Avalanche rumbles near Remarkables skifield

A large avalanche today near a skifield in Queenstown's Remarkables has highlighted the risk level in the backcountry, a skifield spokesman says.

No-one was harmed in the avalanche, rated at level 3.5 out of 5, though a snowboarder had been in the area shortly before it happened, Remarkables Ski Area manager Ross Lawrence said.

"The hazard at the moment in the backcountry is high - we all know about the fatality yesterday in Methven, and this is a result of the same storm cycle that came through."

The cascading wall of snow would have been big enough to collapse houses if they were in the way, he said.

Yesterday afternoon a large avalanche in the Southern Alps' Rugged Range killed an Australian heli-skier and temporarily buried two others.

Mountain Safety Council avalanche programme manger Steve Schreiber said weeks of cold southerly conditions, followed by a change to warm westerlies triggered dangerous avalanche conditions in the Canterbury area.

The council has warned skiers, snowboarders, climbers and trampers to avoid back-country travel until further notice.

-NZPA