Alpine experts gather for Southern Hemisphere Conference
Queenstown and the Southern Lakes will be well represented when the who’s who of snow, including two highly experienced North American avalanche and rescue experts, converge on Wānaka this week for the biennial Southern Hemisphere Alpine Conference (SHAC).
Hosted by the Mountain Safety Council which operates New Zealand’s Avalanche Advisory, the two-day conference (10-11 June) attracts up to 200 snow industry professionals and recreationalists and there will be a big focus on avalanche safety. Those attending include ski industry snow safety experts, commercial alpine operators, heli-skiing, mountaineering and guiding companies, search and rescue personnel, safety auditors, managers, and key industry influencers.
A spokesperson for the Mountain Safety Council says it provides a unique opportunity to share knowledge, build connections and promote a safer alpine environment.
Guest speakers include Canadian avalanche forecaster, mountain guide and alpine search and rescue specialist with 40 years’ experience Grant Statham, who’s also an adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University’s avalanche research programme. Statham has also been part of the Arc’teryx Pro Team for 28 years.
Statham is giving two presentations in Wānaka, the first on alpine climbing and avalanches. “I will be doing a deep dive on specific strategies and tactics to assess and manage avalanche risk while mountaineering and climbing,” he says. “Using examples from Canada and New Zealand, we will go through risk assessment in a high-risk environment and also talk about avalanche group rescue while mountaineering and climbing.”
On the second day he will recount the story of an alpine climbing tragedy in Canada in 2019 in which three climbers perished on the East Face of Howse Peak in the Canadian Rockies. The climbers were missing through a storm and located after several days of searching, he says. Statham was on the rescue team and says he will discuss their response, the search and the epilogue. Statham spent the best part of a year using evidence the team collected to determine what had happened up on Howse Peak. It’s his fourth trip to New Zealand having previously guided on Mounts Aspiring and Tasman in 2005 and undertaken programme reviews for DOC and Mountain Safety Council in 2019.
American avalanche forecaster at the Utah Avalanche Centre for over 25 years, long-time climbing ranger and alpine rescue technician in Grand Teton National Park, Drew Hardesty will also address the conference. He’s the lead author of several International Snow Science Workshop papers and has published a number of essays on risk and joy in the mountains. Hardesty was awarded the Department of Interior Medal of Valor Award in 2012.
New Zealand’s own NIWA climate scientist Nava Fedaeff will also speak on climate, what the Pacific can tell us about our winter, and using weeks to months outlooks in alpine decision making.
