Specialist mountaineers were required to recover the body of Czech climber Ondrej Petr from an "awkward" spot below the Routeburn Track yesterday.
Queenstown Alpine and Cliff Rescue team members Derek Chinn and Georges Millet were instrumental in the recovery of Mr Petr’s body yesterday morning.
Mr Chinn told the Otago Daily Times the body was in an "awkward" location to which rescuers could not be lowered from a helicopter.
Rather than risk getting caught up in vegetation, they climbed down the mountain to his body, which was wedged in rock and branches.
"We had to get him in a position where we were able to lift him out, which was not especially easy.
"We had to make the site secure, and saw away the vegetation."
Snow was up to 1m deep in places, he said.
Heliworks chief pilot Scott Theyers was flying the helicopter when Ms Pizova was found on Wednesday, and also during the recovery of Mr Petr’s body yesterday.
Mr Theyers said he had encountered a range of weather over the three days, with cloud forcing the recovery operation’s suspension on Thursday evening.
Conditions were fine over the Lake Mackenzie area yesterday morning, and the body recovery operation went smoothly.
A long line was used to lift Mr Petr’s body from the site, keeping the helicopter "well clear of any danger".
He was one of several local pilots with an intimate knowledge of the Routeburn Track’s terrain, he said.
