Two Young Ladies Drop Into Jackson Hole's Corbet's Couloir For The First Time

Ella Boyd
·2 min read
12

One year ago at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, WY, two young skiers give Corbet's Couloir a stab--and learned the hard way why even many adults struggle with this double-black diamond run.

While both girls ultimately fall after taking the drop from the cornice edge, there's no shame in learning new terrain this way. The video states that they were both okay afterwards. Watch below.

Originally skied in 1967 by Lonnie Ball, who was forced to take the plunge after dangling from the top of the cornice, the run was deemed "Corbet's Couloir" when Barry Corbet accompanied Paul McCollister on his first decent from the summit of Rendezvous Mountain.

Barry Corbet was a mountaineer who, in 1960, spotted a narrow crease of snow shaped like an upside-down funnel, high up on the mountain now known as Jackson Hole.

We now know that the couloir has a pitch of 45-degrees (for reference, The Palisades' Main Chute is 53-degrees). However, this is a couloir, adding the drama of rock walls on either side of your steep descent.

Berry looked down into what is now Corbet's Couloir and stated, "Someday, someone will ski that — it will be a run."

Check out a day on the edge at Corbet's Couloir, a bonafide run at JHMR, below.

Corbet's Couloir is located right next to the Aerial Tram, which is easier to place on the map of the resort. See below.

Corbet's Couloir, next to the Aerial Tram. <a href="https://www.jacksonhole.com/maps/mountain-winter" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Map courtesy of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Map courtesy of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.</a>
Corbet's Couloir, next to the Aerial Tram. Map courtesy of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

Not only do people ski it, but these days, Corbet's Couloir is home to Kings and Queens of Corbet's. K&Qs is the legendary event where one male and one female skier are crowned winners for their style and bravery at the couloir.

I'd bet some of these athletes today had experiences just like these girls did a year ago. You have to make mistakes to learn from them, and no one becomes a professional freeskier without taking a few tumbles on the mountain.

Related: Veronica Paulsen Seeks Redemption Following Kings & Queens Cancellation

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.