Fluffy snow, with a whumpf

Snow was deep and fluffy. Pole tests: the top few inches were powdery and light, but the snow beneath was strong (required two hands to push my pole through. Snow was about 3-5 feet deep. We heard a whumpf earlier in the day, near the trailhead. Some surface hoar noticed at the ridgeline. Would have been really fun to ski (we only had snowshoes). Cornices formed on the Northeast side of the ridge, facing into the bowl. No evidence of recent avalanches observed.