couloir
/ˈkuːlwɑː
/noun
A steep, narrow gully on a mountainside.So they turned their attentions to climbing a neighbouring couloir (a gully up the side of a mountain) which they completed in eight hours the following day....
- Shorter skis weigh less, are easier to carry on a pack, and will turn with ease through the tightest trees and narrowest couloirs.
- Unless you plan on climbing steep couloirs at over 40 degrees, or ice climbing, use one of the super-lightweight axes now available.
Origin
Early 19th century: French, 'gully or corridor', from couler 'to flow'.