Mrs Howey, a Queenstown model and actress, last night said she was shocked and "deeply saddened" at Mr Campbell's death.
"I knew it was him when the news said a 30-year-old Queenstown local had died on the mountain [on Sunday night]," she said.
"Call it a sixth sense, and also his love of adventure and taking risks.
"I spoke to him last Thursday. He was going to download some iTunes for me and he was very happy.
"He told me he was in love again with a beautiful Queenstown girl and was excited to be going up the mountain with his brother."
Mr Campbell, a builder who had lived in Queenstown for the past seven years, remained close to Mrs Howey and her family and she was preparing to travel to Auckland for his funeral.
Their relationship ended amicably three years ago.
Mrs Howey and Mr Campbell were together between 2002 and 2006 and were engaged from 2004.
Mrs Howey said she could not believe he had died.
"He was intuitive, intelligent and fun-loving.
"He was a huge outdoors guy, heavily into snowboarding and skateboarding and he loved his cars. He was restoring an RX7.
"He was a craftsman and qualified builder and very popular."
Mrs Howey said the North Shore-born and raised man was always searching for the bigger jump or higher slope.
He was a daredevil and had no fear, she said.
"Ryan had been snowboarding since he was 18 and took to it naturally.
He never had an experience of an avalanche [but] he had his fair share of broken bones skateboarding.
"He trusted in the process of life a lot.
"He was quite experienced in unknown terrain and had a `rules are meant to be broken' attitude.
"He would venture wherever his heart took him.
"He snowboarded many times in the back country and Dirty Four Creek was one of his favourite spots."
