Who doesn’t like a good challenge? For many, a picturesque ski day involves long blue cruisers, open fields of powder, and relaxed après at a cozy slopeside lodge. However, for some, the perfect run involves harrowing steeps, mandatory airs, sketchy straight lines, and conditions that would put hair on the chests of even the most seasoned skiers.
For adrenaline junkies seeking their next dance with the devil, we’ve put together a list of six of the gnarliest in-bounds ski runs found anywhere in the world. The rankings are a compilation of your very own responses to a simple question we posed on Facebook: “What is the most difficult run you have ever done?” So, without further ado, here’s what you thought.
6. Rumble – Sugarbush, Vermont
This double black diamond is straight out of any expert East Coast skier’s dreams. Located directly to looker’s left of the Castlerock Double, Rumble seems to appear almost out of thin air. Surrounded by dense Northeast forest, the run at times feels no wider than a pair of powder skis—powder skis you hopefully aren’t too attached to, either, as you can expect endless unmarked obstacles and dusted-over sharks no matter what time of year you visit.
5. Paradise – Mad River Glen, Vermont
Accessed via a short traverse off one of the last remaining single chairs in North America, Paradise is certainly not for the faint of heart. The run, dubbed by many the most challenging marked run in New England, comes complete with unmarked obstacles, mandatory airs, sustained steep pitches, and eternally volatile East Coast conditions that will have Rocky Mountain skiers booking the next flight back to Salt Lake City.
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4. Al’s Run – Taos, New Mexico
Located directly under Lift 1 and in full view of the resort’s base area, Al’s Run is perhaps the most consequential run on this list—at least for your ego. It’s a sustained mogul run stretching 1,800 vertical feet, and what it lacks in the way of a headline-grabbing crux or particularly high-exposure area, it makes up for in causing formerly excited skiers and riders extreme fatigue. Additionally, given that it sits low on the mountain, conditions can become increasingly dicey on the never-ending field of egg cartons, making Al’s Run the perfect test for those looking to prove their endurance—both physical and mental.
3. The Swiss Wall – Avoriaz-Portes du Soleil, France and Switzerland
Beginning on the Swiss-French border before dropping steeply into Switzerland, the Swiss Wall is notorious for having some of the biggest moguls in the world, as bumps here can reach the height of NBA players. Before even entering the heart of the mogul field, skiers must brave a narrow, rock-filled stretch of bumps that could take them out before the run ever starts. The run is officially graded orange, as it’s too difficult to fit into the normal green-to-black rating system. Even hot-doggers who eat, ski, and breathe mogul runs may want to think twice before attempting this legendary European slope.
- Related: The Steepest Ski Runs in Europe
2. Big Couloir – Big Sky, Montana
There’s a reason the Big Couloir is one of the few runs in America rated triple black diamond. The intimidating chute, accessed by the Lone Peak Tram, drops 1,400 vertical feet with sustained pitches reaching up to an astounding 50 degrees. While the run has no infamous mandatory air or heart-palpitating cliff, one could argue the entire chute feels like one long controlled fall, since if you go down in the Big Couloir, you likely won’t be back on your feet until you reach the bottom.
1. Corbet’s Couloir – Jackson Hole, Wyoming
To the surprise of nobody, perhaps the most famous in-bounds marked ski run in the world tops our list. If the sustained 45-plus-degree pitch between two towering rock walls isn’t enough to get your blood pumping, then a 20-foot mandatory drop over a wind-scoured cornice at the entry of the couloir should do the trick. Between the lip-puckering nature of the run itself and the added hero factor of being located in direct sight of the tram, there’s a reason Corbet’s is on every skier’s bucket list.