A couloir (French: “passage” or “corridor”) is a narrow gully with a steep gradient in a mountainous terrain. Though often hemmed in by sheer cliff walls, couloirs may also be less well-defined, and often simply a line of broken talus or scree ascending the mountainside and bordered by trees or other natural features.
![mount whitney mountaineers route](https://backcountrysights.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/couloir-descent_pc-josh-1240x930.jpg)
2 June 2024