How do I Ski on Corbet's Couloir in Jackson Hole?
- 1). Take the tram to the top of Rendezvous Mountain. When you exit the tram at the lodge, there will be signs directing you to Corbet's. Follow the ridge under the tram-line. The entrance to Corbet's is a few hundred feet below the lodge. It is roped off and warning signs are posted.
If you are there on a powder day, people are likely to be gathered around the top of the couloir. Since the snow in Corbet's gets tracked up and hard-packed quickly, it is in your interest to hit it earlier rather than later. - 2). Decide which side of Corbet's you want to enter. The skier's right possesses a vertical drop of roughly 30 feet, but it has a clearer landing, and, if you stick the landing, you are basically over the hard part. The skier's left, the route most people take, has a drop that varies between 8 and 14 feet, depending on conditions. The couloir doglegs here so that you will have rock walls directly below you. To avoid them, you must make a hard turn to the right immediately on landing. Some people recommend you start this turn while still in the air.
- 3). Point the tips of your skis over the couloir's edge and jump. It has been said that Corbet's bark is louder than its bite and that making the initial leap into free-fall is the most difficult part. Staying relaxed in the air is the key to a successful landing. If you crash--and many, if not most, people do--staying relaxed reduces the chance of injury.
- 4). Link turns as soon as possible after emerging from the couloir into the top of Tensleep Bowl. The couloir itself is only a few hundred vertical feet in length. Skiers who don't crash are through the hard part in less than 10 seconds. However, skiers emerge from the couloir traveling very fast; the sooner you can control your speed by linking turns, the better your chances of not wrecking.
