After a pair of first descents near her home in the Canadian Rockies, Christina Lustenberger headed to Pakistan’s Karakoram Range in April 2024 for her second attempt to ski the west face of the Great Trango Tower.
On 9 May, Lustenberger and her two partners, Jim Morrison and Chantel Astorga, skied the west face, later hailed as the most impressive first descent in the last decade.
“I get a deep sense of joy from these things, which comes from doing it for myself, not for anyone else,” says Lustenberger, who stays off social media for weeks after big descents, taking the time to appreciate the fleeting feeling.
After a first descent of Mount Adamant in 2011, Lustenberger landed her first sponsorships, launching her pro skiing career.
Learning to ski almost as soon as she could walk, Lustenberger was a natural, winning her first race at the age of five.
