Mt Ruapehu avalanche buries four skiers, one left with only their hand sticking out of snow

Skiers freed after New Zealand avalanche

Skiers has been freed from the back country of Mt Ruapehu, near Glacier Knob, after an avalanche buried members of the group. One person had only their hand protruding after the incident, but others carved an airway out of the snow for the skier within two minutes

Four skiers partially buried in avalanche on Mt Ruapehu

A group of skiers are "extremely lucky" to have evaded injury after an avalanche on Mt Ruapehu, the NZ Mountain Safety Council says.

Mt Ruapehu avalanche buries four skiers, one left with only their hand sticking out of snow

A group of skiers had to be rescued after triggering an avalanche that buried four people, one of whom only had their hand protruding from the snow. The...

Avalanche in New Zealand Buries Four, Casualties Avoided

All Images: Courtesy of New Zealand Avalanche Advisory A large avalanche was triggered by skiers on July 18th in Tongariro National Park on New Zealand’s North Island. The party involved consisted of six skiers in total, with four of the riders being partially buried. The public observation report mentions that of those four, one had only an arm and face above the snow, and one was, “completely buried with only their hand protruding.” Rescue ope…

Wind Slab Avalanche Buries 6 Backcountry Skiers In New Zealand

A serious avalanche was reported in the Tongariro region of New Zealand on Friday, July 18th, 2025. A party of six was ski touring in the Mount Ruapehu backcountry (near Glacier Knob) when they triggered an avalanche while skinning up the mountain. Four members of the party were partially buried, one was buried with only their face and arm free, and one was completely buried with only their hand protruding. The member who was completely buried h…