Corbet's Couloir...Jackson Hole

So, my ex was on TV, she was the weather girl for a Denver TV station, formerly of Good Morning Alaska. He brother managed Aleyeska ski resort outside Anchorage. So the girl could ski...or so I thought.

These guys (at the TV station) would get these sweet deals where they'd agree to film the resort for the backdrop of the local weather reports on TV. It was cool because they'd put us up in the best hotels and give us all this free stuff. The ex was a real looker too, I'll give her that...she looked like a million bucks on camera (and in person...but I digress). All we had to do was get some great video footage from the resort. Only problem was, most of this gear was really heavy back then...(camera weighed about 20lbs, and was connected to a tape deck which weighed about 35 lbs)...and EXPENSIVE!! The camera and tape deck cost about $55,000 back then!

So it turns out these guys can't ski...hardly at all. I'd been a Ski Instructor and Ski Patrol (EMT) at Snow Bird and Alta in Utah for about 3 years and had grown up skiing. (it's how I met the ex). So anyway, they needed someone to handle the camera and gear. It was a big load, and with the camera you couldn't use poles, so it was pretty hard actually.

Anyway, these guys get the idea they want to ski "Corbet's Couloir" which is this double black (now double yellow) run down through this chute through the rocks. I'd skied it before and crashed twice, it's not easy. So, I tell them .... "let's ski some easier runs and I think we can get some great footage on those" BUT, these guys are bent on going down "Corbet's" ***shaking head***

So we ride the tram up to the top, and hike over to Corbet's. There wasn't a lot of snow that year, and the rocks were everywhere. We're up on top and I'm trying to talk them out of this...just not skilled enough skiers for this (I mean there's like a 20' jump right at the start, and a landing on about a 75 degree downhill of pure ice). So finally they agree...WHEW!! So we traverse across the top over to a medium difficulty run.....(I don't know, it was pretty steep, but relatively easy).

Within about two minutes my ex goes down on her butt and crosses her left ski under her right one. I heard her knee snap from 20 feet away, ...totaly blew out her ACL. I pull her skiis off and stake my skis up in an "X" uphill of her, get her leg straightened out and make sure she's okay. Suddenly she's cold and thirsty...she's going into shock. She's hurt, she's scared and confused. I get her head elevated, get some jackets on her and we wait.

I went into complete Ski Patrol mode,....and I forgot about all the expensive camera gear I just threw off into the snow.

Jackson Hole showed up, and got her down the mountain. This other guy starts freaking out about the camera..."WHERE IS IT????"

I said up on the mountain, and it was getting dark. We went back up that mountain on the tram that night to go get the camera gear!!

And to think we were going to ski "Corbet's"!! OMG...we'd have needed a helo to get out of that place!!

There's this old saying..."I've been to the edge, and there stood and looked down..." (Van Halen)

And when you stand atop Corbet's...you will understand. And, until you do, you never will.

That is all.

Here's a glance at Corbet's...



ETA...as far as I can see...all these guys crashed. The right turn is a bitch, and it's so steep you don't dare make the left. I've made three turns down it, but I had the brakes on all the way. And there's no pole plant on the turn, it's way too steep! It's like skiing down the side of a cliff!!

I thought the video was great because most of the time you can't see below. It's like you drop off into a free fall with no visibility. You hope your skis are oriented correctly and then you slam into the snow...completely blind. You know you need to turn left, and fast, but you can't see anything. Else you hit the rocks.

Most people who do Corbets just jump off and make the right turn and fall down so they can say they did it. You can stand up and side slip about 200' feet down and you're out of the Coulior, but that's cheating really, in my opinion!

this guy didn't seem to have a problem with it...

www.tetongravity.com...

Corbett's is awesome. I rode it once on a decent day a couple years ago. Definitely a big boy run.

King of Corbett's run from the other day here.

a reply to: booyakasha

Did you make it all the way down without sitting down?

Every time I was up there the visibility was always really bad, either clouds or really flat light where you couldn't see anything. There's some big boulders in that couloir which, when covered with snow, make for some pretty uneven terrain...especially when you can't see!

I'm trying to think now; I don't know if I ever made it down Corbet's without sliding down at least once. I never wrecked hard in it, but I don't think I ever made it down without my hip / butt touching the ground first. Probably just chickened out to slow down more than anything else.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Yeah i made it all the way down without falling. haha. My life is snowboarding though. I literally ride every day. Not to brag or anything but I was sponsored from ages 16 to 30. I've ridden for Ride snowboards, Rome snowboards, and Val Surf.

Still though. Standing up on Corbetts is so crazy. It's the only mountain I've ever been to where you are looking straight down from the top of the mountain to the base. It's probably the longest run i've ever done from top to bottom. Real leg burner thats for sure.