Noisy Basin/Mt. Aeneas

Guy & I toured into the Noisy Basin/Mt. Aeneas area to assess early December conditions before the forecasted storm arrives tonight (12/5) and into the weekend.

•Light winds ( W <15mph) were present along ridgeline and wind effect from recent days was minimal. Trees at ridgeline are still holding snow and partially rimed. 
•Visibility was limited throughout the day thanks to a low stratus cloud deck obscuring all terrain above 6000'

•Although we experienced no signs of instability, a 1-2cm, knife-hard M/F crust exists on all aspects 45cm from the surface (1.5ft) where we travelled.
•Our ECT's (6400' N/ 7100' E) yielded unreactive results at this layer, however, the 45cm of snow capping said crust has yet to consolidate into any semblance of a slab. 

•We descended our uptrack and experienced good riding conditions on W aspects and N aspects. 
•Numerous parties were out-and-about (skiing and snowmobiling). Sledders reported thin, early season conditions and skiers were reporting good riding dependant on aspect and elevation. 

•Overall, we're off to a great start with decent coverage for early December. 

No signs of instability or recent avalanches.