Minor cracking in storm and wind loaded slopes on Rubicon at 8000

I started at 89 pull out a little before noon.  It was prob high 30's at 6300'.   The trees were all shedding the first 1000' in occasionally large snow bombs.  It was warming pow at the bottom then denser storm pow on top lighter pow from there til around 8300 ' where I turned around.  Wind effect became apparent around 7800' on NE aspect skin track.  Saw some cross loading mini cornices and the track was too steep and slippy for my taste so I broke trail to more N aspects.  Got multiple cracks on the storm layers ( less wind effect on N aspects) while breaking trail but all less than a foot long and no real reactivity.  Dug a few handpits and there was some storm layers but I had to really firm to get them to break off.  Decided to transition anyway since I was tired and didn't wanna test higher elevation instabilities since I was on my own. I caught up to a party of 4 who went another 400 ft and seemed like it stayed stable for them on the slightly steeper aspects above me.  They passed me hooting and hollering while I was transitioning.  I didn't hoot or holler, but had my fatties and thoroughly enjoyed the descent.  I had to kind push pizza thru the denser layer top layer at lower elevations.  But it was fun snow all the way down.