The Steepest Marked Runs in Canada
There’s no feeling quite like it. You’re standing atop a top a pitch, look down, and feel like your stomach is hurdling down the fall line. You drop in, take your first turn and feel your edges just barely holding on to the snow as your transition into your next turn. You increase your speed to try and get ahead of all the sluff chasing behind you. Finally the slope mellows out and you look back at the line you just crushed and feel a strong feeling of “yeeeeeehaw”.
I’ve created a list of some seriously steep n’ deep Canadian runs that are sure to induce the “Yeehaw”.
Please Note: This list is fairly outdated and since writing it, I’ve become a much more experienced steep skier! If you want steep and gnarly terrain skiing in British Columbia, Whistler Blackcomb and Kicking Horse are two mountains that need to be on your hit list.
I’ve created detailed guides for all of the Steepest Runs on Whistler Mountain, The Steepest Runs on Blackcomb Mountain and a complete guide to skiing Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. These two mountains hold some of the gnarliest unmarked inbounds terrain in Canada.
However, this list is still worth a read to get familiar with some of the better known, marked resort steeps! Enjoy :).
Table of Contents
1. Saudan Couloir (Couloir Extreme), Blackcomb Mountain, BC
Dubbed the “2500 vertical feet of thigh burning hell” the Saudan Couloir other known as Couloir Extreme on Blackcomb mountain has been an iconic steep skiing run since racers first barreled down it in the 80’s. We now have the assistance of shaped skis and powder paddles for those deeper days, but it does not make the challenge any less real. There are several entrance points, some steeper and more technical than others. These can be accessed from the top of the 7th heaven chair just past the Horstman’s hut. The average slope angle is 42° from top to bottom but if you opt to enter from the roped entrance at the top your first turns will be on 49°. Whichever way you device to tackle this run is fantastic, the views are amazing and on most days you can find some decent snow by traversing to one side or the other in the outrun that is the Jersey Cream Bowl.
2. West Cirque, Whistler Mountain, BC
The West Cirque is located on the Whistler side of the resort on the Peak chair. Get off the peak chair and head right on the peak to creek trail. Keep your eyes peeled to the right for the quick hike marking the beginning of the run. The cirque is around 44° slope at it’s steeper points but the drop in at the top can almost feel vertical on days with less snow and involving the dodging of many rocks. The top part is the steepest and once you finish this section you have the option to head to the West bowl, Whistler bowl or blaze your own trail.
3. Motherlode Chair, Red Mountain Resort, Rossland, BC
Red mountain is a must visit destination for all steep skiing addicts. Just about anything goes there and the tree skiing is phenomenal. If you take a ride up the motherlode chair just about every run down boasts a sustained slope angle near or greater than 40°. Needles is a super steep unmarked run in the trees that can be accessed to the left of roots and Capt’ Jacks Trees. If steep tree skiing isn’t your cup of tea, don’t fret, it will be at Red Mountain. don’t fret, because it will be at Red Mountain. With 7.6m of annual snowfall every year, there will be more than enough soft stuff to slow you down.
4. Double Dutch, Terminator Peak (T1), Kicking Horse, BC
Head up to T1 which is the closest of all of Kicking Horse’s hike into terrain. It’s about a 15-20 minute boot pack to the top. Once you arrive get ready to sweat again because every run down is steep with three e’s. You’ve got tons of options, but if you’re looking for steeps go for Double Dutch. It’s a killer quad crunching line that has some steeper sections around 46°.
5. Delirium Dive, Sunshine Village, Banff, AB
Known by the locals as “Doing the Dive”, Delirium Dive is the proving ground for steep junkies in Banff with a slope angle above 42°. You are going to need an avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel if you want to hit this zone. The entrance is located up the Great Divide express lift at a gate which can only be opened with a working transceiver. Patrollers do avalanche control to mitigate massive slides but it can still be prone to smaller ones depending on conditions. Grab your gear, grab a partner and Dosey Doe down Delirium Dive.
6. The Monster, Panorama Mountain Resort, Panorama BC
The Monster is an Apt name for this relatively new addition in the Tayton bowl at Panorma mountain resort. It’s a 40 minute bootpack from the lift that adds about 75 additional meters of elevation to the resort. If you’re not keen an bootpacking you can shell out 25 bucks to ride a snow cat to the top. All the lines down are steep, once you commit it’s a long, steep, and knee knocking good time all the way to the bottom.
7. Discipline, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, Revelstoke BC
If you like steep technical skiing, look no further than Discipline. It’s got it’s name for a reason as you’ll have to have some serious discipline navigating the cliff band in the middle while taking turns on a 42° slope. Locate this run by bootpacking up to the subpeak where the entrance is marked with a rope fence. If it’s your first time, make sure you got some decent visibility because technical skiing is a no go in the fog.
8. Dynamite, Mount Temblant, QC
We can’t forget our friendly neighbor the ice coast. Dynamite possesses the steepest sustained slope in all of Quebec. It has sustained pitches over 30° with the headwall “waterfall” portion the steepest, especially when the snowpack is bad. What Dynamite lacks in steepness it makes up for in ice and bumps which will make you wish you chose to ride your ice skates instead of skis.
If you visit any of the above resorts, head straight to these runs and have the steepest warm up run of your life.
If I missed one, let me know and leave a comment below!
12 Responses
Alphabet Gully’s at Lake Louise?
I’ve never tried Louise. It’s on my bucket list :). How steep is Alphabet Gulley?
The alphabet gullies are 9 separate runs off the peak. they’re called A gully, B gully, and so on until I gully, the steepest one being I gully which is about 44° at the steepest, but they’re all pretty much around 40°.
The gullies are great. Upper 5 is where it’s at. If your lucky enough to get in. Also wild west at sunshine is pretty sick. Steeep and extremely narrow at points.
Unreal! Both sound like awesome slots. Will have to put those on my hit list when I next make it out to AB!
Upper 5 is great but only open 2-3 times a year typically. As a former ski instructor at Lake Louise, I highly recommend Ridge Run off of Whitehorn 1, it’s not the steepest line, but it goes down the shoulder between the main bowl and A Gully for an incredible run! D and E Gully are also my personally favorite Gullies off of Whitehorn 2, I is the steepest but rarely has quality snow to be the most enjoyable but the terrain is gnarly if you are looking for bragging rights!! Also recommend Magic Forest and Pika Trees for some of the best gladed skiing I have ever had in North America!!
Great intel Matt! Can’t wait to send some of these spots when I finally make it out to Louise.
100% The list is not complete without Lake Louise! The Alphabet Gullies are pretty comparable to Delirium with typically better snow quality thanks to it’s North Exposure so the sun is on it right away to break up that crust! T2 and some other lines at Kicking Horse would also be worthy mentions in my opinion!
Cheers!
Sick!!!! I gotta get out there and try them!
how about hawaii 5-0 whistler
Yup that’s steep. This was one of the first blog posts I ever wrote. Needs some serious updating!
Yes, having skied it, its 50 degrees plus.