Sensitive surface conditions on Red Cone

I went for a tour today up to red cone from the trailhead on old mammoth rd.  Heavy snow and strong winds were a constant on my tour today.  Heavy wind transport was noted everywhere, and I observed sensitive wind slabs on leeward terrain features in many areas.  In more sheltered areas shooting cracks, 3-5 ft in length were common within the storm snow.   Easy hand sheers also highlighted weak layers within the storm snow.  

At the intersection of Lake Mary Rd and Old Mammoth Rd, a reasonably large cornice feature had formed. This cornice was very sensitive, and I was able to trigger it as I approached. These chunks of cornice easily triggered small pockets of wind slab.  

I turned around when I hit the ridge at approximately 10000’ when the snow became much more wind affected, and a strong gust just about blew me over.  Visibility was very low, and I was unable to confirm any recent avalanche activity in the alpine.  On the sheltered approach, I found 100-125 cm of new snow sitting on the rain crust from Valentines Day.  While skiing conditions were excellent where the terrain was steep enough, very deep, unconsolidated snow made for very difficult skinning.