Corbet's Couloir

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Corbet's Couloir is an expert ski run located at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort named after Jackson Hole ski instructor and mountain guide Barry Corbet^[1]. Currently rated #4 on the top fifty things for skiers to do before they die, it holds an international reputation among expert skiers, and has been descibed as "America's scariest ski slope".^[2]

Corbet's Couloir is to the skier's left exiting either from the tram (currently out of commission) or the top of the East Ridge double chairlift. It is about ten feet wide at the entrance with rock faces on three sides, but opens up quickly. Entrance into the couloir requires dropping off a cornice with a free fall ranging from 10 to 30 feet depending upon snow conditions, landing on a 60 plus degree slope. Skiiers may opt to ski down the first part of the south face, dropping the rest of the way (actually the standard route to ski the couloir), in which case the drop is less, but they must then make a quick right to steer away from the north rock face. The rest of Corbet's is usually a powder stash because snow collects in the couloir where it is protected from both wind and sun, and relatively few people ski through. The rest of Corbet's Couloir is essentially an average expert run after the jump; the key word being after.