Heli-ski company not at fault for NZ death

The death of a Sydneysider killed in a fatal avalanche in NZ was not because of the heli-ski company, its analysis shows.

A New Zealand heli-ski company says it did not contribute to the death of a Sydney man buried in an avalanche while skiing near Queenstown.

Roger Greville, 58, was pulled from avalanche debris on the Hector Mountains on Monday afternoon, but died a short time later.

Australian authorities have identified him as a New Zealand citizen.

Mr Greville was part of a guided heli-skiing trip run by Southern Lakes Heliski near the Devil's Staircase, south of Queenstown, with five other people.

After analysing its systems following the incident, Southern Lakes Heliski says Mr Greville's death was not caused by its procedures or personnel.

It will resume heli-skiing on Wednesday after suspending operations on Tuesday.

"Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of the deceased," director Julian Field said in a statement on Tuesday.

Mr Field earlier said that while heli-skiing is not dangerous, like any adventure activity, it does carry inherent risk.

It is the first incident of its nature for the company.

He said he was confident the investigation would determine the exact cause of the accident.

The company's operations team received a call from the pilot on Monday afternoon to notify them a group of skiers had been involved in an avalanche.

The pilot said one skier had been buried by debris and despite the efforts of emergency services, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Mr Greville's Facebook page says he was a sports enthusiast living in Sydney and there are several photos of him skiing and cycling.

An autopsy was to be carried out on Tuesday.


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Source: AAP


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