It’s one of the most progressive formats in the world of snow – on one of the greatest venues in North America. Twenty-four skiers and snowboarders checked the edge of Corbet’s Couloir, then in calculated fashion, chucked themselves off the edge. They then had a choice of four man-made jumps to create one fantastic run. It’s as if a big mountain contest and a slopestyle event had a beautiful child together.
The contest went off last Tuesday, and this weekend, following athlete voting, Veronica Paulsen (who became the first woman to throw a backflip into Corbet’s) and Parkin Costain (who definitely had the most stylish run of the field) received the “yes” vote from peers, taking the wins at the 2020 Kings and Queens of Corbet’s. Their wins were announced during a sold-out closing party at the Pink Garter Theater in Jackson Hole.
“There’s not many firsts left in Jackson,” Paulsen told The Inertia last week, “so it’s cool to have one under my belt.” The Squaw Valley local worked on the backflip for nearly three years. It came to fruition in a big way this week.
Costain, a Montana native, threw a beautiful double into Corbet’s then immediately followed with another backflip, a 360 and finished with a corked-out trick on the slope-style jump at the bottom.
In three years, Kings and Queens has become a marquee event on the winter schedule, and a perfect match for Jackson Hole’s history of steep skiing and riding. It was started by Jess McMillan and the events and marketing team at JHMR. You can hear more about the event’s history in the podcast below and find the full results, here.
