"Shortly before the rescue team arrived, an avalanche broke off in the very steep terrain and buried the mother and the son. The mother was able to free herself," he said.

Max was buried under two metres of snow.

Rescuers reached Max about 20 minutes later, but he could not be revived.

One of Max's classmates, Jake Loh, told the Herald how he was a member of the school's robotics team.

"He was enthusiastic about robotics, he was a great kid and it's a shame the school has lost him," he said. "He was a good guy."

Max was also a member of the school's mock trial team and a talented athlete, according to the school's website.

International Grammar School principal Shauna Colnan offered support to fellow students in an email to parents on Thursday night.

"It is with deep sadness that I write to inform you that one of our students has died in an avalanche while skiing with his family..." she wrote.

"The school will be open tomorrow and next week, and senior staff, counsellors and I will be there to assist should you require support."

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said they were "aware of reports" that an Australian had died in Austria.

"The Department stands ready to provide consular assistance to the family of the victim in accordance with the Consular Services Charter," a spokesman said.

The family, a German man and Australian woman and their children, lived in Australia.

Max's death occurred as once-in-a-generation heavy snowfall continues to paralyse travel and tourism in parts of the Alps. Heavy snowfall continued on Thursday in parts of Austria and southern Germany, with several places cut off and the bad weather expected to persist.

In neighbouring Slovakia, the mountain rescue service said a 37-year-old Slovak man was killed by an avalanche in the Mala Fatra mountains.

That brought to at least 16 the number of weather-related deaths reported in Europe over the past week.

Snow was causing problems in other parts of Europe, even in Norway's Arctic Svalbard archipelago.

Several railway lines in the Alps were closed because of the snow, trucks and cars got stuck for hours on a highway in southwestern Germany and schools were closed in parts of Bavaria.

Roads into several places were closed - although Galtuer in western Austria, where a massive avalanche in 1999 killed 31 people, was reachable again on Thursday after being cut off.

The Austrian minister responsible for tourism, Elisabeth Koestinger, said that "in most skiing areas, there is no reason for concern at present if people keep to the rules and don't leave the secured slopes."

Austrian public broadcaster ORF reported that the weather was expected to calm on Friday but further heavy snow could be expected on Sunday.

In the Czech Republic, around 9000 households were without electricity on Thursday after heavy snow in regions bordering Germany and Austria.

On Norway's Arctic Svalbard islands, more than 100 people were evacuated as a precaution because of a storm and the risk of avalanches. The Svalbard archipelago is 800 kilometres north of Norway's mainland.

Norwegian news agency NTB said 29 dwellings at the foot of the Sukkertoppen mountain were evacuated, and a school, kindergartens, a sports facility and public library closed. In the north of mainland Norway, authorities warned of a risk of avalanches.

- with AP