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.

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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.

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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.

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

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Still, Gyselinck thought back to his winter climb of the northeast couloir seven years ago and remembered a sense of unease.

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