If you’ve been skiing for a while and have begun to find it a bore – perhaps you’ve moved on to summer mountain holidays such as the Tour Du Mont Blanc – you’re about to have a rethink. The ski slopes recommended in this post will get your mouth dry, belly all knotted up, palms sweaty, knees knocking, adrenaline squirting, and your lips quivering (not from the cold).
“We present to you the slopes with the most inclined pitch, the most vertical drops, all with obstacles to test the best of reflexes. While these runs might be categorised as dangerous, they are also the most exhilarating.” Whitroad Ski Packages (If you don’t feel up to these slopes,don’t worry there are far saner options)
El Colorado, Chile
Found in Chile’s central region, this resort offers 2,971 feet of jaw dropping vertical descent. And if that’s too soft for a hardboiled skier like you, you can partake in the seven-lift journey that’ll transport you to the crest of El Colorado. According to extreme freestyle skier, Dave Valenti, “The gigantic mountains’ dimensions are so ridiculous, they’ll mess with your head.”
Corbet’s Couloir, Wyoming
Here you’ll find a double-diamond, 10,450 feet ski run that has been repeatedly quoted as “America’s scariest ski slope.” Just having to look at it covers you in a shroud of intimidation and sends a frisson tingling up and down your spine. Both spots of entry to the slope will immediately set you on a speedy free-falling course with lots of rocks waiting for you to make a mistake.
The Lauberhorn—Wengen, Switzerland
8,110 feet downhill drop that’s home to the Lauberhorn race. Skiers can go as fast as 100 mph coming down this slope. Gernot Reinstadler, a pro Austrian racer lost his life in 1991 on this slope when his ski got caught in the protective fencing and yanked his leg out of joint.
Caution is the watchword on this fun slope.
La Grave, France
When it has Grave in the name, you know this slope doesn’t tolerate any messing around or amateurs.
A 10,500 feet mountain that leaves you isolated at its top with no grooming, no ski patrol and no designated ski runs. Responsible for more than a few deaths, this terrain usually requires a harness and rope to escape unfriendly terrain for more skiable ones. Skiing downhill can range from thrilling to downright petrifying.
The Streif—Kitzbühel, Tyrol, Austria
The name might seem unpronounceable but that’s no reason to take this slope any less serious. In 2009, Daniel Albrecht got to experience a coma after suffering massive head trauma for making a tiny mistake on this slope. But on the bright side, this slope is touted as “the world’s most spectacular ski run” at 5,462 feet tall and skiers can attain a topmost speed of 90mph.
Harakiri, Austria
Harakiri, a Japanese term, roughly translates to “suicide”. With an average incline of 78 percent, the steepest in Austria, Suicide seems like a fitting name. If you were to fall while on this slope, you probably wouldn’t stop until you either hit something solid or found the bottom of the slope.
Olympiabakken, Kvitfjell, Norway
A 2 mile long slope that stretches over 2,600 feet with extreme steeps in too many sections. Ignore that Matthias Lanzinger in 2008 got his left leg amputated after a bad fall on this course. Instead, excitedly focus on it being home to the famed Olympic winter run.
Body Bag—Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Colorado
”Grave”, “Harakiri” and now “Body Bag”; it’s like a deliberate effort to lure people to visit these sites of skiing mayhem.
From the top of Body Bag, the slope is invisible. That’s because the slope is a 55 degree, 275 feet vertical drop. If you can overcome the initial fear of that and take the slope, the rollercoaster mercifully ends after only 700 feet of a 45 degree inclined ride.
