Regional avalanche forecaster Chris Cochrane said a low snow depth did not rule out the possibility of a serious avalanche disaster.
"This time of year being a very shallow snow depth can contribute. Generally you need a trigger and generally that is the unsuspecting back-country skier."
He said Taranaki's avalanche, which trapped two people, should come as a warning that "until we get more information we need to be more careful".
"Given what's happened up there [Taranaki], it's entirely possible we can encounter the same."
He said on average 10 to 15 people every year in Queenstown were involved in avalanches. Last year was a better year with only eight people caught, but one was buried.
Although last year's buried victim survived, others are not so lucky.
"A couple of years ago we had a fatality at Coronet ... People do die in avalanches in New Zealand."
Avalanches needed three components: snow, an angle, and a trigger, most often human movement.
Loose snow was more likely to break away from a slope.
Slopes with a 25deg to 40deg angle, "the best terrain to ski on", were more susceptible to avalanches.
Remarkables ski area manager Ross Lawrence said his team used various techniques such as heli-bombing and hand charges to manage avalanches.
Heli-bombing was used when it was unsafe for his crew to be on the snow, or if they needed a quick, safe opening.
The area occasionally used "avalaunchers", gas-power rocket launchers able to fire as far as 600m.
The typical technique was "on skis with hand charges", which meant the distribution of gel and fertiliser bombs with a pull-wire fuse.
Mr Lawrence said staff only protected the slopes in the boundary of the ski area, and the number of people straying beyond that boundary had been declining.
A mountain safety avalanche awareness seminar has been scheduled into the Winter Festival programme. The gold-coin donation seminar is at the Queenstown Memorial Hall at 7pm.
Queenstown outdoor sports shop Small Planet will run weekly avalanche workshops throughout the ski season.
The recorded avalanche season began in July, and people could visit avalanche.net.nz for updated daily advice.
Staying alive
Avalanche survival tips:
- Tell someone where you are going.
- Take a beacon, cellphone and ice pick.
- Be observant of weather changes and loose snow; test the snow pack before committing to crossing it.
- If caught in an avalanche: try to maintain an air pocket in front of your face by punching in the snow.
- If you know in which direction the surface is, try to stick out a ski pole or limb.
