What is the steepest ski run in the US?
Rachel Ellis
Published Jan 19, 2026
Rambo – Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Crested Butte, CO
What's the steepest slope you can ski?
The 78 percent gradient of Harakiri makes it the steepest groomed run in the world. One slip on this icy groomer would most likely send a skier tumbling down the length of the run. Harakiri, the Japanese term for ritual suicide, is a fitting name for the Austrian slope.
What is the most difficult ski run?
The big corridor of Courchevel ( France )
This is the most difficult and steep black run of the 3 valleys ski area.
What is the steepest ski resort?
Even though Mayrhofen, Austria is one of the most popular resorts in Tyrol, there's a place where families and beginners are not welcomed: Harakiri. In fact, Harakiri is the steepest run in the world, with a 78% gradient. Even the name of this slope is enough to make skiers think twice!
What is the highest elevation ski resort?
Chacaltaya Ski Resort stands at an altitude of 5,375m (17634 ft) above sea level. It's the world's highest ski resort, or rather it was… Only memories of the good old days remain at this place.
43 related questions foundWhat is a steep ski run?
A slope between 30° and 40° can be defined as 'steep'. Slopes above 40° are termed 'very steep'. The term 'extreme' is both overused and misused. An 'extreme' slope is best defined as one which is over 40° for a considerable distance and has serious consequences if the skier falls.
How steep is lies at Gore mountain?
It begins with a heart-stopping headwall — 120 feet wide and 350 feet long, too steep for bumps to form, with a sustained pitch of 50 to 55 degrees.
Is there a Triple Black Diamond in skiing?
According to Big Sky Resort Ski Patrol, “the methodology for designating trails as triple black diamond includes: exposure to uncontrollable falls along a steep, continuous pitch, route complexity, and high consequence terrain.”
What is the steepest ski slope on the east coast?
With 2,000 feet of vertical, it's ultra-steep and agonizingly long. The famed White Heat trail at Maine's Sunday River Resort (207-824-3500, ) is dubbed the "longest, steepest, widest, lift-serviced expert trail in the East." Hit the mogul side for a sustained knee-crunching, thigh-burning workout.
How steep is Jackson Hole?
The laid-back 'dirty boots and blue jeans' western vibe of Jackson Hole, Wyo., proves the perfect way to catch your breath after conquering a 35-degree slope. Jackson hole, wyo.
How steep is a green ski slope?
The steepness of ski trails is usually measured by grade (as a percentage) instead of degree angle. In general, beginner slopes (green circle) are between 6% and 25%. Intermediate slopes (blue square) are between 25% and 40%. Difficult slopes (black diamond) are 40% and up.
What is the steepest run at Park City?
5. Champion Run on Bald Eagle at Deer Valley Resort. Moguls are a true test of the expert skier, separating the pros from the amateurs. And the Champion run at Deer Valley Resort is considered the very steepest, longest, and most challenging mogul course on the FIS World Cup circuit.
Is Jay Peak a hard mountain?
The implication is obvious: a Jay Peak skier is tough, as impervious to cold as a Spartan to pain. The mythology goes further—you want your kids to grow up skiing here because afterwards, any other mountain is cake.
What is the steepest run at Big Sky?
And the steepest of the steep at Big Sky is Lone Peak Mountain, which tops out at 11,166 feet and has been served by the Lone Peak Tram since the 1995-1996 ski season. There are plenty of "no-fall" zones on this mountain, so take a look and plan the death-defying trails you want to ski this season.
How steep is a blue ski run?
Blue runs vary by difficulty depending on the resort you're skiing at and the area of the country you're in (steepness can range from 25 to 40 degrees), but for the most part, you're unlikely to find moguls or long pitches of super-steep terrain.
What's a bunny slope?
Definition of bunny slope
: a gentle incline for skiing used especially by novice skiers. — called also bunny hill.
How steep is a 45 degree ski slope?
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.
How steep is a bunny hill?
They generally have a slope gradient between 3 and 15 degrees. They are always groomed. They are usually not that steep. Some skiers call them bunny slopes or nursery slopes.
How steep is superstar at Killington?
Superstar is 4,600 to 4,800 feet long, has a 1,200-foot vertical drop and 30- to 50-degree pitch. It also changes character during its course: cruiser, moguls, then racing. “Everyone loves the diversity,” Hiltz says. “That's what draws people to it.
How steep is Taos?
The mountain stretches from a base of 9,350 feet to a summit elevation of 12,481 feet. Our friends at Zrankings.com list Taos' True Annual Snowfall at 254 inches. 51% of Taos' runs are considered difficult, 25% intermediate, and 24% easy.
How steep is a 60 degree slope?
A parachute and ripcord might come in handy. 60/70 Degrees: Shoulder to shoulder with the slope, you are fighting a free-fall to the bottom.
Is Breckenridge steep?
The trees are sheltered, the crowds tend to stay away, and the pitches are steep.
Is Cannon mountain steep?
It's not just the slew of steep descents — Cannon's 2,300 vertical feet makes it the steepest in the state, while toughening local boy and U.S. Ski Team and Olympic racing superstar, Bode Miller, when he was growing up here — but also the mountain's location at the base of the western flanks of Mount Washington.