Inexperienced climber’s ‘reckless’ ascent of Mt Taranaki ended in death

Tuesday, 7 July 2026

Vladimir Levchenko died after falling up to 600m on Mt Taranaki in September 2025.

Coroner Rachael Schmidt-McCleave said the retiree had no alpine mountaineering experience and was using crampons unsuited to his tramping boots.

He and his companion were not roped together and Levchenko had only received a brief lesson in self-arrest with an ice axe.

The coroner recommended novice climbers complete professional alpine training, use appropriate equipment, and avoid attempting the summit in snowy or icy conditions.

An “inexperienced” climber’s decision to take on Mt Taranaki in winter with inadequate equipment was a “reckless act” which ended in his death, a coroner has found.

Vladimir Levchenko, a 69-year-old retiree from Whangaparāoa, Auckland, died after falling up to 600m down the mountain on September 30, 2025.

In findings released on Tuesday, Coroner Rachael Schmidt-McCleave noted that while Levchenko was a confident hiker, he had no experience mountaineering in snow and ice.

Before setting out, Levchenko had borrowed a helmet, an ice axe and crampons - spiked devices that fit onto the soles of mountaineering boots - from his climbing companion, Timofey Gorr.

The crampons were designed for rigid or semi-rigid boots, and Levchenko was wearing flexible tramping boots, the coroner said. The pair did not have a rope.

Gorr was an experienced climber who considered Taranaki “simple” for someone of this skill set, the coroner said.

They set off from Kapuni Lodge about 6.45am.

Once they reached the snow line, Gorr gave Levchenko a brief lesson on self-arrest - using an ice axe to slow and stop a fall.

Self-arrest, Schmidt-McCleave said, is a skill which requires practice on less dangerous slopes before it is mastered.

“It is also a technique which may be ineffective on steep slopes with impenetrable ice.”

After stopping at Syme Hut, on the maunga’s southern slope, for food and water about 10am, they continued to the summit, 2518m above sea level.

On multiple occasions as the slope steepened, Gorr offered the opportunity to turn back but Levchenko said he wanted to continue.

The men climbed to the crater edge and looked in, before starting their descent the same way they reached the summit.

Gorr told Levchenko that if he was feeling unsafe facing forwards, he should turn and descend while facing into the slope.

Gorr told the coroner he was constantly looking up to check on Levchenko and would have been about 20m ahead of him.

Gorr stopped about 150m below the summit. He took shelter for a time behind an icy formation and lost sight of his companion. He did not see him again before his fall.

Police were called and alerted the Taranaki Alpine Cliff Rescue team. When their airborne search found no sign of Levchenko, the helicopter dropped two team members at Syme Hut in the late afternoon.

Eventually they found Levchenko’s body, about 600m from where he was last seen.

The NZ Mountain Safety Council (MSC) was consulted during the coronial process.

Chief executive Mike Daisley said the incident highlighted the critical importance of having appropriate skills, experience and equipment in an alpine environment.

“Many parts of the maunga, especially near the summit, are effectively ‘no-fall’ zones,” said Daisley. “That means, even if you have the skills to self-arrest with an ice axe, the hard, impenetrable ice makes it almost impossible to stop a slide.”

Alpine rescue experts told police that rough terrain on the descent was likely composed of shallowly buried rime formations, which tended to create an uneven surface. That meant a higher chance of tripping while making self-arrest difficult or even impossible.

Coroner Schmidt-McCleave described Taranaki as an “infamously treacherous mountain”. The slope to the summit is steep, ranging between 21 and 45 degrees with no plateau to arrest a fall or slip.

She recommended that novice and beginner climbers take a professional course in alpine and mountaineering skills, including the proper use of an ice axe and crampons, self-arrest techniques, and setting anchors using a rope, before attempting a climb in snow and ice.

She also recommended that climbers ensure their equipment is fit for purpose, noting crampons designed for rigid boots should never be used on flexible tramping-style boots.

The coroner recommended that novices should only consider the Taranaki Maunga Summit Club as a viable option for reaching the summit. The MSC notes that this track should be attempted only between January and April, and only when there is no snow or ice.

Schmidt-McCleave found that Levchenko died as a result of multiple blunt force injuries sustained in a fall.

“I find that Mr Levchenko’s death was entirely preventable. The critical factors which could have prevented this death are the underestimation of the conditions and suitability of this trip for Mr Levchenko, and both men succumbing to complacency on the descent. Equipment selection and lack of technical skills and experience on Mr Levchenko’s part are secondary factors that contributed to this incident.

“An inexperienced climber taking on this climb in winter with inadequate equipment and experience was a reckless act which sadly ended in death.”