Barry Corbet
Barry Corbet was an elite American mountaineer, pioneer mountain guide, filmmaker, and disability advocate who achieved the maiden first ascents of both Mount Vinson (4,892 m) and the formidable Mount Tyree (4,852 m) in Antarctica between December 1966 and January 1967. A veteran of the historic 1963 Everest West Ridge expedition, Corbet is immortalized in ski mountaineering through the legendary 'Corbet's Couloir' at Jackson Hole.
Mountain Safety & Conditions Disclaimer: High-altitude climbing, glacial travel, and technical ascents entail severe objective risks including avalanches, serac collapses, rapid weather collapse, and altitude illness. Historical route descriptions and summit claims on Mountanity reflect documented archival sources and must not be used as live operational safety assessments. Local regulations, permits, and physical glacial topography change continuously.
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Biographical Record & Archival Chronicle
Barry Corbet was born on November 27, 1936, in Vancouver, British Columbia, and grew up in the Pacific Northwest before moving to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where he became one of the star alpine guides for Exum Mountain Guides on the Grand Teton. Renowned for his extraordinary strength, humor, and technical rock and ice mastery, Corbet spotted a terrifying, near-vertical ski slot off the top of Rendezvous Mountain in 1960, remarking that someday someone would ski it—a run now internationally famous as *Corbet's Couloir*.
In 1963, Corbet served as a key lead climber on the legendary American Mount Everest Expedition. On the unclimbed West Ridge, Corbet carried heavy loads and forged the technical route through the rock cruxes up to 8,300 metres, enabling Tom Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld to complete the historic first traverse of Everest.
In late 1966, Corbet joined Nicholas Clinch's American Antarctic Mountaineering Expedition. On December 18, 1966, Corbet was on the four-man lead rope that reached the summit of Mount Vinson (4,892 m). Seeking a far greater technical challenge, Corbet teamed up with John Evans on January 6, 1967, to attempt the terrifying, unclimbed 2,000-metre Northwest Face of Mount Tyree (4,852 m). Climbing for 22 continuous hours in temperatures of -35°C, Corbet and Evans conquered the vertical rock pitches and blue ice gullies to stand upon Antarctica's most difficult summit.
In 1968, Corbet survived a devastating helicopter crash in the Colorado Rockies that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Refusing to surrender his adventuring spirit, Corbet became a pioneering filmmaker, wheelchair athlete, and editor of *New Mobility* magazine, advocating passionately for disability rights. He passed away on December 18, 2004—exactly thirty-eight years to the day after summiting Mount Vinson.
Notable Milestones & Ascents
- Co-first ascent of Mount Vinson (4,892 m) on December 18, 1966
- Maiden first ascent of Mount Tyree (4,852 m) via the Northwest Face on January 6, 1967, with John Evans
- Key pioneer and lead climber on the 1963 Everest West Ridge expedition
- Namesake of the world-famous 'Corbet's Couloir' extreme ski run in Jackson Hole, Wyoming
- Pioneering author and advocate for people with spinal cord injuries
Key Statistics & Topographic Figures
- Birth / Death
- 1936–2004
- Nationality
- United States
- Mount Vinson Ascent
- December 18, 1966
- Mount Tyree FA
- January 6, 1967 (Northwest Face)
- Everest Expedition
- 1963 American West Ridge
Archival Primary Source Quotations
“Climbing is not about conquering mountains; it is about discovering what is hidden deep within yourself when the cold bites hardest.”
Defined Alpine Terminology & Concepts
- Corbet's Couloir
- An iconic, near-vertical expert ski run dropping off Rendezvous Mountain in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
- West Ridge of Everest
- A formidable technical climbing route up Mount Everest first ascended by Americans Tom Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld in 1963.
Frequently Asked Questions: Barry Corbet
Who was Barry Corbet?
Barry Corbet was a celebrated American mountaineer who co-conquered Mount Vinson and pioneered the technical Northwest Face of Mount Tyree in Antarctica.
What famous ski run in Jackson Hole is named after Barry Corbet?
Corbet's Couloir at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Wyoming is named in his honour after he spotted the vertical ski chute in 1960.
What role did Barry Corbet play on Mount Everest in 1963?
Corbet was a lead climber on the historic 1963 Everest West Ridge expedition, forging the route through the technical rock cruxes to enable the first traverse.
Associated Summits (2)
Mount Vinson / Vinson Massif
Mount Vinson is the highest peak in Antarctica at 4,892 metres (16,050 ft), situated in the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains approximately 1,200 kilometres from the South Pole. As the summit of Antarctica, it forms one of the celebrated Seven Summits. First sighted by a US Navy aircraft in January 1958 and named after Georgia congressman Carl Vinson, the peak was conquered on December 18, 1966, by a team led by Nicholas Clinch and Barry Corbet during the historic American Antarctic Mountaineering Expedition. While technically moderate via the Branscomb Glacier, climbing Mount Vinson demands extreme endurance against temperatures plunging to -40°C and ferocious katabatic blizzards.
Mount Tyree
Mount Tyree is the second-highest mountain in Antarctica at 4,852 metres (15,919 ft), located just 13 kilometres northwest of Mount Vinson in the Sentinel Range. In stark contrast to the rounded, glaciated ramps of Mount Vinson, Mount Tyree is a terrifying, sheer horn of dark metamorphic rock and steep blue ice, rising over 2,000 metres directly from its surrounding glaciers. First ascended on January 6, 1967, by Barry Corbet and John Evans via the Northwest Face, it is widely acknowledged as the most technically demanding and formidable high peak in all of Antarctica, having seen fewer than twenty ascents in mountaineering history.
Pioneered & Associated Routes (2)
Northwest Face of Mount Tyree (Corbet-Evans Route)
The Northwest Face is the legendary maiden route up Mount Tyree (4,852 m), the second-highest and most difficult mountain in Antarctica. Established on January 6, 1967, by Barry Corbet and John Evans, the route tackles a 2,000-metre vertical wall of shattered granite, steep snow couloirs, and brittle blue ice pitches (Grade IV, 5.8 rock and 55° ice). Pushed in a single continuous 22-hour assault in sub-zero polar temperatures without fixed ropes or camps on the face, it stands as one of the finest bold alpine achievements in polar history.
Normal Route of Mount Vinson (Branscomb Glacier Route)
The Normal Route on Mount Vinson ascends the gentle yet crevasse-riven Branscomb Glacier to gain the high saddle between Mount Shinn and Mount Vinson, continuing across the Vinson Plateau to the corniced rocky summit horn. First climbed in December 1966 by the American Antarctic Mountaineering Expedition led by Nicholas Clinch, it is the standard route for Seven Summits mountaineers. While technical climbing difficulty is moderate (Grade II alpine snow and 35° to 45° headwall ice), the objective is made profoundly serious by extreme polar cold (-40°C), ferocious katabatic gales, total geographic isolation, and the necessity of complete self-sufficiency.
Documented Expeditions (2)
1966 Nicholas Clinch American Antarctic Expedition Historic First Ascent of Mount Vinson
On December 18, 1966, an elite four-man summit party—Nicholas Clinch, Barry Corbet, John Evans, and Peter Anderson—achieved the maiden first ascent of Mount Vinson (4,892 m), the highest point in Antarctica. Supported by the American Alpine Club, National Geographic, and the US Navy, the expedition placed all ten team members atop Vinson over consecutive days before conquering Mount Tyree and Mount Shinn in complete polar safety.
1967 Barry Corbet and John Evans Historic First Ascent of Mount Tyree
On January 6, 1967, American mountaineers Barry Corbet and John Evans completed the legendary maiden first ascent of Mount Tyree (4,852 m) via its daunting 2,000-metre Northwest Face. Pushed in a single continuous 22-hour alpine-style assault in -35°C polar cold, the pair conquered vertical 5.8 granite rock and 55° blue ice without fixed ropes, achieving one of the greatest technical climbs in polar history.
Associated Chronicles & Stories (2)
The Frozen Apex: The 1966 First Ascent of Mount Vinson
Nicholas Clinch and his ten-man American team conquer the continental roof of Antarctica in sub-zero polar storms.
Antarctica's Hardest Peak: The 1967 First Ascent of Mount Tyree
Twenty-two continuous hours on a 2,000-metre frozen rock wall: Barry Corbet and John Evans conquer Mount Tyree in pure alpine style.
Documented Sources & Archival Citations
- First Ascent of Mount Tyree(Barry Corbet / American Alpine Journal)
Supporting claim: Primary technical report of the 1967 Corbet-Evans route on Tyree
Accessed/Documented: 1967 - Americans on Everest(James Ramsey Ullman / J.B. Lippincott)
Supporting claim: Historical chronicle of Corbet's vital role on the 1963 Everest West Ridge
Accessed/Documented: 1964