United States — Top five lists for the toughest ski terrain are always a tough balance. Many try to make a good list that features the big names (i.e., Corbet’s and Rambo), but often face a lot of criticism from passionate skiers. It turns out that avid skiers are also very good at being keyboard warriors.
With that in mind, I came across this video on my Instagram reels feed from @mike.theskiguy. Mike’s a travel agent who runs Skizi, a ski travel website. This skier put together a top-five list of the gnarliest trails in the United States. Dictionaries tend to define gnarly as being very difficult or challenging.
His top five includes trails at Crested Butte, Arapahoe Basin, Big Sky, Palisades Tahoe, and Jackson Hole. Perhaps the most shocking part of the ranking is the absence of Corbet’s Couloir. However, there’s a very worthy Jackson Hole line in its place.
So here are my thoughts on this ranking:
5. Rambo: With it being the steepest man-made trail in the US, it inevitably ends up on lists like these. While it’s a tricky run, it’s debatable whether it’s the toughest at the ski resort. According to locals, some of the terrain at Crested Butte that’s considered tougher includes Body Bag and Psycho Rocks.
4. 2nd Notch: Nice to see some Arapahoe Basin representation here, with the East Wall chute requiring holding onto a rope to get down to the skiable terrain. However, some argue the gnarliest terrain is in the Steep Gullies or High Noon on opening day.
3. Big Couloir: The blockbuster trail at Big Sky is pretty rowdy, requires extra figurative steps to ski, and is a no-fall zone. There are tougher lines at Big Sky, though, such as Little Couloir. Big is an understandable pick, though, based on its notoriety.
2. McConkey’s: This rowdy line (also known as Eagle’s Nest) at Palisades Tahoe basically requires perfect form to not leave the base area that day via ambulance. It’s got a legendary name for a reason.
1. S&S Couloir: Credit to Mike for not taking the easy route by putting Corbet’s Couloir at the top spot, and going with the true “holy shit” line at Jackson Hole. You not only need the guts to ski down a rock wall, but also have the ability to make decisive turns in a very short timeframe. If you ski this one without doing your best Wile E. Coyote impression, you’re truly a legendary skier.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I give this ranking a 6.5/10. There are some picks that are debatable, but I think the top two are very strong choices.
Image/Video Credits: @mike.theskiguy, Owen Leeper
