Jackson Hole Mountain Resort staff recently installed a live webcam at the top of one of North America’s most famous—and terrifying—ski runs, and the Internet is loving it. The camera sits above Jackson Hole’s Corbet’s Couloir, a heinously steep line that ski enthusiasts widely consider one of the most difficult resort runs in the U.S.
The Jackson Hole News and Guide reported that the resort installed the camera above the couloir on January 7, after repeated requests from resort guests.
Corbet’s starts with a near-vertical free-fall for 10 to 20 feet, depending on the snowpack, before the run opens to a narrow, rocky chute. It’s typically a line that only expert skiers and snowboarders are gutsy enough to attempt. Thanks to the new live webcam, which Outside readers can check out here, armchair enthusiasts can watch the action from the comfort of their own homes.
Predictably, the footage ranges from epic sends to hilarious wipeouts, and the camera has gone viral. Videos of skiers dropping into Corbet’s, captured on the webcam, have racked up millions of views on social media.
David Jarratt is a UK-based tourism expert who studied virtual travel via webcams during the coronavirus pandemic. He told the Jackson Hole News and Guide that he’d never experienced a ski webcam quite like this.
“I definitely don’t remember seeing one with such an extreme jump at the start,” said Jarratt. “It’s almost like cliff diving, isn’t it?”
The webcam only livestreams when the run is open, which depends on conditions. Even with a limited timeframe, Jarratt says the camera is popular for its raw, unedited nature and the risk it entails. It’s a lot like the appeal of Alex Honnold’s recent livestreamed free solo of Taipei 101.
“It’s that moment of truth,” he said. “You’ve got one person at a time, and they either make it or they don’t. There’s a kind of extra level of jeopardy there.”
If you want to follow along with the brave (or foolish) skiers and snowboarders trying their luck on the drop-in, do it now. The resort is turning off the camera by February 7, when it hosts its annual professional ski and snowboarding competition at the couloir, Kings and Queens.
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