One Australian and two German climbers are overdue to return from an attempt to climb the 3,724m summit of New Zealand’s highest peak

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

It is hoped two Germans and an Australian missing on New Zealand’s highest mountain, Aoraki/Mount Cook, have dug themselves a shelter and are sitting out a storm hitting the mountain.



The trio are overdue from an attempt on the summit and searchers fear the weather won’t clear until New Year’s Day to allow an aerial search to recommence.



Police have named them as Michael Bishop, 53, from Sydney, and Raphael Viellehner, 58, and his son Johann, 27.

They had been roped together when they left Plateau Hut at 1.30am on Monday to climb to the 3,724m summit via the Linda Glacier.



An aircraft was sent up on Tuesday morning, but found no sign of them before being forced back to base by bad weather.



Senior Constable Brent Swanson said Wednesday’s weather on Mount Cook was very poor with winds clocking 100km/h and rain and snow down to 1,500m.



Searchers were very concerned for their safety, but hoped the trio had dug themselves in somewhere and were sheltering from the storm, Swanson told Radio New Zealand.



Bishop is an experienced climber and had climbed in the park before, Swanson said.



Rapahel Viellehner has previously climbed in Europe and Russia, and is described as experienced.



All three are extremely fit, Swanson said.

It was hoped the weather would clear on Thursday, when two helicopters and eight searchers would resume the search.



In July, a 44-year-old Australian soldier was killed on Mount Cook after falling down a crevasse during a winter exercise.



Earlier in December, experienced mountaineer Stuart Haslett, 28, died in a climbing accident on the peak.

More than 230 have been killed in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park and 78 of them have died while climbing the peak where Sir Edmund Hillary honed his skills before teaming up with Tenzing Norgay to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1953.