He confirmed the man was skiing on Mt Dixon, one of the country’s highest peaks.
“He wasn’t working, he was on a recreational trip with three other members of his party,” Rowntree said.
Everyone on the trip was “very experienced”.
“Sadly, he was avalanched while descending on skis and got taken off the sort of the northeast side of the mountain and down a very long way and then was buried in an avalanche and unfortunately didn’t survive.”
The avalanche was in an area rated as moderate risk.
“The entire team involved were highly experienced, and so it’s an example of how the mountains are such a dynamic place and even a really small avalanche in such big consequential terrain can lead to the worst-case scenario,” Rowntree said.
Experts warned good weather and mountain conditions could mask avalanche dangers.
Nathan Watson, operations manager at the New Zealand Mountain Safety Council, said a storm about 48 hours ago brought new snow.
Watson added it was a reminder that “good weather conditions don’t necessarily mean no avalanche danger”.
“Different storms come through, and they bring new snow,” he said.
“There’s wind, there’s rain, there’s varying freezing levels and what happens is the snowpack builds up and changes over time.
“Within the snowpack, there can be different layers of weakness.”
Watson said even in good weather, there can be weaknesses or instabilities beneath a snowpack.
“Then if that’s triggered in a certain way, such as with a human on it, that stability can break and release and still trigger an avalanche.
“So the good weather at a particular time is not necessarily an indicator that there isn’t a risk within the snowpack.”
Dixon Peak, where an avalanche has killed one person. Photo / Murray Foubister
The New Zealand Avalanche Advisory and the Mountain Safety Council said in a joint statement they were “deeply saddened” by the incident.
“Our heartfelt condolences go out to the friends and whānau of the deceased, and everyone affected.
“Our thoughts are with you during this difficult time.”
The statement reiterated the “tragic reminder” that good weather doesn’t eliminate avalanche risk.
“Although over 48 hours have passed since the most recent storm, avalanche problems can persist,” they said.
“In exposed alpine terrain, the consequences of even a small avalanche can be extreme.”
The man’s death will be referred to the coroner.