Wanaka police are waiting for information from Alaska before releasing the name of the 24-year-old woman who died on Rabbit Pass in Mt Aspiring National Park on Wednesday.
Wanaka sub-area commander Senior Sergeant Allan Grindell said yesterday he was confident police knew the identity of the woman but wanted final confirmation before releasing her name publicly.
Her death has been referred to the coroner.
Snr Sgt Grindell said the woman was a "keen tramper'' who had been on a working holiday in New Zealand and had been staying in a backpacker hostel in Wanaka. Her companion was a young Austrian man.
The woman is believed to have fallen about 300m from near the top of an area known as the "waterfall face'' at the northern end of the pass above the Wilkin Valley.
Land Search and Rescue team leader Gary Dickson described it to the Otago Daily Times yesterday as "a long fall'' .
He said even in dry conditions there were considerable risks with the route.
"It's the steep snowgrass that is one of the major problems on it. It becomes very, very slippery for rubber-soled boots.''
Mr Dickson said such conditions were the reason shepherds once wore hobnail boots while mustering in the high country.
The boots were the equivalent of modern crampons.
"But not a lot of trampers will carry crampons on that route because when they go, it is snow-free.''
The woman and her companion were tramping alone, heading to the east Matukituki Valley.
Mr Dickson, who is also president of the New Zealand Mountain Guide Association, considered the direction the couple were travelling was the best one for crossing the pass - climbing rather than descending the waterfall face.
Mr Dickson said the pass was a "route'' rather than a track and therefore did not have such things as orange markers all the way.
"It's do-able for someone who's an experienced tramper. It's not a beginner's route, that's for sure.''
Asked to explain the value of having a guide on such routes, Mr Dickson said decision-making "was the big one''.
Things that needed to be considered, he said, were "your own skill, your own footing abilities, how big your pack is, how fatigued you are, is it wet, is it windy, those sorts of things''.
"So, someone who is professionally trained to look at all the variables and is doing it all the time can help a person who's obviously doing it every so often, or maybe just once in a lifetime.''
Mr Dickson said it was not unusual for guides to advise clients not to attempt routes beyond their capability.
Department of Conservation spokeswoman Annette Grieve said the department was "very mindful'' of the need to spell out the dangers of the route to trampers who visited the Doc office in Wanaka, or its website.
The department did not have statistics on numbers crossing the pass, but Ms Grieve believed it was a route used more often by trampers with guides than by those "freedom walking''.
New Zealand Mountain Safety Council chief executive Mike Daisley said yesterday the woman's death was "a reminder to plan, prepare and know your limits''.
"Being suitably prepared and adequately experienced is absolutely critical.''
Mr Daisley said the area around Mt Aspiring and northern Fiordland was "a hot spot'' for serious incidents.
"When things go wrong it's often more serious due to the combination of the remote nature, challenging and imposing terrain, and ever-changing weather.
"This creates an environment where small mistakes or accidents can become very serious, very fast,'' Mr Daisley said.
He suggested people remember the "five simple rules'' of the outdoor safety code - "plan your trip, tell someone your plans, be aware of the weather, know your limits and take sufficient supplies''.
