Rescue crews were searching an area in and around Alberta's popular Castle Mountain Ski resort after an avalanche happened around 2 p.m. MT on Tuesday.

The avalanche occurred inbounds in an area that was open to skiers on the mountain's Gravenstafel Peak. RCMP and rescue crews, with the aid of helicopters and avalanche dogs, are on site.

"There has been no indication of anybody caught in this slide," Brian Rhodes, the general manager of the Castle Mountain Ski resort, told CTV Newsnet on Tuesday evening from Pincher Creek.

"We're currently doing a search of the base area just to account for all skiers and residents in the area -- and currently there's nobody missing. So we're going to keep on standby here until such time we can account for all folks in this area."

Rhodes said the avalanche was not a large one, spanning about 60 metres by 60 meters with an approximate debris depth (depth to ice-core) of 10 centimetres, up to about three metres.

The resort, known for its long, steep runs and an average 9 meters of annual snowfall, is located in the Westcastle Valley in the Rocky Mountains, about 270 kilometers from Calgary and about 35 kilometers from Pincher Creek.

On top of the large dumpings of snow over the last few days, Rhodes said a change in wind direction and temperature on Tuesday may have helped to trigger this latest avalanche.