trip high up on Mount Aoraki with his colleague, Phil Doole. Aoraki, New Zealand's highest mountain, is famous for its steep rock faces, plunging crevasses and frequent avalanches, but the two men weren't afraid. With years of experience climbing in the most dangerous of circumstances under their belts, this was all fairly routine.

But one thing they couldn't possibly prepare for was Mount Aoraki's famously unpredictable weather. In the blink of an eye, conditions can switch from bright and sunny to white-out blizzards and some of the coldest temperatures on the planet. The east face, the route the men planned to take, was notoriously exposed, with very few places to shelter. But Mark wasn't worried. He'd checked the forecast, and although there was a storm brewing somewhere off the coast, it wasn't due to make landfall for another couple of days.

In the interest of speed, Mark and Phil decided to carry only the bare essentials – just the clothes on their backs and what little food and water they would need for a single day's climbing. No radios, no sleeping bags and no cooking equipment – nothing that would add unnecessary weight and slow them down. It was a decision that would come back to haunt them...

Almost at the peak, the men watched in horror as the weather began to turn. Blue skies darkened to grey, and thick snow began to fall. There was no hope of descending the slopes in these conditions, but without shelter, the men were likely to freeze to death. Thankfully, they spotted an ice cave nearby. Expecting the storm to pass, the men climbed in to wait it out. Little did they know this tiny, inhospitable crevasse would become their home for days.

You knew that if you got too far away from that little cave and you got exposed out there in the teeth of the wind, you would die. No question. So you climb back in, and you just wait for a bit longer.

Mark Inglis

With meagre supplies, unsuitable clothing, and a seemingly never-ending storm, Mark and Phil suddenly found themselves at the uncaring mercy of nature.

To find out how they lived to tell the tale, listen to Real Survival Stories: Mountain Blizzard: Stuck in a Snow Cave ” from Noiser.