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Wise Words With Christina Lusti

  • June 4, 2019
  • Ben Osborne
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Touted as one of the best young guides in the ski industry, Christina “Lusti” Lustenberger is comfortable in a role that goes back almost to the cradle. Lusti was raised in Invermere, B.C., where her parents inculcated in her a strong passion for the mountains. By age two she was skiing Panorama Resort where her father Peter, a Swiss immigrant, ran the ski shop. She joined the ski-racing program, excelled, and put in six years on the Canadian Alpine Ski Team, achieving top-10 World Cup results and racing Giant Slalom at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. At age 24, after a decade bashing gates and five knee surgeries, Lusti made a change. Turning to her true passion, she quietly became one of the continent’s most accomplished ski mountaineers, logging numerous impressive lines, notably a historic 2011 solo first descent of the south couloir of 3,345-metre Adamant Mountain. She spent this past winter working with Sherpas Cinema on something known only from the hashtag #columbiariverproject. “My love for the mountains has opened up a world of opportunity and incredible experiences,” she says. “Something I hope to be able to do the rest of my life.” —Leslie Anthony

Racer to mountaineer isn’t a typical ski industry path. How did you end up choosing it? 

As a young girl, all I ever wanted to be was a ski racer. But once it became this super-strict lifestyle there was no freedom to explore, and I tried to push my coaches and rebel. I liked to race, but didn’t like training inside; dryland was never as interesting as time on snow, so I didn’t see backcountry skiing as ditching out on training. For a change—or complement—I liked walking up mountains. Every time I tore an ACL racing, recovery took about a year, so I started to feel I was missing out on other experiences. I wanted to ski for the rest of my life, not race another two years and keep wrecking myself. Racing also demanded gym time, while the best practice for ski mountaineering is ski mountaineering, and it leaves time for a social life, too. 

How do you see your biggest accomplishments? 

Soloing the south couloir of Mt. Adamant in 2011 was a big deal, but I returned to the Adamants a couple years ago on a different mission. After playing the waiting game with weather and snow, we managed the first descent on Black Friar, a line that had been on my mind since the 2011 trip. That felt good. I’ve heard people say that despite what I’ve been able to do, I haven’t tapped my full potential. I find that interesting because sure, I’d love to push myself all winter long, but is it sustainable? I take each winter for what it is, training for those days when conditions, weather, partners—and inspiration—line up. 

What else has contributed to your success? 

Guide training helped me move with more confidence in the mountains and was also a humbling experience, giving me much respect for the guiding community. Guiding slows down the pace, and lets you focus on different aspects of being in the mountains than when skiing with friends, filming, or on expeditions. I’ve also learned that on big trips it’s important to outwork each other. It’s not a competition, more like trying to be that helping step ahead for your partners—boiling water, shovelling snow, meal prep, being five minutes early so your teammates don’t wait outside in the cold. Big objectives take a lot of hard work and everyone contributing goes a long way towards success. // IG: @christinalusti 

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Ben Osborne

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Paradise in #Ontario 🌴
A visit to a summer camp by and for the Inuit in the heart of their ancestral territory of Pingualuit, Nunavik.
CLINIC REGISTRATION NOW OPEN 🗣
The way normal people cross the Pacific Ocean in a 37-foot sailboat from Hawaii to San Francisco, explains my neighbour Joel Jacques, is to crew up the boat with six to seven sailors, set the autopilot at 90 degrees straight east, wave to your buddies on the dock, and head for North America.
"I’ve been fortunate enough to spend more than 35 summers here in the Sea to Sky Corridor and I can wholeheartedly say one of my favourite weekends of the year is coming to Squamish at the end of August— The Arc’teryx Climbing Academy."
Have you ever noticed how loss leads to renewal? The 1997 closure of Banff’s buffalo paddock is a good example. Spreading over approximately 30 hectares and surrounded by a 2.5-metre-high wire mesh fence, it held anywhere from ten to 107 captive bison during its century of operation. Conveniently located close to the town of Banff and right beside the Trans-Canada Highway, it was a favourite stopover for locals and tourists to gawk at North America’s largest land mammal from the comfort of their car. Where else in the park could you be guaranteed such a wildlife experience?
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