Two bushwalkers stranded in blizzard conditions in Kosciuszko National Park, NSW have been rescued following a challenging overnight operation.
Emergency services were alerted around 7.30 am on Saturday, June 7, after a 31-year-old man and 28-year-old woman became trapped in extreme weather about 3km from Mount Kosciuszko, near Mount Carruthers.
Rescuer Flynn Medson shared details of the mission on social media, explaining the pair were safe but seriously underprepared. “Their tent was starting to break in severe winds... no snowshoes, no hot food, minimal layers,” he wrote.
Multiple rescue agencies, including the Monaro Police Alpine Operations Unit, Police Rescue Squad, NSW Ambulance, and SES Alpine Search and Rescue, responded. An initial team reached within 1.2 km of the hikers but had to turn back due to dangerous white-out conditions.
Medson led a second team on snowshoes enduring winds of up to 100 km/h and heavy snow. The terrain made navigation extremely difficult.
The pair were located around 11 pm. After being given warm clothing, food, and snowshoes, the group began the return trek, abandoning the damaged tent.
They reached a staging point at 12:25 am, and after waiting for safer conditions, were transported by ambulance over-snow vehicle at 3:30 am.
The hikers were safely extracted by 4 am Sunday with no injuries reported.