Police say a skier from Christchurch who spent most of Sunday night in an icy mountain canyon is lucky to have escaped with only minor injuries.
The man had been speed-flying - a sport that combines paragliding, parachuting and skiing.
He was trying to fly to a car park at the base of a mountain near Temple Basin ski-field when he crash-landed after seeing power lines.
His partner reported him overdue at about 6pm and a helicopter with night vision gear was sent to find him.
Sergeant Ryan O'Rourke says the man was found two hours later, but rescuers could not reach him till 2am on Monday because of the powerlines and the steep terrain he was in.
The man was flown to Grey Base Hospital with a suspected broken broken thumb and possible concussion and has since been discharged.
