Veronica Paulsen
In February 2020, before the world went crazy, Jackson Hole held its third-annual Kings and Queens of Corbet’s competition. The event—a rowdy, 20-athlete huckfest—was one of the purest, most exciting happenings in skiing. Sending the Corbet’s diving board with style was the only objective. Naturally, as it was an athlete-judged event, the riders who emerged at the top had not only impressed the roaring crowd, but their peers as well. This year, Jackson Hole local Veronica Paulsen earned top honors in the women’s category, after a three-year battle with the couloir. Failing to land a backflip twice before, this year Paulsen widened the eyes of everyone in the crowd by stomping the trick clean-as-can-be. In an instant, her previous failures melted into vague memories.
Relatively unknown prior to the moment, Paulsen soon landed sponsors (namely, K2 Skis and Strafe Outerwear) and well-deserved attention. She even attended FREESKIER’s annual Ski Test as an honorary guest. When she’s not stomping massive backflips into one of the most legendary inbounds runs in North America, former Tahoe local now coaches the girls freeride team at the Wyoming resort, shaping the next generation of athletes. We let Paulsen catch her breath, collect her thoughts and enjoy a couple celebratory bevvies after the big victory. But the day after the competition, as snow and clouds encompassed Jackson Hole in mid-February, FREESKIER rode the Sublette chairlift, chatted with her and took a couple laps with the newest Queen of Corbet’s. Hit the link to read more.
