First Ever Mountain Bike Descent Of Corbet's Couloir, America's Most Famous Ski Run (2017)
Corbet's Couloir at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming is widely-regarded as the most well-known ski run/trail in the entire country.
Thousands of skiers flock to Jackson each year to peer over the edge of Corbet's, less actually attempt the run for themselves.
It's been a few years since it was created, but the video below by Teton Gravity Research is still as impressive as ever. Watch as professional mountain bikers Casey Brown and Cam McCaul make the first mountain bike descents of Corbet's Couloir.
Teton Gravity Research: "Anyone who has ever skied or snowboarded Jackson Hole knows just how nerve-racking it can be to send it into the infamous Corbet's Couloir, even in the best of conditions. Doing it in icy conditions on mountain bikes is nothing short of insane, and that's exactly what we did.
Corbet's Couloir is one of the most legendary and challenging ski runs in the world. This spring, Cam McCaul and Casey Brown attempted the first ever Mountain Bike descent of the double black diamond ski run.
There's a litany of other adjectives you could prescribe to the lines McCaul and Brown threw down - Sketchy, heavy, and borderline suicidal all come to mind - but ultimately, the end result was jaw-dropping. // From TGR's 2017 ski film Rogue Elements, presented by REI"
Corbet's Couloir get its name from Barry Corbet, a mountaineer who spotted the couloir back in the 1960s. He is quoted to have said, "Someday someone will ski that."
Lonnie Ball, a Jackson Hole Ski Patroller, became the first person to ski Corbet's in 1967. Now, the trail is a regular fixture (when open) for expert skiers to test their skills.
Barry Corbet correctly predicted that somebody would ski the couloir one day, but there's no way he ever imagined that somebody would bike down it.
Thankfully, TGR produced a behind-the-scenes video to explain how they accomplished the incredible feat.
It involved mounting a state-of-the-art camera to the bottom of the Jackson Hole Aerial Tram, something that had never been done before, and a lot of crossed fingers.
Check it out below:
I had so many questions about how this was possible, and that short behind-the-scenes video answered most of them.
For example, I was wondering how in the h*ll the athletes stopped at the bottom of Corbet's. It turns out they both went OTB and wiped out hard. Makes sense.
Absolutely crazy that pro Casey Brown said that was the fastest she had ever been on a bike. Call me crazy, but maxing out your speed on a snow-covered couloir doesn't sound desirable in the slightest, but I guess that's what separates us peons from the pros.
For daily mountain biking content, news, and entertainment, check out our friends over at BikeMag.
Don't miss another headline from POWDER! Subscribe to our newsletter and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of skiing.
We're always on the lookout for amusing, interesting and engaging ski-related videos to feature on our channels. Whether you're a professional or just an amateur, we want to see your best footage and help you share it with the world. Submit your video for a chance to be featured on POWDER and our social channels. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch high-quality ski videos.
