An avalanche outside of Queenstown, New Zealand has killed a 30-year-old climber. Jamie Vinton-Boot, of Christchurch, was swept down a mountainside Monday morning in a slide near The Remarkables ski area.
Vinton-Boot was climbing with a 34-year-old companion when a wind slab gave loss sweeping Vinton-Boot 500 meters down the mountain. His body was recovered by members of the police and The Remarkables ski patrol.
In a statement to the press, New Zealand Alpine Club General Manager, Sam Newton described Vinton-Boot as one of New Zealand’s most talented climbers.
“Jamie Vinton-Boot is an outstanding climber of this generation and one of New Zealand’s most gifted alpinists,” Newton said. “He has completed numerous first ascents in New Zealand of an extremely high standard. These were often undertaken with his unique, self-imposed ‘the line of most resistance’ style and ethos.”