Doesn’t everyone use their kitchen as a ski workshop? Finally cleared some time this weekend to do some boot fitting/liner moulding/learn new ski bindings kind of stuff. Because my team is climbing most of the way up Mount Logan on skis, I’ve had to invest in some new equipment and learn some new skills. It will be a multi-step process to get all the parts working as a cohesive team to travel on.

The first step, a kinda scary one, involved cutting some of the boot shell away to make more room in the boot’s throat…who knew boots had throats? I knew that after that first cut with the Dremel tool, these blue and yellow babies were mine, all mine!!! (since I couldn’t take them back once I’d altered the boot shell.) That scary move done, it was time to heat up three pounds of rice in a nylon stocking…basically a “magic bag” for my boots to heat them up for moulding…we had 50 50 luck…one went perfect, one not quite so perfect but we’re working on it to fix the folds.

Then came adjusting the bindings to my boots…which, after consulting a few websites, was a piece of cake…and then watching a few videos on how to step into them, I got my first view of what I will see for the 25 days we’re on Mount Logan…a fine rendition of primary colours.

With new stepping in and stepping out skills practiced and mastered, it was time to give the newly working together team a field test…the good news is that all worked very well and I felt pretty comfy on the new boards/in the new boots. I have one spot on my right foot that was being a bit bothered so we’ll keep moulding/adjusting/punching out/cutting the boot until no pain is caused.

I climbed up and skied down a small hill about 15 times and loved every minute of it. This new gear opens up the whole world of Alpine Touring and earning my turns…as well as the King Trench route on Mount Logan. It would have be easier to be on a team that would snowshoe up because no new gear/skills would have been needed but now that most of the gear decisions have been made and the gear is on it’s way to working well…I’m starting to get excited!

Training is going well and I can tell I’m getting fitter and stronger…dreams for Mission 5959 are trickling in so please consider sending me yours to carry along with me…dreams shared are dreams more likely to come to fruition!