Two Elite Ski Mountaineers First to Ski South Face of Mount Robson

Accomlished skiers and mountaineers, Christina Lustenberger and Guillaume Pierrel become the first to climb and ski Mt. Robon's technical south face.

B.C. woman sets sky-high ski record on Mt. Robson / CBC British Columbia

First to Ski Mount Robson South Face

In an amazing feat, Christina Lustenberger and climbing partner Guillaume Pierrel simmited and skied Mount Robson's south face in British Columbia, which had never been done before. Their route, one of the most imposing in North America, features massive chunks of rock and ice, and a steep, trecherous 9,843 foot (3,000m) face. Before their history-making descent, only three people had skied down Mount Robson - all on the less technical north face shown below.

Mount Robson

Mount Robson dominates North America’s Rocky Mountain range as the highest point in the Canadian Rockies. Located within Mount Robson Provincial Park in British Columbia’s Rainbow Range, Mount Robson stands 13,123 feet (4,000m). The iconic peak, referred to as The Mountain of the Spiral Road, presents imposing and exposed icy faces difficult to both climb and ski.

Mount Robson, prominently featured in the book, 50 Classic Ski Descents of North America, scores high marks as one of the most challenging skiing endeavors. The first know ascent of Mount Robson took place in 1924 by the famous Austrian mountaineer and ski guide, Conrad Kain. 

Mount Robson / miroslav_1/ iStock

Skilled Ski Mountaineeers

Christina Lustenberger exceled in the mountains at an early age as a ski racer and mountain climber. Combing both interests, she attained top-level mountaineering certifications by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and became a professional ski racer. The Canadian, 40, placed 10th on the World Cup Alpine Skiing circuit in giant slalom at Offerschwang in 2006. She also made the Canadian Olympic Team and competed in the 2006 Olympics in Turin.

Guillaume Pierrel, a highly skilled and accomplished mountaineer and ski guide, climbed and skied Chamonix’s North Face, the Dru, in 2024. The treacherous face had not been skied in 40 years, and that skier parachuted onto the summit. Together, Lustenberger and Pierrel form a dynamic team capable of great accomlishments in the mountains – including Mount Robson.

Reflections on the Difficult Accomplishment

Karein Larsen reported in an Article for CBC News on the accomplishment and the pair's thoguhts after the descent. "Growing up in Canada, in the Columbia Valley, Mount Robson has such a deep history of climbing and skiing," Lustenberger told CBC. "It really is the King of the Rockies, and as a professional skier and someone who spent a lifetime in the mountains, you're drawn to such wild and extreme terrain."

"Even when you reach the summit, you're only halfway there. The ski descent took three and a half hours, and there were multiple rappels, transitioning from ski to climb," she said. "The mountain just puts so much pressure on you.

Pierrel credited Lustenberger for the team’s success. "She's already a big source of inspiration for me, and that's why I'm here," he said. "We're going to put our name in the history of the Canadian Rockies. So, yeah, it's such an honour."

Lustenberger gave a final thought to south face feat, "Finding space as an explorer and a steep skier, you start to look at mountains differently. You try to imagine your own way through them. The south face had been left. No one had looked at it to climb and ski. And we did," she said. Related Adventure Article