Heart specialist killed skiing

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 503, 14 September 1993, Page 3

Heart specialist killed skiing

A tragic skiing accident on an easy slope on Turoa took the life of Auckland heart specialist Antony Roche, 57, on Friday. Dr Roche was skiing through Mangawhero Gully at 1.55pm, near where the trail joins Clary's Track, wher he fell and hit a rock in the bottom of the gully. T wo eye- witnesses to the accident gave conflicting reports, one saying Dr Roche had been skiing at speed along the bottom of the gully when he lost con-

trol and hit the rock, and the other said another skier had clipped the back of his skis. There was also a report that he had dodged a child. W aimarino police would like to hear from anyone else who saw, or who was involved in the accident. MountainmanagerGrant McMaster said the 2.5 metre rock is often showing through the snow, even in goodsnow-cover years such as this season. "Ruapehu is littered with millions of rocks and while

there is no indication that Dr Roche was skiing out of control, the accident highlights the need for people to ski in control and be aware of other skiers," said Mr McMaster. He said the snow cover on the mountain was as good as it had been at any time during the past three good seasons. The snow was in excellent condition and the weather on Friday was fine. Mr McMaster said there was no reason to believe Dr Roche wais skiing out of

control, even if he was skiing fast. He said Dr Roche was a frequent Turoa skier and they presumed he was a reasonable skier. Gentle slope While the floor of Mangawhero Gully was a very gentle learner's grade, most skiers in the gully tended to be intermediate to advanced skiers because of the access into the gully down steeper faces or through chutes, said Mr McMaster. Turo a ski patrollers were

quickly at the scene and Dr Roche was resuscitated and flown to Waikato Hospital. He died at 1 1 .34pm on Friday, having suffered severe brain injuries. Dr Roche was one of NewZealand's leading cardiologists and was a "huge loss" to the Greenlane Hospital cardiology department, said department chairman John Neutze. Dr Roche was a pioneer in the major specialist procedures of echocardiography and angioplasty