A parapenter was rescued in Skippers Canyon after losing control, hitting a wall and sustaining a fractured femur, cuts and contusions.
Lakes District Air Rescue Trust manager Ed Halson said the 21-year-old Australian took off from Coronet Peak at 5am on Saturday.
After getting into difficulty the man was able to communicate with a parapenting friend who raised the alarm.
The air rescue trust dispatched a Squirrel helicopter to near Pipeline Bungy Bridge, landed on a small beach near Shotover River and located the man who was flown directly to Southland Hospital in Invercargill. Mr Halson urged anyone going into the outdoors to take safety precautions.
"Always let someone know where and what you are doing, have a backup communications device such as personal locator beacon or cellphone and a due-back time."
He also urged people to take a common-sense approach.
They should always raise the alarm if they found themselves in trouble, but if they were able to remedy matters they needed to contact emergency services to call off a search and rescue operation. Senior Sergeant John Fookes, of Queenstown, also urged anyone planning on hiking in the back country to take precautions.
He reiterated Mr Halson’s call on communications but also said people needed to be honest about their capabilities and not attempt tramps beyond their limits.
