Adventure lover had 'great zest for life'

Ryan Manu Campbell

A snowboarder killed in an avalanche near Queenstown had recently met someone, fallen in love and was in a "really happy space", a former partner says.

Adventure-sports lover Ryan Manu Campbell, 31, died when he was buried in falling snow and ice outside the Coronet Peak Ski Area on Sunday.

Mr Campbell had gone snowboarding with two close relatives outside the patrolled ski zone, in an area known as the Dirty Four, when the avalanche was triggered about 5pm.

The area's avalanche risk was rated high.

Searchers found Mr Campbell more than two hours later and he was taken to Lakes District Hospital in Queenstown, where he was pronounced dead.

It was the second avalanche death in New Zealand in little more than a week.

Mr Campbell, a builder, had lived in Queenstown for about 10 years, after moving from Auckland to snowboard.

The Herald understands devastated members of Mr Campbell's family have travelled south from Auckland after learning of his death.

One of three brothers, Mr Campbell was a gifted sportsman, talented builder, car enthusiast, and music lover who had a "great zest for life", said Amy Howey, a former partner of four years and good friend.

"I saw him only a week ago in town, he was out at the same time I was, and he told me that he was in a really happy space in his life, and he had met someone and he had fallen in love, and was really excited about the future," Mrs Howey said.

"That was really nice that he was happy."

Mr Campbell was "very adventurous", and gifted at any sports he turned his hand to, whether it be snowboarding, skateboarding or hang-gliding.

He was into his RX7 cars "in a big way", and was restoring one from scratch.

Having just recently became a qualified builder, Mr Campbell had already built many homes around Queenstown, including one that won the area's house of the year award, Mrs Howey said.

When they were together, Mr Campbell and Mrs Howey made headlines over a plan to turn Queenstown into a pornography mecca, using adventurous visitors as the acting talent and the spectacular views of the region as backdrops.

The plan did not work out because of a lack of financial backing.

Coronet Peak ski area manager Hamish McCrostie said the uncontrolled area Mr Campbell went into was sometimes used by skiers and snowboarders, but carried an increased risk.

The avalanche risk in the back country of the Southern Alps was high, and had been for the past 12 days, Mr McCrostie said.

He urged people planning to venture into the back country not to go alone and to carry locator beacons, shovels and probes "and know how to use them".