Great Trango Tower first ski descent by Chantel Astorga, Christina Lustenberger, Jim Morrison

On the 9th of May 2024 the alpinists Chantel Astorga, Christina Lustenberger and Jim Morrison completed the first ever ski descent of Great Trango Tower, the 6286m giant in Pakistan's Trango massif, located right next to the world-famous Nameless Tower, also referred to as Trango Tower. The trio skied a weaving line down the Great Trango's west face, and their descent has quite rightly been described as "one of the biggest accomplishments in recent ski mountaineering history."

Success this year came after a previous expedition in 2023 by Lustenberger, Morrison and Nick McNutt; after a determined effort last April, the alpinists were eventually forced to turn back 500m below the summit. At the time Lustenberger stated "Sometimes turning around is easier than others, yesterday seemed pretty natural. Although turning around painfully close to the summit, it doesn’t seem to sting this time. If you know me at all, you know this left me hungry for another attempt."

This spring Lustenberger and Morrison returned with Chantel Astorga and, after spending three and a half weeks at basecamp, the trio successfully skied a winding line from the snow summit after their fourth night at high camp. Morrison and Lustenberger made two short abseils in total, while Astorga opted for three.

Writing on her Instagram handle, Lustenberger explained "this line is wild like no other, edge of the world kinda shit. To be up there in the flow climbing, and skiing was real life magic. I am proud." More details will follow in due course.