I spent the morning begrudgingly cutting my skins (climbing skins that one sticks to the bottom of a ski to be able to ski up hill, then removed to ski downhill). I have a theory that there are PINK jobs and BLUE jobs in this world, and futzing with gear is a BLUE job. When it comes to dealing with gear, it's my nemesis, whether it's waxing skis, sharpening ice tools, cutting skins, or adjusting bindings, you can usually count on me trying to bribe or trade with someone else to do it.

The skins worked out pretty well and I learned a new task. Next I realized I had possibly made a crucial error. I had just gotten new Scarpa Spirit 4 boots and gotten the liners heat molded to my feet. I was really excited to use them on this trip, so I stowed my old boots and tossed them in the bag. ASSUMING that they would fit my bindings. But when I pulled them out and clicked the toes into the Dyna Fit bindings, Alison looked at the gap between the back of my boots and the heel fixture and a wave of panic floated across her face. I had ASSUMED that since they were the same boot size they would fit...but each boot has a different sole length. The bindings usually only adjust a few millimeters. Also, adjusting the binding without the proper tool is a bit precarious due to the fact that once you strip the screw the binding is finished.

I slowly started turing the binding, hoping it would go the distance. Sharif and Ibrahim looked over my shoulder hoping to help, but the American in me needed my personal space bubble to process the stress of the fact that I had potentially made a crucial error that would prevent me from skiing down ANYTHING. I grabbed my ski, the boot, and the screwdriver and headed off to stress in solitude.

Twist by twist the heel piece got closer to the boot, while I kept praying that with each twist that the screw didn't hit the end of it's adjustability. Finally, the last twist landed the heelpiece into perfect position. Alison let out a deep sigh and we laughed at my stupidity succumbing to laziness in the department of "Gear Maintenance." Maybe a BLUE job, but a potentially disastrous oversight by this PINK ski mountaineer!!!