Scouts slide to their deaths on Ruapehu skifield

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 508, 19 October 1993, Page 3 (Supplement)

Scouts slide to their deaths on Ruapehu skifield

Two teenage brothers were killed when they fell 150m down a bluff on Whakapapa Skifield shortly after 1 0am on Saturday. Larry (15) and Darren Ferguson (14), suffered massive head injuries after falling from an area known as 'Skippers Canyon' below the Pinnacles beginners slopes. A third boy received serious injuries to his face and arms when he also fell, apparently while attempting to rescue the pair. The victims were members of a party of venturer scouts and their leader from Hamilton. The group became split,

and it was then the trio removed their skis and ventured beyond clearly marked boundary wires to the lip of the canyon. Onlookers were horrified to see two of the boys slide over the edge on their stomachs. Due to the nature of the terrain, Whakapapa' s medical team had to abseil down the rock face to'reach them. They were then air-lifted in a strop one by one by rescue helicopter. One boy died of his injuries at the scene. The other was transported to Waikato Hospital by helicopter where he subsequently died. A spokesperson for the skifield described the accident as a " terrible tragedy that could have been averted."