CLIMBER CONSUMED CANNABIS BEFORE FALL

Invercargill: Cannabis use may have contributed to the death of a climber
who fell from Mitre Peak in November, Te Anau coroner John Donaldson said
yesterday.

The inquest for Jonas Theiss (27), a German graduate from the Tai
Poutini Polytechnic outdoor recreation course in Greymouth, was held
in Te Anau.

Constable Finn Murphy, of Te Anau, said Mr Theiss was an experienced
and accomplished climber. He led two companions on a climb of Mitre
Peak, overlooking Milford Sound.

The night before they had stayed on the Footstool, a forested knob on
the Mitre Peak ridge. Statements from the survivors said they had
consumed cannabis that night.

They climbed Mitre Peak the next day, November 25.

During the descent, Mr Theiss decided to return and retrieve a hat he
had left behind.

Mr Theiss was very fond of his hat and would go to any lengths to
retrieve it, Mr Murphy said.

After Mr Theiss failed to rejoin the group, one climber raised the
alarm at Milford Sound. A helicopter search late that night was
unsuccessful.

Next morning, Mr Theiss was sighted about 200m down a sheer cliff face
in a crevice, but bad weather stopped rescuers reaching his body.

It was recovered by helicopter with the help of the Queenstown alpine
cliff rescue team two days later.

A toxicology report showed Mr Theiss had THC, a cannabis chemical, in
his bloodstream.

Mr Donaldson criticised the group's use of cannabis and the fact they
had no locater beacon.

Climbing required attention and quick, clear thinking and the use of
cannabis affected all three, he said.

"Its use in that situation was cavalier and stupid," he said.

Mr Donaldson found that Mr Theiss died from multiple skeletal injuries
on November 25 last year, with a possible contributing cause as the
THC in his blood.