think it was the couloir des cosmiques...nice pics here of it http://www.alpineexposures.com/pages/cosmiques-couloir-photo-trip-report

superb pictures

we made a film training a novice to climb Everest and did a fair bit of the alpine training on and around the Arete des Cosmiques - does anyone know Harry? lives in Argentiere - cracking chap and incredible guide

I do miss Chamonix…

Some info on Trevor Petersen here

http://homeboyski.com/2008/03/25/forgotten-stars-of-skiing-part-1-trevor-petersen/

some detail on the couloir here

http://www.skitour.fr/topos/aiguille-du-midi,3029.html

45degrees/100m.

As a lot of people have said, the actual inclination is just one factor… 45 degree in nice powder with a nice safe run out and no rocks is pretty good fun. 30 degree on ice and/or with rocks and/or with a cliff at the bottom etc is potentially much more serious.

To answer the initial question, I think the steepest I’ve skied is about 47 degrees. This was the average gradient and was in very good snow - I know the top was much steeper (well, vertical for about 4 metres:-) ), so most of the actual turning was probably on 45 degrees or less. I tend not to worry too much about how steep something is, I guess I’ve finally grown out of that:-) (perhaps my hip surgery influenced that too, but thats another story). I’m much more concerned about avalanche risk, finding nice snow, having fun and getting down in one piece these days.

I agree on snow conditions being the key factor, when I was young I used to ski some lines that were pretty stupid in bad conditions.

The best thing that happened to me was taking up telemarking - now I have an excuse to bow out in anything other than perfect conditions

I think it would be White Nitro at Sugarloaf which is 56 degrees, but idk for how long it is that grade.  It must be a steady 50 though, I remember that the snow kicked up from my skis cast a shadow big enough that I couldn’t really see where I was turning, and that was at 2 in the afternoon.

Discussions like this always seem to end up in a muddle because everyone gets slope angle (measured in degrees) and grade (%) mixed up.

E.g. if White Nitro in Sugarloaf is a piste it is likely to have a grade of 55% and a slope of 29°. A slope of 55° does not sound plausible for a piste.

Some conversions....

20° = 36.4%
25° = 46.6%
30° = 57.7%
35° = 70.0%
40° = 83.9%
45° = 100%
50° = 119.2%
55° = 142.8%

30 - 40 degrees is definitely the sweet spot

I don’t know what the steepest parts of Cosmique are rated as but I don’t think Cosmique is that crazy, apart form being surrounded by some incredible landscape. As mentioned I think the setting makes you feel like you’re on a more severe descent than you actually are. Getting stranded in bad weather along it is probably more scary a prospect than any part of the descent/drop in.

This season’s conditions have created some scarier on piste conditions. 2 weeks ago I skied a 60% slope in La Thuile which was the scariest thing I’ve been on in a while in a strong wind with not an ounce of fresh snow on the boilerplate ice. I don’t think the fatty skies helped though

Discussions like this always seem to end up in a muddle because everyone gets slope angle (measured in degrees) and grade (%) mixed up.

E.g. if White Nitro in Sugarloaf is a piste it is likely to have a grade of 55% and a slope of 29°. A slope of 55° does not sound plausible for a piste.

That was most likely me goofing up haha.  I recently went to Alberta anyway and ended up skiing steeper stuff there.  I cannot tell you what the grade or anything was, but I do know now that when they say cliff out there it is much different then when there is a cliff sign here in the east

I find it is about the perfect grade is roughly about when standing straight up I can hold out my arm and pole straight and the run would pass through about the middle of my pole.  Around this steepness I find I can go down it with plenty of speed and not worry too much.  But for whatever reason I seem to always go for the runs that when I’m standing straight up I can just reach out and touch the run with ease.  Idk why I go for the steeper stuff because overall it is less fun and like has been said before if I hit I tiny bit of ice there is not really anyway to stop from falling on my side.  I guess I just have to prove to myself I can do it, and then I have to prove it again, and again.

You mention Alberta… so you may have skied Delirium Dive at Sunshine? That’s pretty steep. It certainly has pitches of up to 50 degrees. Little clip of it I found on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyJOTEv4FRY. Delirium Dive is an odd one, it is a marked run however you must carry avalanche gear, you can’t ski it alone and you are checked by a patroller at the top to enforce these rules.