Observations from skiing in uncompacted terrain near Kimberley resort on Feb 1.
We travelled between 1500-1800 m and found an average snowpack depth ranging from 60-90 cm, deeper on North and East aspects. In thinner areas, snow was moist to ground, and the crust formed in mid-January was no longer supporting skiers. Wet snow observed at lower elevations (<1600m). On shaded aspects / deeper snow areas, the top 5 cm of new snow was moist, and the crust still had enough integrity to support a skier's weight. The day was warm and wet, above freezing temps at all elevations we travelled, but still snowing lightly above 1600 m. Winds were light gusting to moderate from the SW, but blowing snow was limited by the high density surface snow, or surface crust present in most areas. Pretty spring-like conditions out there at the moment!