Limited New Snow on Rubicon Peak

We went to Rubicon today to look for wind slabs and assess wet snow development.  On arrival at Rubicon Peak, we found about an inch of new snow at the parking lot.  As we ascended, the snow depth increased to a maximum of around 3 inches.  Travel was pleasant until the upper reaches of the ridge where the forecasted NE winds had scoured most of the new snow away leaving firm icy surfaces. Winds were generally light to moderate but were strong on the upper elevations of the higher peaks in Desolation Wilderness, which had obvious snow plumes.  On Rubicon, wind slab development was limited by the low amount of snowfall, but some snow was still snow available for transport.  We observed semi-refilled skin tracks after a few hours.  Targeting wind slabs was challenging with the limited formation.  We were able to locate one tree well with a ~6-inch wind slab that when kicked produced cracking.  No other instabilities were observed.  For only 3" of fresh snow our descent was significantly more enjoyable than expected.