冬大過年，今天做冬，Winter Solstice for northern hemisphere 北半球的最短日照，謹祝各位一家團聚吃餐晚飯！
回歸標題：
登山到達頂峰固然風光無限，最容易也比較安全，是就乘坐搭直升機，登上冰雪掩蓋的山頂 。。。。。。
不過風險仍在，剛剛不久的一個週末就發生了墮機意外 。。。
新西蘭直升機福克斯冰川墜毀七死
【有線新聞】在新西蘭南島著名旅遊點福克斯冰川，一架觀光直升機墜毀，機上七人相信全部罹難。
直升機墜落冰川一處裂縫，初步沒有發現生命跡象。由於地勢崎嶇，加上天氣欠佳，相信要數天後才能移走屍體，以及直升機殘骸。
事發的福克斯冰川位於南島西岸，觀光客必須乘坐認可旅行社安排的直升機方能抵達。
墜機意外是在當地早上約十一時發生，當時有驟雨，雲層較低，機上有一名機師及六名乘客，暫時未知死者身份。中國駐基督城總領事館稱，乘客當中沒有中國公民。 （看片）
【News.com.au】Six tourists and their pilot were killed when their helicopter crashed into a heavily crevassed glacier in New Zealand during bad weather, police said.
The sightseeing helicopter plunged into the Fox Glacier, a popular tourist site on the west coast of the South Island, with weather conditions reported to be heavily overcast and raining at the time.
A paramedic and alpine rescue team who looked over the crash site confirmed there were no survivors.
“A helicopter carrying seven people including the pilot has crashed at the top of the Fox Glacier,” inspector John Canning said.
“We have been to the site and there is no sign of life and tomorrow we hope to recover the bodies of those involved.” Canning said the recovery effort could take time because of the atrocious weather.
“I’m not going to risk any more lives, we’ve lost seven,” he said. “The terrain at the top of the glacier is very rough, as you can imagine it’s icy and there are crevasses -- it’s quite dangerous.” Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn described weather conditions around the glacier at the time of the accident as “terrible” with heavy rain and poor visibility.
“It wouldn’t be a good day to be flying helicopters,” he said. The names and nationalities of the pilot and six passengers would not be released until their families were informed of the tragedy, however Canning confirmed the pilot was a local man.
Debris from the wrecked helicopter was spread over several hundred metres with the main part of the aircraft wedged between house-sized blocks of ice.
The alarm was raised late Saturday morning when an emergency locator beacon was activated.
The New Zealand Rescue Co-Ordination Centre sent four helicopters to the glacier where they found a deep scorch mark leading to the helicopter about 760-metres up the glacier.
A spokesman for Alpine Adventures, which operated the single-engine Squirrel helicopter, confirmed it was on a scenic flight with six passengers.
New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission said it would investigate the cause of the crash and had sent four investigators to Fox Glacier.
Alpine Adventures advertises itself as an “experienced helicopter flight-seeing company providing visitors with a diverse range of South Island scenic helicopter flights and private charters in some of (the) most spectacular alpine and coastal regions of New Zealand”.
Five years ago, nine people including four tourists were killed when a plane carrying a party of skydivers crashed on take off at Fox Glacier airport.
Fox Glacier is 13 kilometres long and is listed as one of the most accessible glaciers in the world, attracting thousands of tourists each year.
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【stuff.co.nz】Police say the six passengers on board the crashed helicopter at Fox Glacier are believed to be foreign tourists.
Two Australians and four people from the United Kingdom are thought to have died, alongside a local pilot.
Police said they are planning a recovery operation on Sunday after weather prevented emergency services from recovering the victims' bodies on Saturday.
Officers have also been liasing with the embassies of the countries concerned to inform the victims' loved ones.
Police confirmed on Saturday afternoon all on board were killed when the chopper went down in a "heavily crevassed" area.
Inspector John Canning said the helicopter was in a crevasse 2500ft (762m) up the valley. Debris was scattered hundreds of metres around the crash site.
嗜悲 去過 Fox Glacier 隔鄰的 Franz Josef Glacier，是日清晨從旅館旅遊巴士接送抵山下直升機團的辦事處，在山下已經是陰霾密布，直升機公司說暫時未能起飛，不過既然千里駋駋來到，嗜悲 那會甘願如斯輕易放棄，顧此一於等 。。。。。。
到了中午天氣好轉可以起飛，先付了數百 NZ元費用再簽妥生死狀，又先要學習在冰川上行走的危險，並必需遵從機師兼導遊的訓示，就集齊 6位乘客（包括嗜悲），連同一位飛機師（共七人），步出去停機坪登上直升機，每人手中都已帶備一件雪褸，因為大家都是有備而來，兼且地面與冰川頂端溫差甚大。
http://www.glacierhelicopters.co.nz。
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嗜悲 是唯一單身，幸運被安排在機司側邊的單人位，飛上去的一程坐機頭，有個全景的 panoramic view 。。。。。直升機起飛，先是一片綠油油的原野，繼而向著山邊飛去，穿過雲霧可以開始見到冰川，直升機遁著鈄鞘山勢緩緩迂迴爬升，向著冰川頂部進發。
在 YOUTUBE 上找到人家的 Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier
飛到 Franz Josef Glacier 冰川頂處真的天氣轉晴，但卻必須戴上太陽鏡，直升機在近頂處週圍盤旋了幾個圈，讓遊客可以盡情拍照，才選擇在一處較平坦地帶降落，其實離開山峰絕頂仍然有一段距離。
臨落機前飛機師再訓示多一次，不可以隨便在冰川上亂跑，必需跟著機師兼導遊後一步一步行前走。
在冰川上其實得個睇字，自己拍完照和幫人家拍照後，機師家兼導遊不會帶隊行太遠（一百米範圍都沒有），之後就沒有甚麽可以做，又不可以獨自亂走。嗜悲 離群行不過十米，已經被喝止幾次，唯有乖乖的在等。
在 Google Search 找到人家在 Josef Franz Glacier 拍攝的 照片，當年去時 數碼相機 剛剛起步，小小一部要數千元，當然孤寒 嗜悲 未有去買，讓我趁個假期有日得閒，搵返啲 4R硬照出來 scan，再找幾幅較好的 post 上來和各位分享吧！
找到的照片因為久遠故此 Fading Colours 。。。。。
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回程 嗜悲 讓了個 panoramic view 機頭位，給另一位同機者。
搵條命仔博的，也亦是只此一次！！！
Remark：
當年在 瑞士 少女峰 Jungfrau，都曾經由山頂 Jungfraujoch 車站行出外的冰雪帶走動，不過卻是有一條挖掘好的雪道，兩旁插有鐵柱又加鐵鍊扶手。所以不像在 Franz Josef Glacier 這般，單靠直升機師和自己，在冰川上毫無任何 有釘的雪靴 雪鋤 安全繩 輔助 。。。。直程搵命博！！！
伸延閱覽：
新西蘭直升機福克斯冰川墜毀七死 有線新聞網
Fox Glacier, New Zealand: Helicopter crashes at tourist site news.com.au
Six foreign tourists killed in helicopter crash on Fox Glacier stuff.co.nz
我的舊文：
幽仙美地
傻傻旅途
總統圖書館文物館
土撥鼠 Phil
颶風 Sandy
三藩市的纜車
九曲花街
傻傻旅途 鳳凰城篇
在外地品嚐港式飲茶點心
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