Escape the heat of summer with some steep and deep couloir skiing in the Monashee Mountains. 

In “Chasing Nifelheim,” Christina “Lusti” Lustenberger and Andrew McNab chronicle their long sought after first descent of the southwest couloir on Mount Nifelheim, the third highest summit in the Gold Range of British Columbia at 9,373 feet. 

McNab first showed Lusti a photo of the line six or seven years ago, and they’ve been biding their time, waiting for conditions to line up. After getting shut down on a top-down approach, Lusti and McNab eventually resolve to get an early start and climb the couloir from the bottom, problem solving on the fly as they make their way through ice steps and narrow chokes. 

As a former Olympic ski racer, chasing wild and untouched lines is a stark contrast from the rigid program Lusti spent so much of her life following. “Chasing Nifelheim” is a story not only of the technical ski descents Lusti has dedicated her career to, but the symbiotic partnership she’s built with longtime ski partner McNab.  

Read more about Christina Lustenberger’s drive and determination in Issue 16.2.