A kilometre long rockfall from Mt Silberhorn onto the Grand Plateau in the Aoraki National Park, near Mt Cook, seen on 31 December last year. Photo: Supplied / Avalanche AdvisoryStorm slab avalanches large enough to injure or kill a person have been sighted at Aoraki/Mt Cook after heavy summer snowfall. Mountain Safety Council chief executive Mike Daisley said a moderate risk was reasonably high for this time of the year. There was little to no risk for day walkers on the Hooker Valley Track in the valley below. Global warming was cause ice and snow to recede further each year, ‘‘exposing rock that hasn’t been exposed in a very long time’’, he said.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 22, 2021 18:45 UTC