There are a lot of very difficult ski runs around the world, whether they’re full of moguls, horrifically steep, or just flat out lack snow coverage. Determining the hardest ski runs is always going to be a personal decision, with some people favoring specific qualities in a run over others, but European ski instructor Marius Quast did his best to rank the 7 hardest runs in the world, basing the list on his own experience.
7 Hardest Ski Runs In The World
7: Rambo – Crested Butte, Colorado, USA
- Why it’s tough: Rambo is North America’s steepest tree-cut run. It features young trees, stumps, rocks, tight turns, and extreme pitch throughout, often with very little snow coverage. Falls hurt and are hard to recover from.
6: Harakiri – Mayrhofen, Zillertal Valley, Austria
- Why it’s tough: The run features the steepest groomed piste in the Zillertal with a 78% gradient. It’s short but merciless, with falls sending you sliding 200 meters uncontrollably to the valley floor.
5: L’Étiennelle – Les Menuires / Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, France
- Why it’s tough: A 200 meter tunnel starts this run, then a steep, ultra-narrow choke point where ski patrol is called near daily. Afterwards, skiers and snowboarders must make their way down a long, narrow mogul run.
4: Black Ebex – Kaunertal Glacier, Austria
- Why it’s tough: Black Ebex is Austria’s steepest groomed piste, featuring a gradient greater than 80%. It’s short, but it’s nearly vertical and looks like a narrow line plunging from the gondola.
3: Schweizer Wand (Swiss Wall) – Portes du Soleil (Avoriaz/Champéry), Switzerland/France
- Why it’s tough: One of Europe’s steepest ungroomed mogul runs with person-high bumps. There’s no grooming, just a massive, intimidating wall clearly visible from the chairlift.
2: Grand Couloir – Courchevel (part of the 3 Vallées, world’s largest ski area), France
- Why it’s tough: The Grand Couloir starts with a narrow, exposed ridge, featuring steep drop-offs on both sides that frequently require rescue, followed by a steep mogul field between rocks. It comes to an end in a wide, thigh-burning mogul basin.
1: Corbets Couloir – Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA
Why it’s tough: The entry to Corbet’s requires a 10-20 foot (3–6 meter) mandatory air off a rock face into a narrow, steep couloir. A true test of courage and commitment.
