A Line Where Control Is Everything
Etched into the legendary north face of the Grandes Jorasses in the Mont Blanc massif, the Swiss Couloir (“Voie des Suisses”) stands as one of the most serious steep-skiing objectives in the Alps. Beginning high on the face at approximately 3,800 m, the line descends toward the Leschaux Glacier around 2,800–2,900 m, offering nearly 900–1,000 m of extreme, unbroken terrain.
This is not a couloir you stumble upon. You climb to it, absorb its scale, and understand immediately that it requires more than strength or courage, it demands discipline, precision, and absolute focus.
Steepness, Structure and Pure Commitment
The Swiss Couloir is defined by angles few skiers ever touch:
- 50–55° sustained, for the majority of its length
- 65° crux step, depending on annual ice formation
- 70–75° ice bulges in lean or cold years
- Narrow, rock-walled upper corridor, widening only slightly as it drops toward the glacier
This is true no-fall terrain. Edges bite into neve and ice, not powder. Every movement demands intention. The couloir funnels gravity, exposure, and precision into one of the most technical alpine descents ever attempted on skis.
Access: High-Alpine, Technical, and Earned
Reaching the couloir is an alpinist’s approach, not a ski tour.
- Access is typically via the Leschaux Glacier, climbing up the north face.
- Steep ice, mixed steps, and bergschrund crossings are common.
- The entry is usually a climbed line, seldom accessed from above due to the scale and exposure of the north face.
Every meter of approach sharpens the mindset, the Swiss Couloir is part of the Grandes Jorasses, and it carries all the seriousness of the range.
Conditions: The Deciding Factor
If the Big Couloir accepts many skiers, the Swiss Couloir accepts only conditions and only rarely.
- Late winter and early spring can create the firm neve needed to ski the line safely.
- Too warm, and the face becomes alive with rockfall, spindrift, sluff, and unstable snow.
- Too cold, and the line becomes bulletproof ice, demanding front-point precision even on skis.
The window is narrow. Those who drop in have usually waited for days, sometimes weeks, studying weather, freeze–thaw cycles, and snowpack.
Exposure Without Escape
The Swiss Couloir is defined not just by steepness, but by its relentless exposure.
Once you step onto the face, there is only one direction down.
- No ledges
- No safe islands
- No traverse options
- No bailing out
The walls rise high above you, the glacier sinks far below, and every turn carries consequence.
Difficulty
Rating: 10 / 10
A world-class steep descent requiring elite mountaineering skill, impeccable judgment, and complete mastery of steep, exposed snow and ice.
Why This Line Matters
For serious ski mountaineers, the Swiss Couloir is more than an objective — it is a symbol of what steep skiing can be: technical, unforgiving, elegant, and deeply rooted in alpine tradition. It is a place where the mountain strips away anything unnecessary, leaving only the essentials:
slope, ice, gravity, and the clarity of your own focus.