At 8:30 a.m., the first tram of the day was full, bursting actually. The Jackson Hole Tram is often packed, but this was something else as athletes, camera crews, ski patrollers and media piled in. While I’m sure ski patrol had some count of the number of people allowed on, there was no way they could have accounted for the amount of camera bags, helmets-on-backpacks, and supplies we were carting with us to the top of the mountain. That said, I found myself pressed against the glass for an incredible view of Corbet’s Couloir as we ascended the mountain, so no complaints here.
In case you didn’t know, the Kings and Queens of Corbet’s pits skiers, snowboarders, local heroes, and Olympic athletes against one another in a one-day, anything goes freeride competition. Corbet’s is scary enough that most of us would hardly even consider dropping into the couloir, much less huck something gnarly off the lip. But in its six-year history, the event has seen some insane tricks thrown down like double backflips, 720s, wall-rides, and so much more. It has also continued to evolve, with the addition of jumps and features within the couloir, and a massive “crowd pleaser” jump at the bottom.
As the day wore on and the clouds cleared, we were treated to some incredible views of Cody Peak in the distance. Photo: WS
The day started off with some concerns about the weather, as a low layer of fog socked in the top of Corbet’s, but the forecast had a high-pressure system (meaning clear skies) headed in our direction. And while they could have run things later this week, as Kings and Queens founder Jess McMillan explained, the conditions in the couloir were as good as they would get. Furthermore, there was a chance that wind and weather over the next couple days would make things worse, or even scrub the couloir clean of new snow. Despite patchy but (hopefully) clearing fog, the competition was called on.
I was staked out at the top of Corbet’s all day to catch the jaw-dropping first drops into the couloir, and there were some awesome moments. Without a livestream this year (competition organizers cited the enormous cost of hosting a live competition) I did my best to keep you all tuned in through The Inertia Instagram. While it’s certainly a lopsided view given my position from on high (there was also plenty of madness down at the bottom of Corbet’s with the “crowd pleaser” jump and a crowd of over 3,000 people), the drop in is plenty captivating, to say the least.
Corey Jackson and Nial Romanek plot their moves. Photo: WS
Once a wide array of kickers and ramps into the couloir had been built by the athletes, the competition started with Alex Hackel, an X-Games medalist but first-timer to Jackson Hole, taking the “guinea pig” drop. All eyes were on Alex to see what the snow conditions inside Corbet’s were like. And despite the enormous amount of recent snowfall, that first landing was a good bit firmer than everyone was expecting, the sound of Alex’s landing perfectly describing the more consolidated nature of the powder below. A soft landing, yes, but not the type of fresh powder one might sink into. To stick a high-speed aerial, it helps to know what you’re landing on, so the rest of the field digested that information, and then set about planning their own runs accordingly.
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Veronica Paulsen (who landed the first women’s backflip into Corbet’s) threw down not one but two double-backflip attempts, going down hard on the first but coming oh-so-close to stomping the second one. They were the first double-backflip attempts by a woman at Corbet’s, and it’s a testament to her determination that she went for the trick a second time.
Reigning Queen of Corbet’s Piper Kunst had interesting and creative entries into the couloir on both of her runs, despite broken ski boots that were being held together by voile straps. Her first saw a west wall-ride that had the crowd on top going absolutely ballistic. Her second, a slow and stylish acid drop/front flip elicited a similar response.
Cooper Branham and Piper Kunst discuss strategy from the lip of Corbet’s. Photo: WS
If she had stomped either of her landings (there was a bit of backslap on both), I would be trumpeting her case as having won again. But there were plenty of other awesome runs from the women. The cleanest was probably Claire McPherson‘s second run, where she walked the fine line between sending it too hard and holding back too much, and emerged unscathed. With the athletes judging each other, there is no room for playing it safe, but there’s a definite emphasis on nailing a “clean run.” In other words, there’s little room for error.
Olympic medalist and U.S. freeskier Colby Stevenson might have laid down the best men’s run on his first go-round, starting off by stomping a tweaked out rodeo (or something like that), and going flawless through the rest of the couloir. His second attempt was equally mind boggling.
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That said, he’ll have stiff competition from snowboarder Cam Fitzpatrick, who has been an invitee all six years and threw down two incredible runs, stomping everything from top to bottom, and showing some creativity with his use of photographer and friend Keegan Rice as a human ramp on his second go (pictured above).
And there were so many more. Parkin Costain sent it to the moon on his first and only run, but ended up landing in an explosion of powder and ski equipment. Last year’s People’s Choice winner and local boy Corey Jackson went huge, as per usual. Newcomer Ben Richards stomped a massive double backflip. Wyndham “Lawndart” Miller proved he can walk the walk, as well as talk it. Despite some trouble on the first go-round, Alex Hackel stomped the heck out of his entire second run after dropping into the couloir with a stylish hand-drag.
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The comp ended on a bittersweet note as Amy David made her own double-backflip attempt on the final run of the competition and was injured on the landing. Despite some knee trouble, word is she’s doing ok. And for a competition that involves tricks off of a 20-foot-plus drop into a steep couloir, there’s bound to be carnage of some sort. She wasn’t the only one. Corbet’s veterans Parkin Costain and Jake Hopfinger decided not to take their second opportunities after going a bit too big on their first runs, with Jake tweaking his back, and Parkin feeling something off as well.
All in all, the day was packed full of non-stop action, awesome skiing and riding, and oodles of stoke. As for who won? That’s for the athletes to decide. They’ll vote for their favorites on Saturday, February 11, with the 2023 King and Queen of Corbet’s being announced that evening.
You can also vote for the People’s Choice Award right here, but I’d recommend waiting until the full runs are released. Stay tuned, as we’ll be dropping content throughout the week.
