couloir

[kool-wahr, koo-lwar]

noun

plural

couloirs 

1. a steep gorge or gully on the side of a mountain, especially in the Alps.

couloir

/ ˈkuːlwɑː, kulwar /

noun

1. a deep gully on a mountain side, esp in the French Alps

Word History and Origins

Origin of couloir¹

1850–55; < French: literally, colander < Late Latin cōlātōrium strainer, equivalent to Latin cōlā ( re ) to strain, filter + -tōrium -tory ²; coulee

Word History and Origins

Origin of couloir¹

C19: from French: corridor, from couler to pour; see _coulee

Example Sentences

The forecaster, Nick Burks, 37, was backcountry skiing on Gunsight Mountain in the Elkhorn Mountains in northeastern Oregon on March 6 when he triggered an avalanche at the top of a couloir, or crevasse, in the mountain, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center reported.

From New York Times

As of late March, the two remaining deceased climbers were assumed to be buried by additional snowfall and subsequent avalanches near the couloir’s base.

From Seattle Times

On Feb. 19, a group of six climbers were climbing a steep, narrow gully — called a couloir — on the peak near Leavenworth when an avalanche crashed down the mountainside.

From Seattle Times

The terrain on Colchuck’s northeast couloir made the small avalanche deadly.

From Seattle Times

“Due to the weather conditions, they climbed into a really dangerous situation probably unknowingly, because it had been very windy and that wind had blown all the snow over the top of Colchuck Peak and settled in the couloir and triggered the wind slab,” Gyselinck said.

From Seattle Times

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