Christina Lustenberger of Canada and Guillaume Pierrel of France went to New Zealand for a different kind of ski adventure. They found one of the scariest lines of their careers.
After climbing the east face of Aoraki/Mount Cook’s central peak (3,717m) up the rarely repeated Jones route, the pair “pushed each other out of their comfort zones” down a steep, insanely icy line. Their route links ramps and gullies on a 1,000m face.
Learning from a failed attempt
At 3,727m, Aoraki is the highest peak in New Zealand. Located in the Southern Alps (the range running along the Southern Island), its relatively low altitude is deceiving. This serious challenge features hanging glaciers, high exposure, and fierce winds.
Lustenberger and Pierrel reached the area in September and started looking for a ski line. They had plenty of time to wait for a weather window. However, high winds thwarted the pair’s first attempt on October 11.
“As the route gets into the most difficult terrain, the winds picked up to gale force, turning the snow into ice and forcing us to retreat,” Lustenberger told ExplorersWeb. “We turned around and skied the lower spine of the mountain, and that was when Gee [Pierrel] saw a skiable exit for the route we had in mind. It was a little clean access point that connected two snow ramps at the bottom of the mountain’s flank.”
But the team, Lustenberger, Pierrel, and photographer Mathurin Vauthier, still had to wait out another stormy spell. This rough patch of weather only allowed for short climbs and descents on nearby Mount Vancouver.
Finally, on October 17, they set off toward their main goal.
Christina Lustenberger and Guillaume Pierrel. Photo: Mathurin Vauthier
Climbing in purple light
The pair started at 2 am. They climbed under October’s full moon, known as the Hunter’s Moon, with the sky colored purple by a magnificent Aurora Australis.
They took shifts leading the pitches up the face, from a wide bergschrund and along ramps of hard snow to the summit of Aoraki’s middle peak, which they reached at 7:45 am.
