gully ˈgu̇-lē , ˈgə- noun
: a deep ditch that was created by running water
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The word gully has appeared in 18 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on July 26 in “Overcrowded and More Dangerous, Mont Blanc Faces a Crisis” by Paige McClanahan:
But the dream comes with its own set of dangers. More than half a dozen routes lead to Mont Blanc’s summit, but just two — the Three Mountains Route, which starts from Chamonix, and the Normal Route, which starts from the neighboring community of Saint-Gervais — are accessible to climbers with only a moderate amount of experience. While the majority return from the summit unscathed, both itineraries entail risk.
The Normal Route — chosen by about three quarters of the climbers aiming for the summit — goes across the Grand Couloir, a steep, narrow gully that acts as a sort of bowling alley for falling rocks. Near the top, the path leads onto a narrow ridge of snow and ice, about 100 yards long and just a couple of feet wide, that’s flanked by steep drops. If you stumble there, you can fall to your death.
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