Last Sunday, extreme skiers Christina Lustenberger and Guillaume Pierrel made the first ski descent of the south face of 3,954m Mt. Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies.
The pair climbed the eastern British Columbia peak in two days.
Lustenberger, a B.C. native and a former member of Canada’s Olympic ski team, had been pondering the idea for a decade.
Two attempts
“It took us two attempts,” Lustenberger told ExplorersWeb.
“On the first try, we climbed the Great Couloir over two days in cold February weather. We spent one bivy night on a ledge and then continued up the following day in less than ideal conditions.”
The ascent route involves mixed climbing, WI3, and snow.
Guillaume Pierrel and Christina Lustenberger approach Mt. Robson. Photo: Blake Gordon
“We got within 200m of the summit, and due to the storm pressing against us, we turned around…knowing we had a huge amount of terrain below us,” she said. “It was extremely hard to retreat when we were so close!”
It was after dark by the time the pair made all the way down. But the very next day, they decided to return to attempt the last 200m to the summit. That night, they pitched their tent on the Dome (a subpeak). At first light, in bitter cold, they climbed the Kain face (the southeast side) to the summit.
The upper slopes of Mt. Robson. Photo: Blake Gordon
“Linking the upper 200m across a wild mixed climbing section of rock and snow to the place we turned around three days earlier was exhausting, physically and mentally,” Lustenberger said.
It was a bluebird day with no wind. Yet, they had to gather all their remaining energy to begin the descent. It took them 3.5 hrs with seven rappels on steep, highly exposed terrain.
Beginning the descent. Photo: Blake Gordon
King of the Rockies
Mt. Robson is not only the highest peak of the Canadian Rockies, but also the most prominent peak in North America. It stands almost by itself, a solitary giant. The south face that Lustenberger and Pierrel skied down is a drop of nearly 3,000m. It is also a well-photographed side of the mountain, since it faces the Yellowhead Highway. Mount Robson also features the famous 1,600m high Emperor Face on its northeast side, a legendary climb.
The skiers look down the Great Couloir of Mt. Robson. Photo: Blake Gordon
“I am mainly relieved because it was a very exposed descent, very stressful,” Lustenberger told CBC News after the feat. “It really is the King of the Rockies, and as a professional skier and someone who spent a lifetime in the mountains…to put your name on a place like Mt. Robson is something to be very proud of.”
Mount Robson has been skied three times before, but all previous descents were down the north face or the Kain face.
The skier’s look
Lustenberger noted that as a skier and an explorer, she has learned to look at mountains differently. That perspective has allowed her to complete some difficult lines around the world. In 2024, Lustenberger skied down the Great Trango Tower in Pakistan, with Jim Morrison and Chantel Astorga, and New Zealand’s Mount Cook with Guillaume Pierrel.
Christina Lustenberger and Guillaume Pierrel. Photo: Mathurin
Pierrel skied down Gasherbrum II in 2021 and has made some impressive descents at home in the French Alps. These include the North Face of the Dru near Chamonix and Picco Luigi Amedeo on the Italian side of the Mont Blanc massif, with Vivian Bruchez.
