The upstairs door had blown open and the 2nd floor was covered in a snow drift that was rapidly melting through onto everything downstairs. We cleaned that up and called it a day. Just as darkness was falling we noticed another group climbing up towards the hut. We idly wondered if it was anyone we knew. Turned out that we knew all of them; Jeff and Dustin, Jeff and Julie, Ryan, and Kaylie. (Thanks for the marzipan Dustin!)
So we skied, we ate, we slept in. We did some beacon searches. I'm not so bad at searching for multiple beacons after all. Fred had a good crash at one point - this alone was pretty entertaining since he hardly ever crashes - but his ski released and took off as if determined to make it all the way back to the highway. Oh man that sucker went for miles. Leashes? I dunno. Generally we don't use them but sometimes you gotta wonder.
The ski out was great at first but as we descended the temperature rose and it became pretty grim. The snow turned to rain and the trail turned to muck. I admitted defeat and put my skins on for most of the way down. We were soaked to the skin when we reached the car.
A fun start to the season but we need more snow. Please?
BTW (for anyone heading up the Asulkan Hut) one of the stoves is missing. I assume Parks removed it for repair but I sent them an email anyway just in case they don't know about it. It might be worth bringing up your own stove if the hut is busy.