Creak has eight years’ experience as an arborist in New Zealand and his native Britain. While sometimes called upon to retrieve drones stuck in trees, the two paragliding events within a three-month period had been the first time dealing with such a rescue.
Creak also helped retrieve a friend’s paragliding kit when they crash-landed in trees near the Barnicoat Range in January. While that paraglider was able to extract himself from the tree, Creak scaled it to retrieve the paragliding kit left behind. In the most recent incident, the man spent around two hours in the tree. Creak used spikes to climb up to reach the paraglider, cutting branches to create a clear space before lowering the man down to Fire and Emergency crews at the bottom.