The steepest slopes in the Alps are right up the alley of experienced skiers. The ten pistes in this article require the necessary skiing technique, daring and courage. Mistakes are not allowed on these runs; they are punished mercilessly. Awesome slopes, prepared and unprepared, that will be a handful - er, legful - even for the most advanced skiers. If you have completed these runs, you will undoubtedly have a good story to tell in the afternoon during après-ski. Discover the steepest slopes in the Alps. Will you take them on?
The Harakiri is a classic among the dreaded slopes. For novice skiers, the Harakiri equals the Japanese meaning, suicide! The Harakiri in Mayrhofen (piste 34) is one of the steepest pistes you can find. Its extreme gradient, 78%, turns the piste into an ice rink early in the day. It is, therefore, advisable to descend the piste on the far left or right. Five snow cannons and a special piste bully try to get the piste back in optimal condition in the evening. If you glide past it on the Knorren-lift, you can have a peek at how other skiers are doing. It will be your turn next!
The Manfred Pranger piste (1b) should not be excluded from this list. In tiny Steinach am Brenner in the Wipptal valley, they have a piste of the most remarkable calibre. With a gradient of 102%, the Manfred Pranger piste is in a class of its own. The piste can only be groomed by a special piste bully using a winch. Perfectly sharpened skis are essential on this run. After all, you can use that edge grip when you plunge into the dizzying depths!
As soon as you ski into the dark tunnel after the preview from the Pic Blanc (3330 metres), there is no turning back. At the end of the tunnel, your eyes must adjust to the bright sunlight again, but you won't believe what you'll see. Steep, steep and steeper! Le Tunnel in L’Alpe d'Huez is an unprepared slope of the highest level. Even the most experienced skier has to swallow hard here. As you set off, adrenaline flows through your veins. Find the right track between the moguls, and don't think about what could go wrong. You will see that the slope flattens out after 500 metres or so, and your breathing normalises.
Gamsleiten 2 is 'the Wall' of Austria. The sight alone makes you shudder. The slope is so steep that the moguls sometimes take on impressive proportions. In some sections, the gradient is as much as 100% (45°). Fortunately, plenty of other slopes in the Obertauern ski area look much friendlier. In total, you have 100 kilometres of slopes at your disposal.
Le pas de Chavanette, better known as the Wall of Avoriaz and Le Mur Suisse, lives up to its name. In terms of steepness, it seems okay from the chairlift until you reach the top of the descent. The moguls seem man-high, and the gradient makes you hesitate for a moment. The first part of the descent is very mean. Steep and tricky, and on top of that, you have to watch out for bumbling fellow skiers. Halfway down, you look back and see that the most challenging part, the gradient of 76%, is behind you. The second part of the descent is wider and 'easier'.
The Kandahar descent in Garmisch-Partenkirchen is considered one of the most challenging slopes in the World Cup circuit. Even you and I can ski down this slope. At least: the piste has a section as high as 92%! So you do need a bit of technique and guts to complete this piste.
The Langer Zug is a household name in Lech-Zürs and far beyond. Although marked as a ski route, the Langer Zug is groomed. Only with the help of a winch does the piste bully get to the top here. Standing at the top of the descent, you look down into the depths. Within a distance of 852 metres, 373 altitude metres are conquered. So steep it certainly is! The Langer Zug starts with a gradient of 77% before rising to 80%.
There is also the steep Diabolo run on the Golm in the Montafon, a compact ski area with just over 25 km of slopes. The slope is only 312 metres long but has a 70% gradient. This black piste is located right by the Außergolmbahn. If you do not consider yourself capable of getting down here in one piece, you can easily skip the piste.
A dizzying black run starts from Mont Fort, the highest point in Les Quatre Vallées. This slope is only for daredevils with the necessary ski experience. The descent has a gradient of 77%; meanwhile, you must watch out for moguls and icy spots. This descent is known as one of the most difficult in the area. This is illustrated by the fact that you may hear plenty of bragging in the gondola, but once at the top, you will often see people buckle at the knees and give up.
You won't find them much steeper than the Piculin slope at Kronplatz in Italy. With a 72% gradient, cornering here is no mean feat. Kronplatz does not have the stamp of being a challenging ski area, but with Piculin they still have a black slope of note!
The gradient, expressed in percentage, is a measure to represent the rise of a sloping surface. The gradient of a mountain is equal to the difference in elevation divided by the horizontal distance. At a gradient of 10%, the ski slope drops 10 metres for every 100 metres travelled horizontally. A gradient of 100% means an angle of 45 degrees, which makes a gradient of more than 100%, for instance, the Manfred Pranger slope, possible.
I grew up in Slovenia, close to the Julian Alps. Early on, my parents put me on skis and skates, and the winter sports enthusiasm hasn't left me since. I also enjoy cross-country skiing and have been a keen snowboarder for the past 20 years.
