The scariest ski resort runs you can ride off a chairlift
Canada is loaded with insane ski terrain, and ski resorts are just the tip of the iceberg. The second you step into the backcountry, things get even wilder. However, this is not a backcountry guide. Today I am listing the steepest, scariest, and most dangerous resort runs in Canada that you can access easily, literally by riding a chairlift.
Table of Contents
Safety Disclaimer
I am not recommending you ski any of these runs or lines. You can die. If you decide to attempt any of the marked or unmarked descents mentioned here, you must be an extremely experienced and competent skier, because you can die. Canada is the wild west of skiing, and just because terrain is avalanche controlled or “resort sanctioned” does not mean you cannot easily kill yourself on it. You can die. Serious injuries are common when you venture into terrain you are not prepared to ski. There is a difference between challenging yourself at your current skill level and stupidity. Stupidity equals you will die.
Remember, difficulty largely depends on conditions and how a skier chooses to ski a line. Any run can become dangerous when skied aggressively or “creatively.” Candide could make a bunny hill look like a Freeride World Tour venue.
Every resort below has gnarly options everywhere. I am mentioning some marked and inbounds unmarked lines at each, but there is always more.
Most lists would start at number 10 and hold you hostage. I do not care. Here is the danger right off the top.
1) Kicking Horse, BC
Summary: The most unhinged resort in North America. Everything is dangerous.
If you have stepped off that gondola, you already know. Kicking Horse has some of the most aggressive marked runs anywhere.
Marked Zones to Know
- Redemption Ridge (north facing): Wacky and highly consequential. There are minimal ropes, major exposure, and plenty of places where a fall means no second chances. As a newcomer, I was sweating in the chutes, fully aware that catching an edge near the cliffs would be very bad.
- Terminator 1 (T1): The hike alone will make anyone with a fear of heights queasy. The north side has super aggressive chutes like Truth, Dare, and Consequence. The south ridge funnels through trees and surprise cliff bands. This zone hosted the Freeride World Tour in 2024. Ask Stan Rey how serious it gets.
- Ozone: Calling it a “run” is funny, but it skis. There are safer options than Redemption and T1, but if you decide to launch The Pyramid, it could take the crown for most dangerous.
Unmarked
- The Dutch Wallet: Unfortunately, it exists. Access requires a sketchy downclimb on an old rope tied to an even older tree. If the rope snaps, you slip, or the tree gives, you are done. Once you are in, the chute itself is beautiful and cuts across a cliff band. Just do not fall off the exposure.
2) Whistler Blackcomb, BC
A close second to Kicking Horse, with endless dangerous terrain. Do not let the green circles fool you. The truly extreme lines often do not appear on resort maps. Without a local, finding legendary descents is hard.
Whistler Mountain
Marked
- The Couloir (Peak Chair): Rarely opens with shrinking snowpacks. A massive cornice guards the top, dropping into a narrow, rock filled choke that opens lower down. It is committing, steep, and surprising that it still appears on the map.
- West Cirque (Peak Chair): Entrance ranges from ridiculous to impossible depending on cornice size. It is one of the steepest, most sustained pitches on Whistler. If you fall, you are going for a ride. Often chalky, often bombed free of pow, and always serious.
Unmarked
- The Coffin: Under the Peak Chair, out of sight until you are on it. A terrifying straight line that can include multiple airs depending on the season. It shoots you out like a cannon. Spooky to approach, spookier to ski.
- Air Jordan: One of North America’s most iconic two step cliffs in full view of the chair line. The lower drop is huge. If you get hung up on the middle platform, the crowd will let you know.
- Exhilaration: A razor line above exposure. The bravest will straight line it top to bottom, gap the traverses, and only stop when their nerve finally does.
Blackcomb Mountain
Marked
- Spanky’s Ladder (Glacier Chair): Really a zone, not a single run. No specific marked lines inside. Mandatory airs and impassable cliffs hide everywhere. Amazing for big mountain progression if you spot your lines from below and go with someone who knows it.
- Saudan Couloir, also called Couloir Extreme: Named for Sylvain Saudan. Start at the ropes on False Face for the full experience. It is exposed, often icy at the top, and a fall to the left can send you over a 100 foot cliff band. It is one of the great steep resort descents in North America. You can work into it lower down if you are building confidence. Progression matters.
Unmarked
- Hawaii 5-0: Generally considered the steepest line at Whistler Blackcomb. Hidden by a massive cornice on Chainsaw Ridge. Entry can be impossible. Needs the perfect combo of visibility, cornice shape, and snowpack to ski. In big winters you can link turns through the chute. Lately it has been a few turns up top and a straight line out.
- Lone Pine: Not super steep, but the cliff exposure is real. Sluff can pull you, and catching an edge on firm days is a bad plan.
- Teetering: Named after the cartoon rock. Usually is not skiable until late-season. Mandatory air in, with Wiley rocks and cliffs to thread together.
- Krakatoa and Ladies First (above the glacier): I have skied Ladies First many times. Krakatoa rarely fills enough to be sane. The airs are massive. Was it deeper back in the day or were people just more unhinged?
3) Sunshine Village, AB
Marked
- Delirium Dive: One of Canada’s most notorious resort runs. Requires avy gear, a partner, and training. A gate only opens when it detects your beacon. The top is steep and consequential. It is choose your own adventure after the entrance, with a stairwell option for those who want less spice. Things mellow a bit below, with cliffs and features everywhere. If you know where to look, there are pillow lines on the ski out.
- The Wild West: Marked, rarely open, and genuinely wild. Peyto’s is an incredible inbounds couloir. Luxton’s is the most dangerous of the bunch, a tight straight line with a required drop at the bottom. Sunshine’s Rockies snowpack can be rocky, which adds to the pucker factor.
Permanently Closed Legend
- Rocket Pocket: Mapped by Dive legend Mikey Hall. It is permanently closed now, but the old footage is jaw dropping. Hard to believe it was ever part of resort skiing.
4) Lake Louise, AB
A legendary big mountain resort with an entire backside of steep skiing. The ER chutes (especially ER 5 when it opens), Ptarmigan chutes, and the Alphabet Gullies are standouts. I have lapped the A Gullies in complete whiteout, which doubled the fear factor. What makes Louise special is the volume of steep options. You could ski a different clencher each lap all day.
5) Revelstoke, BC
Revy has the biggest vertical drop in North America at 1,713 meters. The resort itself can be overhyped, but the natural terrain is no joke.
Marked
- Sub Peak: Hike from the Stoke Chair up to the ridge below Mt. Mackenzie. Discipline has the most exposure. Powder Assault often holds better snow. All lines are steep with cliffs to manage.
Unmarked Feel
- Hot Dog Hallways into North Bowl: Tight straight lines and cliff drops off Vertigo Ridge. Spot from below and be careful. It is easy to get cliffed out near a very large drop.
- Gracias Ridge Pillows: If you hunt, you will find enormous pillow stacks and tree lines worthy of puckering up.
6) Panorama, BC
An undercover heavy hitter.
- Extreme Dream Zone: Steep fall line trees with big cliff drops and pillow stacks at the bottom when conditions are right.
- Taynton Bowl: Accessed by cat or a boot pack on the ridge. The Monster down the middle is steep and sustained, with features everywhere. The whole bowl is loaded with pillow faces, rock exposure, and cliffs. It does not matter which line you choose. You will find something that scares you.
7) Fernie, BC
A welcoming mountain with pockets of real pucker. The Polar Peak zone delivers the goods. Lines are not the longest, but they are committing and perfect for hot laps on a spring day. There is also gated terrain on the Currie Headwall that looks medieval. If you have skied it, drop your beta in the comments.
8) Red Mountain, BC
Red is one of Canada’s most creative mountains. The lifts are not the fastest, but the terrain is outrageously fun. Straight lines, chutes, pillows, cliffs, split rocks, you name it.
- Microwave Zone: Looks heinous and rarely gets skied. Check with patrol about closures. There is not much footage out there for a reason. Ask a Rossland local like Jeff Ashton where he found the mind bending lines. Red has the gnar.
9) The Chutes at Castle Mountain, AB
Steep, continuous, wind buffed, and mind blowing on a storm day. The danger is their continuity. On firm days, a ragdoll will not stop until the apron. Patrol fences some cliff areas to help, but the rule here is simple. Do not fall. These are also some of the largest inbounds avalanche paths anywhere. Patrol works nonstop. In the early 80s a control slide reportedly left a debris pile that took three years to melt out in the valley.
10) Big White, BC, Cliff Chair
I have never seen Big White in good visibility, but the trees are excellent. The Cliff Chair has steep sections, mini chutes, rocks, and drops to play with. I need a bluebird day here to give it the full respect it deserves.
Honourable Mention: Apex, BC
A small but steep resort. Think mini Revy with less snow and more ice. The Wildside off the ridge has wild lines. Marked runs like Sweet Sue and Tooth and Tusk hide gnarly cliffs and chute features.
Final Word
These are resort accessed runs, but they demand backcountry level respect. Conditions change fast. Visibility, cornice size, wind effect, and coverage can turn a spicy line into a full no go. Scope your entrances, spot your exits, manage sluff, bring the right gear, and ski well within your limits.
If you have a favorite Canadian resort line that made you question your life choices, share it in the comments. And if you still feel confused about what is “most dangerous,” you are not alone. The best plan is to keep improving so you can ski every type of run on every mountain. Problem solved.
