The Great Dilemma: Corbet's Couloir

In less than 2 weeks I take of for a much needed Spring Break Skication extravaganza. We're hitting up Targhee Resort in Wyoming and then Big Sky Resort and Moonlight Basin in Montana, but first stop of this trip is Jackson Hole. With the most expensive lift ticket on the docket, and since it's home to Teton Gravity Research and a slew of awesome professional athletes, I'm definitely expecting a lot. Assuming the snow conditions are right, this should be a great way to kick the trip off.


Jackson Hole is home to the steepest, gnarliest in-bounds Couloir in America: Corbet's. It was featured in a truly awesome session in this season's TGR film "The Dream Factory" (super sick, you should definitely watch it, if only for the soundtrack). I honestly hadn't heard of it before this; my knowledge of ski areas is severely lacking (but I'm trying to fix that by skiing as much as humanly possible for the rest of my life). It is infamous for being technical and challenging, especially the drop in.

My dilemma is this: I seriously want to ski it, but am not entirely certain if I can. I believe myself to be technically proficient, though I know it might not be terribly graceful an it definitely wouldn't be fast. The fear factor of entering Corbet's is what makes me hesitate. Obviously I wouldn't even consider skiing it if the conditions weren't right (snow, visibility, how the entry looks), but if everything aligns, can I do it?

I keep going back and forth and guess I won't know for certain until I'm standing at the top. This is the debate I'm living with until that moment. I have a feeling I'll chicken out, saving it for another trip to Jackson, but maybe the stars will align and I'll take that plunge. It's the burden to bear for every die hard skier out there I guess, the desire to do everything (especially the technically challenging and fear-inducing) while dealing with mental and/or physical and/or environmental limitations. I guess we just have to make sure we make the decision that lets us make one another day as well.