Not all double blacks are created equal. Some are steep but manageable. Others will have you standing at the top questioning every decision you’ve ever made. The five runs below have developed genuine, hard-earned reputations as some of the most frightening terrain on the continent. Some of them are more difficult than the others, some require waivers, they’re all incredibly intimidating.
1. Christmas Chute – Alyeska Resort, Alaska
Alyeska is already in a different category when it comes to resort terrain, and Christmas Chute is the run that proves it. The 1,000-foot double-black diamond chute is framed on both sides by rock walls and holds a sustained pitch of around 45+ degrees, certainly an intense run for any skier or snowboarder.
2. S&S Couloir – Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming
If Corbet’s is the famous one, S&S Couloir is what the locals brag about. Sitting on the same ridge as Corbet’s, S&S was named after patrollers John Simms and Charlie Sands, the first skiers to ride it. The two entrance options are both pretty intense, either launch off a 20-foot chunk of rock or slide down a bare rocky face into the chute.
3. Rambo – Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Colorado
Rambo is widely considered one of the steepest tree cut ski runs in North America, with a sustained pitch of around 55 degrees and enormous moguls packed into a narrow, tree-lined corridor. Unlike the some of the big mountain couloirs on this list, Rambo is a marked trail you can easily point out on the map.
4. Delirium Dive – Sunshine Village, Albert
Delirium Dive at Sunshine Village is one of the very few inbounds ski runs in North America with a mandatory gear requirement. Before the gate will open for you, you must be carrying an avalanche transceiver, shovel, and probe,d and you must have a partner.
5. Big Couloir – Big Sky Resort, Montana
Big Couloir is one of Big Sky’s Triple Black Diamond runs, a rating that only exists at a handful of resorts in the country. Starting at the top of Lone Peak at 11,166 feet, the run drops over 1,400 vertical feet and reaches 50 degrees at its steepest. Before you can even attempt it, you have to check in at the ski patrol outpost at the summit, sign a waiver, show a working avalanche beacon, and get assigned a time slot. Only two skiers are allowed in the couloir every 15 minutes.
