Wind effect in Shirley Canyon

Touring out of the Shirley Canyon trailhead we immediately felt the strong E  winds that have been blowing since the 17th. Lots of wind sculpted and variable snow surfaces in more exposed areas. As we gained in elevation these wind effects became only more pronounced, winds were moderate and moderate snow transport was observed.At around 7000' elevation on a N facing ridge I observed a substantial Whumpf in low angle terrain, the snow surface was highly textured and wind loaded on the westerly side. I couldn’t find any cracking after the whumpf and was only able to observe isolated cracking around skis during the tour. Descending through more protected terrain yielded high ski quality. Surface hoar was observed in the trees in wind free areas ranging from 2 - 8mm in size.