“Brette Harrington and Christina had spotted this line on the plane to Clyde River, Baffin Island—a majestic 4,200 vertical feet that had never been skied before. They named it Polar Moon and, despite needing to navigate a burly serac halfway, opened the line shortly after. Christina was the first to take the polar plunge.” Photo: Jordan Manoukian “I admire Hilaree for how she navigated and forged her own path as a female in the mountains. She was so inspiring, elegant and strong,” Lustenberger says. “She was just a strong human in the mountains. Strength in the mountains—that’s how I want to be perceived.” It’s not always that simple, of course, but sometimes it all comes together and those actions speak volumes. This spring, Lusten-berger, Nelson and Harrington went to Baffin Island to notch another first descent on a remote, highly technical 12,000-foot line that had a 480-foot serac icefall in the middle. It was a complicated descent with a steep couloir climb-in from the backside, the kind of route that requires a full suite of mountaineering skills. “I spotted it from the air on the way in and immediately I was like, ‘We need to try this, nothing else matters, I’m so inspired,’” Lustenberger says. Harrington had the same thought—more proof of their connection in the mountains —and when the weather lined up, they skinned across the ice fields, climbed the serac and cleanly skied their way out. Lustenberger says it felt like everything was in equilibrium—good partners, good weather, the feeling that they were in the right place at the right time. She said this from Spillimacheen, BC, where she and her hus-band Mike Verway own property. She was just back from Baffin Island and trying to take a break to reset her body and mind. At the same time her focus was already turning toward plans for next winter, which she’s queuing up in her phone gallery. She admits she’s still working to figure out how to balance it all. She wants a sense of place, a way to establish herself, and to show how strong she is in the mountains. She wants to find a constant state of exploration that requires the pinnacle of her skills, but which doesn’t lead to burnout or keep her mom up at night. She wants a way to ski forever, and to find joy while she does. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot,” she says. “I’m in this place in my career that’s getting really exciting. I’ve met some really inspiring partners and sponsors are giving me support for international trips, but I have local BC ski descents that are still on my phone, and that album of lines that haven’t been skied. I have lifetimes of skiing I want to do.” Christina pushes the culinary limit at Snowfall Lodge in the Selkirk Mountains. Photo: Fred Marmsater
The Ski Journal Volume 16, Issue 2: Page 51
