Grizzly Couloir

Grizzly Couloir drops off the south side of Grizzly Mountain above the Connaught Creek drainage in Glacier National Park, Rogers Pass. The line is a classic, high‑commitment couloir that you reach from the Grizzly Shoulder/Teddy Bear Trees zone, then along the Grizzly southwest ridge to the summit area before stepping into the couloir proper. Once parked at Rogers Pass, you skin up Connaught Creek toward Grizzly Shoulder, then trend toward Teddy Bear Trees and gain the ridge to access the entrance.

The couloir is south‑facing, with frequent cross‑loading on skier’s right from prevailing winds. The upper section is relatively wide before funnelling into a rocky choke that forms a serious terrain trap; the choke is often thin and can be scraped to rock. Solar input is a major factor here for most of the ski season, with rapid warming and loose wet or slab problems possible on sunny days. This line sits squarely in large, consequential avalanche terrain typical of Rogers Pass, so treat it as an expert‑only objective with conservative timing and a solid overnight and day‑of stability picture.

From the apron, you can continue down into Grizzly Bowl and then out to Connaught Creek. The exit choke below Grizzly Bowl is often rough and rocky; many parties cut hard skier’s right to rejoin Teddy Bear Trees for a cleaner run back toward the Connaught uptrack. A Winter Permit for the Rogers Pass backcountry is mandatory when the winter permit system is in effect, and daily avalanche forecasts and area closures from Parks Canada must be checked before committing to this route. Full glacier/avalanche kit, boot crampons and an ice axe are standard for most parties.