First Ski Descent of a Steep B.C. Couloir
And watch a new short film featuring the first descent of another line on Niflheim
Three veteran B.C. skiers have made the first descent of the south couloir of Mount Sir Sandford, a 3,519-metre peak in the Selkirk Mountains. Christina Lusti, Mark Herbison and Joshua Lavigne opened the line on Feb. 14.
The first descent of the south side of the mountain was in February 2012 by Troy Jungen, Rob Martin and Doug Sproul via the south face. Lusti attempt the south couloir several times over the years, but conditions never lined up.
Earlier this month, a high pressure system brought good conditions so the three skiers flew to camp near the base of the line the day before. The overnight temps dropped to -17C and the team left camp at 7 a.m. to climb the couloir to the summit. They then skied into the steep couloir until a 30-metre rappel which led to more skiing. The line is 1,100 metres and skis between 45 and 50 degrees.
Over the past decade, Lusti has made several bold first ski descents around B.C., including the southwest couloir of Mount Niflheim with Andrew McNab last spring, watch a video about it below.
Mount Niflheim Ski
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