Two foreign climbers who "got into a little bit of bother" in Fiordland on Monday night were plucked from an area known as the Cul de Sac, near Mt Crosscut, yesterday morning .
Sergeant Tod Hollebon, of Te Anau, said the men, both in their early 20s and from France and Ireland, went climbing on Monday, intending to climb to the Cul de Sac, over to Mt Crosscut and back down another range.
"They weren't comfortable going any further - it was a combination of their experience levels and the snow and ice conditions at the time. They made the decision to sit it out."
Sgt Hollebon said the men were not carrying an emergency locator beacon, or any other form of communication. Another climber was aware of their intentions and notified police using a satellite phone yesterday morning when they had not returned from the climb.
"They would have been rescued faster if they had had a beacon or means of communication," Sgt Hollebon said.
However, the men were visible through binoculars from the road.
Southern Lakes Helicopters was dispatched to collect them, using an Alpine Cliff Rescue climber familiar with the area, a scoop net and a long line.
"They were a bit cold and a bit tired but pretty relieved."
