Queenstown, New Zealand – Ski patrollers have given the “all clear” after carrying out a three-hour search in avalanche debris spotted outside The Remarkables ski area boundary near Queenstown on Friday afternoon.

At about 2:45 p.m. debris up to two meters deep was spotted in a gully in a steep sidecountry area on the far side of Lake Alta known locally as the Terminator Chutes. Forty ski patrollers from area ski resorts and three dog teams carried out a full probe and search as a precautionary measure as no one is known to have witnessed the slide. Tracks were found near the avalanche path.

Ski area management said the search had revealed no one caught in the avalanche, and there are no vehicles left unaccounted for in the parking lot. There have been no reports of anyone missing. Police and St. John Ambulance were notified of the incident as a precaution shortly after the debris was spotted.

The slab avalanche is believed to be approximately 1.5m high, 80m wide and 100 to 120m long. Warm spring conditions and fresh snow are suspected in causing the slide.