7,808 ft

Snow King is one of the USA’s premier community ski hills, but just as Jackson is no ordinary community of skiers Snow King is no ordinary locals’ hill. With 1500 feet vertical drop, steep terrain and night skiing Snow King is worth a visit by Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and Grand Targhee skiers.

Fifteen expert trails coupled with advanced and expert tree skiing make Snow King an excellent place to be on powder days in Jackson Hole.

Snow King is quite a steep mountain and offers very demanding terrain. Runs off the Summit Double are precipitously pitched and ungroomed.

Snow King boasts a location unlike any other Jackson Hole resort. Conveniently located blocks from the town of Jackson’s famous antler arches, just a few minutes from Jackson Hole airport & Grand Teton National Park and just steps away from Snow King Mountain.

Snow King , also known as the “Town Hill” to locals, is known to have the steepest overall slope of any ski hill in North America.

The 10 Scariest Ski Slopes in the World

• Jackson Hole, Wyoming: Corbet’s Couloir.
• Squaw Valley, California: The Fingers.
• La Grave, France.
• Portillo, Chile: Super C.
• Banff, Canada: Delirium Dive.
• Mount Yotei, Japan.
• Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia.
• Selkirk and Monashee Mountains, Canada.

Rambo – Crested Butte Mountain Resort

No ski resort in North America has a chute as legendary as Corbet’s Couloir in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Located within Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, this double black diamond run is surrounded by steep rock walls and has a terrifying 45 degree pitch.

Truth to tell, no-one has ever died in Corbet’s (or so the resort will tell you, and there is no reason to doubt it), although there has been a litany of blown-out knees, spiral fractures, and broken bones.

The 10 Most Challenging Ski Resorts in The United States.

• Jackson Hole, WY. Known for one of the hardest inbounds run in the country (Corbets Couloir), JHMR serves up the rowdiest skiing in the lower 48.
• Squaw Valley, CA.
• Alyeska, AK.
• Bridger Bowl, MT.
• Snowbird, UT.
• Kirkwood, CA.
• Taos, NM.
• Telluride, CO.

10 to 20 feet

Burrows, who was in a coma since the Feb. 17 accident, died from skull fractures and a deterioration of the brain due to lack of oxygen, according to his death certificate. Burrows’ death is the second fatality on Lone Peak since the tram to the top of the 11,166 foot mountain opened in 1995.

“Corbet’s Couloir” in Jackson Hole, Wyoming It’s considered a double-black-diamond slope, but is relatively short, at a length of just over 490 feet.

North America, Australia and New Zealand

A 45-degree pitch is equivalent to a 100-percent grade, and both mean that a run descends one vertical foot for each horizontal foot. “In perspective, a very steep highway-pass road is approximately 7 percent or about 4 degrees,” according to the Highlands Extreme Guide trail map.

These are the most challenging – and dangerous – runs on the mountain. Often found near the top of the ski area, double black diamond runs are steep. They can also be narrow, have trees, have cliffs, or cornices to drop into the run. Only expert skiers should tackle these trails.

Many of these trails get groomed on a weekly basis, such as Riva Ridge, while others like Roger’s Run, are groomed only a few times each season. These are some of the black-diamond runs that get groomed on a fixed schedule through out the season, unless snow conditions dictate otherwise.

You are ready for expert black diamond terrain when you can ski using parallel turns on intermediate blue terrain and stay in control at higher speeds. At this level, you should also be able to make tight turns around bumps and other obstacles.

Black Hole – Smuggler’s Notch, Vt. Touted as the only triple black diamond run in the Eastern United States, the Black Hole is steep — a 53-degree pitch — and offers glade skiing at its most intense. Not only do you have to keep from falling, you have to keep from slamming into a pine tree.

Harakiri, Austria The average incline is 78 percent, making this slope the steepest in all of Austria– which is already famous for its challenging ski runs and the world’s steepest groomed slope.

Chamonix

Skiing is generally easy to learn initially but is harder to master. Snowboarding is harder to learn but reaching an advanced level is easier. Although there are exceptions to this rule, it generally holds true and you can use it to inform your snow sports choice.

The prices for a day or season pass are equal for each sport, but the basic skiing equipment is more expensive because you have to buy or rent skis, bindings, boots and poles while snowboarders only have to buy/rent the board, bindings and boots. The difference in the cost of buying equipment can be around $500.

You can never be too “over the hill.” It’s unanimous. Just as health experts have been saying for years about exercise and fitness programs, ski industry experts say it’s never too late to start, whether it’s downhill skiing, snowboarding, cross-country schussing, or snowshoeing. And never too old to stick with it.

Every skier has to start somewhere. But exactly how many ski lessons does a beginner need? Generally speaking, it takes 3 to 5 lessons before a beginner skier will feel safe and confident skiing on their own.