21 February 2022
They are steep, long, and call for a cool head, a spirit of adventure, and a lot of experience and technique to run them. These are the riskiest, most difficult ski slopes in the world. We'll tell you where they're located.
Impressive landscapes, rough patches, steep precipices, and slopes of up to 80% - very long, terrifying, and spectacular. They're filled with obstacles for the few expert skiers who decide to run them, armed with courage, experience, and a hearty spirit of adventure. These are the ten most dangerous ski slopes in the world, awaiting the most intrepid athletes in Austria, France, Canada, and the United States. This is a thrill that only the most experienced professionals can face. With all due respect to beginners, they will have to make do with this short guide until the time is right for them.
Arguably America's scariest slope, located in Wyoming's Jackson Hole ski resort in the Rocky Mountains and named after Barry Corbet, the instructor and climber who discovered it in 1960.
"Sooner or later, someone will come down it," he prophesied: seven years later, Lonnie Ball took the plunge.
The narrow passage between the rocky walls starts out at only 3 metres wide until it grows to 6 metres as you descend. The slope is such that, before reaching the narrow tunnel, a skier has no choice but to jump five or six metres into thin air.
On the border with France, between the stations of Champery and Avoriaz, is the so-called "Swiss wall," the slope with the fastest descent in the world. At the top, a sign warns the most intrepid of this danger; falling here could be fatal. The weather conditions are usually terrible, not to mention the rough patches in the snow scattered everywhere along the first thousand metres. Skiers only have two options: go over them and risk gaining too much speed, or go around them, an arduous and demanding undertaking given the energy and time required to do so.
There are no snowmobiles here, just a handful of skiers determined to brave the mountain. The Grand Couloir slope in France can be accessed by a cable car ride and a two-hundred-metre walk. The entrance is only a few metres wide, and the weather conditions can turn on a dime. It is the steepest track in Europe.
Steep, rocky and narrow: these three words are enough to make us understand that this is one of the most dangerous ski slopes in the world. It's not only advisable but mandatory not to come alone and to be well-equipped - not only with supplies for avalanches, which are common, but also with devices that can help rescuers locate you.
A few hours' drive from Vancouver, you'll get up the slope via cable car and then go straight back down. This is a waterfall of snow with slopes here and there, offering the most reckless the opportunity to make spectacular jumps.
Every year in mid-January, the best skiers gather here for the World Cup. This is the most feared, admired, and spectacular downhill track in the world, with curves, rough patches, and sudden changes in slope that are ideal for jumps. The most dangerous points are:
This is the longest black run in the world, with its 18 km descent starting from the glacier of the same name, which can be reached via the Pic Blanc cable car (2700/3330 m). The track starts at 3330 metres and meets the tunnel that goes down to l'Alpe d'Huez and back to the cable car exit. From the top, you can take in stunning views of the massive Mont Blanc, as well as Écrins National Park, Monte Rosa, and the Matterhorn.
With nothingness at your feet and all around you, pine and fir trees running parallel to the mountain, this is the most dangerous track in Colorado. It has impressive steep descents capable of putting even the most expert skiers to the test. The lack of maintenance turns the track into an obstacle course full of sharp rocks hidden by snow and trees.
We're in Austrian territory close to the Italian border, on the steepest track in Austria: in some sections, the slope reaches 78%. Venturing between its almost vertical and often icy walls can be suicidal, as its particularly evocative name recalls: harakiri is, in fact, the ancient Japanese ritual of suicide practised to atone for a sin or to escape a dishonourable death.
Also occupying a special place in the top 10 of the most dangerous ski slopes in the world is an Italian slope, the Saslong, in the heart of Val Gardena. Built in 1970, it has a series of rough patches called the "camel humps." Going over them allows for very long jumps. The World Cup in free descent is held here in December.
