Meet La Grave: The Alps Village That Stole Doug Coombs’ Heart – And Took His Life

After Doug Coombs was banned from Jackson Hole Mountain Resort for skiing out of bounds and closed areas multiple times – an event that would help lead to the opening of the resort's boundaries to its capacious backcountry – the legendary steeps skier moved to La Grave, France. With one lift, no groomed runs, no avalanche control, and no rules, it was the ultimate hill for a skier who lived for the adventure of unfettered, technical steeps.

11 years ago today – April 3rd, 2006 – Coombs's life came to a tragic end in the steep terrain above this tiny Alps village. Doug was skiing with his protégé, Chad VanderHam, in the Couloir de Polichinelle, when VanderHam suffered a severe fall. In his attempt to rescue him, Coombs fell, tragically, to his own death. His passing at  age 48 ended a monumental chapter in the history of skiing.

In this older episode of Jordan Manley's A Skier's Journey, Chad Sayers explores a place that, like for Coombs, opened up the limits of his own skiing in ways he never imagined. Explore La Grave, its incredible terrain, and its unforgiving peaks, and on this day, remember Doug.

A new book, Tracking the Wild Coomba, comes out this spring celebrating the life of the legend. Read our interview with the author and check out the book for pre-order.