The men were among five foreigners engulfed in yesterday’s avalanche, which took place at about 2.30pm on the eastern slope of Mount Hakuba Norikura in the ski resort, a Nagano police spokesman said.

Police declined to confirm details about the men, whom media said were from Austria and the US, but outdoor magazine “Mountain Gazette” said in its online edition that the US skier was Kyle Smaine, 31.

“It is with great sadness we report beloved South Lake Tahoe professional skier Kyle Smaine has died in an avalanche in Japan,” the magazine wrote.

It said that Smaine, on a work trip to the area, was taking a free ski at the end of the day with several other skiers when the avalanche occurred.

Police had earlier said that the five men were skiing in two separate groups on the mountain, which is 2,469m high.

The other three skiers had climbed down the mountain on their own yesterday.

Weather authorities had issued an avalanche warning for the area, following heavy snowfall in the past few days.