Lack of wind-effect, Kimberly Basin

Toured in Kimberly Basin to look for evidence of wind-slab formation after the major wind-event last weekend.

• Found wind-thickened snow surfaces in isolated areas that were easy to punch through with a ski pole
  • These locations were primarily along ridgelines and near valley bottoms
• Good visibility today provided views of multiple ridgelines and basins with no evidence of wind-textured snow or old crown lines associated with storm, wind, or deep slabs
  • We did observe one glide crack that probably opened up during our last major rain on snow event on 2/8
• No obvious signs of instability while skinning or skiing such as shooting cracks, audible collapses, or recent avalanches (within the past 48 hours)
• Stability test produced non-propagating results on a mid-storm layer (density/ hardness change) and above the 2/8 rain crust
• We didn't observe any loose snow movement from solar heating today (air temperatures remained cold)
• Felt comfortable skiing steeper slopes after incorporating a holistic, decision-making approach