Teen missing after fall on ice shelf

Rescue teams will decide today whether to continue searching for a teenager who fell through an ice shelf while skiing at the weekend.

A 19-year-old - believed to be a student originally from Auckland - was skiing with a friend on Mt Rolleston, near Arthurs Pass, on Saturday afternoon when he got into trouble.

About 5pm, while the two were descending from the Low Peak of the mountain, it is believed the teenager fell through the ice after shouting out to his friend for help.

The friend turned around to find no trace of the teenager and spent up to two hours frantically digging through the spot where he thought he had fallen.

After failing to find him, he tramped about 4km back to Arthurs Pass to alert emergency services.

Mountain Safety Council programme manager Steve Schreiber had not been fully briefed, but said it looked as if it was an accident.

"The crevasse is what got this guy, I'm told," he said.

The Mt Cook Rescue Team called its search off last night and police said earlier attempts to get to the area where the man went missing were hampered because of a high risk of causing an avalanche.