Mr Hill told the Otago Daily Times yesterday that climbing conditions were "delightful" on Thursday.
"It was a great day. We were both enjoying what we love to do in the mountains," he said.
The pair left Colin Todd hut at 4.30am to climb the technically demanding southwest ridge route to the 3033m high peak.
"John was leading. We were coming up to the southwest couloir and we were unroped - which is normal and appropriate in such conditions. We were climbing on really good frozen snow."
Mr Hill said he was looking after his own safety as he climbed behind Mr Pawson.
"I was concentrating on putting my ice axes in and watching my feet to see they were embedded in the frozen snow. We had climbed like this for a couple of hundred metres."
Mr Hill's head was down when he heard a sound.
"John came flying by me . . . He disappeared and fell a long way down."
The climber said his reaction was "one of shock and horror, of course".
His first priority was to ensure that he was safe and remained in a secure position.
"I looked down to where he had fallen and shouted out to John to see if I could get a response," Mr Hill said.
When Mr Pawson failed to respond, Mr Hill said he yelled across to other climbers on the northwest ridge to attract their attention.
He then used his cellphone to notify Wanaka police of the accident.
Mr Pawson died after his fall, which rescuers have described as "between 600m-800m down a straight face".
Mr Hill said his friend and long-time climbing partner was a wonderful person and "personally, it's a great loss to me".
The tragedy would not stop him from returning to the outdoors and mountains.
The pair had been climbing together since Mr Hill moved to Wanaka in 2004.
They had both successfully climbed Mt Aspiring - on separate trips - earlier this year.
"We would climb regularly, whenever we could. Neither of us seemed to be able to find the time," Mr Hill said.
