Cancelling Kings And Queens Of Corbet's 2024 Was The Right Call
The skiing world let out a collective groan when the news broke that Kings & Queens of Corbet's 2024, hosted at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, WY had been cancelled.
In a season that has underdelivered in terms of snowfall thus far, the cancellation of the fan-favorite competition was another soul-crushing blow (announcement below).
Immediate reactions, mostly from those that didn't take the time to read or listen to the explanation that was clearly laid out in Jackson Hole Mountain Resort's Instagram post, ranged from confusion to outright anger.
How could *they* cancel the comp?! It's Kings & Queens! They have to make it work!
When the dust settled, and emotions tempered, the truth was revealed. The cancellation had nothing to do with planning, money, or sponsors. It turns out that the one thing that can't be controlled, good ol' Ma' Nature, was to blame.
Photo: Keegan Rice
Kings & Queens has been a staple for freeride fans since its inception in 2018.
Watching the world's best skiers and snowboarders compete against each other in a high-flying, death-defying freeride competition on one of the world's most famous in-bounds runs is a smash hit. Who woulda thunk...?
One of the defining characteristics of the event is the unknown that comes with pitting the world's best riders against each other on natural snow conditions.
Similar to the Freeride World Tour and Natural Selection Tour, Kings & Queens competitors are forced to adapt to conditions as Mother Nature dictates.
There have been lean years in which the riders had to dial down the massive airs into the Couloir. 2022 stands out in recent memory as a particularly challenging year.
Corbet's was firm on that day, and a lane was cut through the cornice to allow for an easier entry.
In a short conversation with 2020 Queen and 2023 Kings & Queens People's Choice winner Veronica Paulsen, I learned that the snowpack this year is significantly worse than even that of 2022.
Paulsen is a trail-breaker in freeriding. She nearly became the first woman to double backflip into Corbet's last year (see below), and is intent on redemption.
She inspected the course along with fellow athletes and officials from Jackson Hole Mountain Resort just last week.
In our conversation, Paulsen explained that many of Corbet's' notorious rocks were covered with just 15 centimeters (5.91 inches) of snow, about 85 centimeters (33.46 inches) less than what would be considered ideal.
15cm might be enough for one or two amateur skiers to pass over, but not enough for 20+ hard-charging professionals, and certainly not enough for Paulsen and friends to huck double backflips and other progressive, mind-melting tricks.
Paulsen summarized the conditions, "There wouldn't be any room for error, which as we know with Kings & Queens, we're not all putting down clean rooms all the time."
Photo: Keegan Rice
Jackson Hole collaborated with the athletes in making the decision, and according to Paulsen, didn't pushback when the athlete's voiced their concerns.
Fellow Jackson Hole local and professional skier Tim Durtschi agreed with Paulsen's assessment of the conditions in Corbet's.
Durtschi took to Instagram on January 25, 2024 to share a video of him and up-and-coming skier Tucker Carr ripping their first lines of the season down the Couloir.
Instagram commenters were confused. The conditions appeared stellar in the footage, but Durtschi confirmed in a phone call what most of us suspected- looks can be deceiving, especially when they're filmed with a helmet camera.
Durtschi and Carr, who normally don't shy from catching airs, were forced to slide their way down the Couloir's infamous Goat Path.
Once they got into the Couloir, Durtschi claims that the low tide snowpack made itself evident fairly quickly. There was some snow to throw around on top, but lurking just below the surface were rocks, hard pack snow, ice, and other less-than-ideal surfaces to host a world-class freeride competition.
At the time of writing this article, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has totaled 201 inches of snowfall on the season. According to Durtschi, that's around 50 inches less than any previous season in which Kings & Queens was held.
Durtschi's one positive takeaway from the cancellation, is that he'll "probably" ski Corbet's more than any recent season due to it not being closed for the competition.
Small victories. They matter.
Photo: Keegan Rice
Skiing, in all of its disciplines, is beholden to the will of Mother Nature. As much as man has tried to influence the weather through technological advancements, we've yet to crack the code.
If it doesn't snow, it doesn't snow, and vice versa.
It's hard to accept that one of our favorite competitions of the season can't happen.
It's hard to imagine waiting another year for Veronica Paulsen to get redemption on her double backflip (she assured me that she's continuing to train for next year).
It's hard when things don't go our way.
As much as Kings & Queens of Corbet's is about entertaining us, the spectators, it's the well-being of the athletes that matters most. I will rest easy knowing that their safety was prioritized over entertainment, ad revenue, and view counts.
I've already got my eyes set on next year's competition. See you there?
Photo: Keegan Rice
February 2025 can't come soon enough, but in the meantime, Paulsen isn't sitting idle.
She's continuing to ski hard (what else would you expect) and filming for us to enjoy. Check out her YouTube channel where she plans on releasing a video about the cancellation of Kings & Queens in the coming weeks.
Related: Veronica Paulsen Continues To Aim Higher
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