Crab you are just the boring type of UK person we have to deal with moving to our country and then complaining about people jet boating, or music after 6, and in this case talking like a self imposed professor of aviation. I am glad your there and we are here. Yes we land on mountains, yes snow has reference issues. What does your boring attitude have to say about Canadians? Park up for winter. Your a very sad individual.
Ok. Let's clear this !!!! up now. As I was leasing the helicopter in question I know pretty much the details with in reason. It was a clear day. Lots if fresh snow. It was high. There was normal mountain wind enough that he took a second approach after not liking the first. The wind affected again his landing and possibly the fresh snow and drift affected his reference enough that he drifted over and tail came around with the small wind around and nicked the main rotor. The rest is easy to work out.
When your landing on mountains even though there seems to be lots of space you tend to stay in close proxy to the last landings as you know it's tested as a landing site.
Crab people come from all over the world to pay for tours into the mountains. And yes they want to take risks. Breathing is a risk. So where do we cut it off, I would say when you can show as this company has over decades of flying that the safe days far out number the unsafe ones. NZ is not for babies like you crab so stay in your Europe baby factory we Simply don't like people like you. Simples.