A wrap of the biggest stories and best writing about the outdoors from New Zealand and around the world.

University of Otago student Anna Parsons and her family must be feeling very mixed emotions right now.

After the horror of discovering the 21-year-old had been in a terrible climbing accident in the US – one which broke nearly all the bones in her body and punctured a lung – one would imagine their delight to discover she’ll survive and will be able to walk again, despite having a foot amputated.

But without the benefit of ACC in that part of the world, her hospital bill is a whopping $1.2 million. Her travel insurance covers some of the costs, but the family have set up a Givealittle page to pay for treatment, prosthesis and rehab. The goal is to reach $500,000.

Anna fell down a steep slope, hitting a ledge on the descent, when climbing on Runout Slab at Snake Dike in Yosemite National Park. She broke her neck, spine, pelvis, ribs, wrist, feet and toes, and suffered internal injuries. Read more here. 

Changes to DOC warden training and safety info after tramper death

DOC has reviewed how it trains hut wardens after a coroner found a tramper had died of hypothermia in 2019.

Tracey Alison Smith from Golden Bay died while trying to ascend Speargrass Track towards Angelus Hut in Nelson Lakes National Park with her teenage son.

She began to show signs of hypothermia and became unresponsive, so her son continued to the hut to get help. They weren’t carrying a personal locator beacon.

He arrived at the hut at night, where trampers discussed whether to operate their own beacons, but decided not to as they believed Smith was already dead and that it would put rescuers at undue risk, given the conditions.

The hut warden didn’t realise they could call emergency services from the hut radio, but did eventually do so the following morning. Read more at RNZ. 

Should Freya the walrus have been killed?

Here’s a story from Norway that raises questions around the world about what should happen if a potentially dangerous wild animal encroaches on a built-up area.

Freya was a 600kg walrus, who’d been seen touring European waters and had become something of a celebrity with videos circulating of her climbing into boats.

But when she settled near Oslo in Norway, officials became concerned about images showing crowds gathered around her, and stories of her chasing people.

Authorities decided to kill her for public safety, but this decision has seen an international backlash, with those saying the risk should have been managed and that she’d done nothing wrong. Read more at the BBC. 

Worst ski season since the 90s

Ruapehu is reporting its worst ski season in decades, as bare slopes and poor weather mean runs have had to close.

There was a good dump of snow at the start of the season, but since then things have been dire, and Visit Ruapehu general manager Jo Kennedy compares it to the poor winters in the 90s.

“I really feel for the ski areas that have been working their butts off,” she told Stuff. “Every time I go home at night, and it’s dark, the lights will be on both sides of the mountain with staff making snow and pushing it around.”

However, she hopes a good spring will save the ski season. “If we got snow we would be outside gleefully jumping around.” Read more at Stuff. 

A man walking all seven continents is on his way to NZ

Dutchman Tom Boerman used to battle addiction and depression. Then one day he decided to do something incredible. He sold his house, quit his job and chose to walk across all seven continents (including Antarctica!).

Two years on he’s covered Europe, the Middle East, parts of North America and is currently in Australia. He reckons that’ll take him four months before he flies across to Aotearoa to take on Te Araroa Trail.

When road walking, Tom pulls a buggy with his gear in, but swaps this for a backpack when on trails.

He’ll often sleep in people’s yards as he goes. “I get invitations almost every day from complete strangers,” he says. “People see me being vulnerable. And if they invite me into the house, people answer vulnerability with vulnerability. They’re really open about everything. It’s so cool. And there’s so many unique people already all over the world.” Read more here.