Doug Coombs: A skiing legend (7 photos)

Doug Coombs is a name known to anyone who is serious about alpine skiing or snowboarding. In the 1990s, Doug became one of the pioneers of extreme skiing and snowboarding, and he is, without exaggeration, a legend. The whole world knows Doug Coombs as the man who conquered the deadly Corbet's Couloir.





Doug Coombs's incredible descent of Corbet's Couloir in 1989 was a landmark event in alpine skiing. Few believed it was possible, as the slope was so steep and challenging. However, the athlete accomplished the task. The photo of Coombs launching from the top of the dizzying cliff made history.



Doug Coombs was born in 1957 in Bedford, Massachusetts. He was passionate about skiing from childhood. In 1984, Doug moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where he gained access to the best ski slopes in the United States. In 1993, Outside magazine named him the best skier in the world.





Coombs didn't just set records. He also became famous as a mountain guide and promoter of skiing. He founded the heli-skiing station Valdez Heli-Ski Guides in Alaska. There, extreme sports enthusiasts were transported to the mountaintop by helicopter so they could begin their descent down pristine snow slopes.



Thanks to Doug Coombs, Alaska has become a true extreme skiing mecca. Today, the state boasts 15 heli-ski resorts—more than anywhere else in the world. Tourism has become a primary source of income for many communities. Collectively, these resorts generate up to $10 million annually.

Conquering Corbet's Couloir

Corbet's Couloir is located in the Rocky Mountains, in Teton County, Wyoming. Today, it attracts extreme sports enthusiasts from all over the world. Descending the 55-degree slope with a vertical drop of 1,500 meters is easy for most skiers. But the couloir is most famous for its launch. It begins with a sheer, 6-meter-high wall. This makes the descent feel more like a skier falling off a cliff.



This Rocky Mountain couloir was named after renowned guide Barry Corbett, who first discovered it in the 1960s. Initially, it attracted climbers, but thanks to Coombs, it has become a destination for even the most daring extreme skiers.



Today, Corbet's Couloir is a popular freeriding area. Here you can see not only the athletes themselves, but also numerous spectators. For their convenience, the slope is even equipped with a cable car. When Duck Coombs conquered the slope, none of this existed. The area was closed not only to skiers but also to regular tourists. A red sign, visible in the iconic photo, reminds us of this.



This courageous American set numerous records and opened dozens of extreme ski slopes around the world. Doug Coombs died in 2006 in the French Alps, in La Grave. He was trying to help a friend who found himself in a dangerous situation in the Polichinelle Couloir, but both fell 500 meters.