Hopes for missing tramper fading fast

 Searchers fear for the safety of a woman missing in Mount Aspiring National Park, saying she would be "incredibly lucky" to survive three days of bad weather.

They hope to continue their search for Irina Yun, 36, this morning after stormy conditions hampered their efforts yesterday.

Yun, an Aucklander of Uzbekistan descent, was tramping alone from the Aspiring Hut to the Dart Hut over the Cascade Saddle, a tough alpine tramping route near Mount Aspiring.

Yun, who has a young daughter, left the Aspiring Hut at 7am on New Year's Eve and was last seen near the Cascade Saddle at 9.30am.

She intended to reach the Dart Hut that day, but did not arrive.

Wanaka mountain guide Gary Dickson, who will join the search today, said Yun would be "incredibly lucky" to survive the bad weather on the route.

The trek was straightforward in fair weather but perilous in poor conditions, he said.

"Quite honestly, she has been through a fair bit of weather, so she would be incredibly lucky to get through all of that, but we do not give up hope and will do our best," Dickson said.

"You can get navigational difficulties, hypothermia or you can get picked up by the wind and blown off precipices.

"Small river crossings can turn into quite tricky river crossings if it is raining. They rise very quickly because there is no soil to soak it up."

The Wanaka search and rescue co-ordinator, Sergeant Aaron Nicholson, also has concerns for Yun's safety.

"The area has some significant terrain hazards and has been the scene of fatal acci-dents in the past.

"We have grave concerns for her safety. The plan is to search a number of areas that we have identified from the map are worth revisiting and areas where she may have got into trouble."

A helicopter crew and 11 ground searchers did not find Yun on Thursday, and the search was on hold yesterday because of stormy weather.

Constable Mike Johnston, of Wanaka, said there was heavy rain in the area and rivers had risen considerably.

Yun was last seen wearing a yellow parka and green tramping trousers.

She had a walking pole and small pack.

The entry in her Facebook social networking website on December 28 said: "Irina is in Wanaka and feeling great :)."

Yun is a keen tramper, rock climber and snowboarder.

Johnston said Yun had spent time in the national park before and was well-equipped, with food and good-quality gear.

She had planned to walk the Routeburn Track from Mon-day.

Johnston said the Cascade Saddle route had areas that were regularly washed away by rain and snow.

"You have to have your wits about you in that environment to make sure you're following the route," he said.

"In bad weather, you have to be even more on to it."

MetService forecaster Ian Miller said heavy rain in the Mount Aspiring area was expected to ease to showers last night, and severe gales around the mountain would ease.

The freezing level would drop overnight, he said, with snow falling to about 1500m.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) website says it takes about nine hours to cross the pass, which runs between the Aspiring Hut in the Matukituki Valley to the Dart Hut on the Rees-Dart track.

The highest ridge is 1835m, while the Cascade Saddle is at 1500m.

Several streams must be forded on the route, and the DOC website warns that water levels can rise quickly during rain.

- © Fairfax NZ News