It’s no secret I choose skiing as my winter escape, so naturally I gravitate towards ski destinations this time of year.

Recently, Travel & Leisure put together a collection of 16 of the world’s scariest (ahem, gnarliest) ski slopes, convincing me that Europe may just be where it’s at.

In particular, France appears three different times on the list (check out this video of the Grand Couloir in Courchevel!), along with areas of Austria and Switzerland. That’s 31 percent of the entire article!

Even with Jackson, WY, Snowbird, UT, and Banff, Alberta (more to come on Banff later this week) making it, three of my favorites, I have to give a shout out to the Big Couloir at Big Sky, Montana (imagine a 45-degree, terrifyingly narrow chute) that ranks pretty high on the gnar scale.

So, maybe I’m a bit partial to my own backyard, but the point is, the terrain I’m seeing in Europe might easily convince me that it’s time for a ski pilgrimage. Wouldn’t you say?

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