couloir

noun

cou·loir kül-ˈwär

: a steep mountainside gorge

Did you know?

Couloir entered English in the 19th century from French, where it literally meant "passage." The term was originally applied specifically to steep gorges in the Alps and later to similar gorges elsewhere, especially ones used by skiers as passages down mountains. Because of their narrowness and steepness, couloirs can provide even expert skiers with some of the most challenging terrain they are likely to encounter-and they can be dangerous. In fact, journalist Jim Kochevar, writing of his experiences at the Telluride ski area for the Chicago Tribune in October 1997, declared (tongue in cheek) that "Couloir is French for 'cold, narrow place to die.'"

Examples of couloir in a Sentence

at one point the steep, ice-encrusted walls of the couloir are no more than 50 feet apart

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

For more than eight hours, rescuers worked to reach the hikers and lower them from the couloir. —Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 27 May 2024 While the walls of the steep, narrowing gully quickly rise to more than 100 feet on either side and the couloir is large enough to be rippled with a few ski lines, a snowball tossed from the top can nearly reach the bottom of the gully and the creek that drains it in winter. —Christopher Solomon, Outside Online, 22 Mar. 2018