Good skiing in sheltered terrain

Today in the Crowsnest Pass we found some good soft snow at all elevations. There was roughly 20 to 25 cm of recent snow from the last storm that has been redistributed into wind slabs in the Alpine directly lee of ridges. Once below the ridge crests the snow was soft and unconsolidated which made for good skiing. The winds were strong out of the southwest but well above the mountain tops and not transporting snow while we were in the field. There was no new avalanche activity observed or obvious clues like whumpfing or shooting cracks, which made us feel confident enough to step out into steeper terrain.