Veronica Paulsen Continues To Aim Higher

Veronica Paulsen. Depending on how closely you track the cultural rumblings of freeskiing, it's a name you may or may not have heard. However, unless you're a steadfast Luddite who's successfully resisted the ever-encroaching tendrils of social media, you've almost certainly seen Paulsen ski.

In February 2020, at the legendary Kings & Queens of Corbet's competition in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Paulsen became the first woman to land a backflip off the imposing 25-foot headwall above Corbet's Couloir.

The news echoed throughout the skiing community, rapidly populating skiing-oriented Instagram feeds, headlines, and après conversations. And Paulsen, an aspiring but not yet established professional skiing hopeful who—in her words—got "a little bit of free gear here and there," was suddenly thrust into the spotlight. The backflip "literally started my career with a big explosion," she says.

Paulsen likely could've ridden the coattails of her historic Corbet's backflip for years—if not the entirety of a skiing career—but she's not one to let past success define an uneventful future. The walls of Corbet's Couloir beckoned, and three years after Paulsen burst onto the scene, she accomplished another world first with a double backflip attempt into the Couloir. This time, Paulsen didn't put it to her feet, but the message she wordlessly conveyed was clear: I'm here to stay.

With the launch of her new web series last season, Paulsen established a willingness to expand her skillset beyond backflips and big mountain domination into the realm of storytelling. The series, in which she's a producer, aims to peel away the layers of ski movie glamour that obscure the inner lives of her fellow professional skiers, revealing how the hot shots that we know and love perform at the highest level. These aren't your usual ski movies—while they prominently feature skiing, the stories behind the skiing are the show's real stars.

From Paulsen's first two subjects—Jim Ryan and Reine Barkered—we learn the importance of smoothies, family, and continuing to enjoy yourself amidst the kerfuffle that is professional skiing. Paulsen, too, is a student absorbing knowledge alongside her audience.

This winter, Paulsen plans to continue her series, so we caught up with her to hear more about season two and, of course, ask if she has plans for a rebate on her showstopping double backflip.

Episodes of your video series, while obviously involving skiing, are different from your typical edit in that they cover the process of elite skiing rather than just showcasing it. What made you prioritize storytelling over the creation of another skiing highlight reel?

It was really kind of a personal choice. When I wanted to branch out on my own and make my own project, I wanted to make sure it was something that was really fulfilling to me and something I could be proud of. So I sat down with myself and tried to come up with something that was really important to me, and the first thing that came to my mind was the people I met in this industry and the connections I made with my friends. That's something I prized over anything, and something that I think is really unique about this community [is] how tight-knit and helpful everyone is for each other. So that's kind of where this idea was born: to feature a different person every episode, dive into their life, and kind of show what they go through on a daily basis.

You're named as the producer for your video series. After appearing as an athlete in ski movies, what's it been like taking on more of a leadership role in the film production process?

I really enjoy it. It's definitely been a lot. It's obviously a lot more work on the back end, but I really value having the creative control and having something that I've put together on my own. It just makes me really proud. So yeah, I'm really glad to be stepping into this role.

What are some of the challenges associated with video production that viewers might not be aware of?

I think there are so many different pieces that need to line up just to get one good shot for skiing, especially. So it's like you need good snow, you need stable snow, and you need good light. You need the camera person to have all of the gear dialed and them to be nailing the shot. You need the athlete to be on their best game and them to be nailing the shot. All of these pieces little pieces have to come together just to get one shot. I did want to show a bit of that process, too, that we don't get to see with the big movies. We don't realize how much work goes into a 30-second shot, for example.

You've framed your video series as a journey to expand your knowledge by skiing alongside fellow athletes. What did you learn from the legendary Reine Barkered in episode two?

It was really inspiring to see someone who had been in the competitive space for so long. I think a lot of us in this industry can get kind of jaded and burnt out, and to see someone whose enthusiasm for the sport has stuck with him his whole life, even reaching into his age, through his marriage, and building his family, is amazing. He's still committed to the sport. I think that's really encouraging to see.

What can we expect from season two of your video series?

We have some really exciting episodes for season two. I'm going to show you guys my whole process into Kings & Queens [of Corbet's]. So I'm going to take you along my preparation days and the whole competition. We're going to go on a little bit of an adventure with Griffin Post. So we're gonna get way out there and go winter camping somewhere remote, and I'm gonna learn some rope skills, hopefully, and do some more mountaineer-y kind of stuff in the National Park. So it's going to be a lot more of me learning new skills.

I'd like to go back in time a little bit. Both your backflips at Kings & Queens—the single and the double—were huge, culturally significant moments in freeskiing. How did they change the trajectory of your career?

The time I landed the single backflip that launched my career out of nowhere. I was at the point where I was getting a little bit of free gear here and there, but I did not have any real sponsors. I was not part of any real projects. And that, yeah, that literally started my career with a big explosion. So that was awesome. And the second one, I hope—at least part of what I was trying to do with it is—I hope it kind of cemented my name into the industry, and I just wanted to show that I deserve to be here and show everyone what I was trying to do with my career.

On that note, you're returning to the Kings & Queens event this winter. Are you aiming for a rebate on that double?

Definitely, yeah, I've been training all summer. I've gone to water ramps a bunch. I've been weightlifting in the gym, and I've done all the preparation that I can, and now I just have to hope that the conditions line up and that there's enough snow for me to try it. But as long as the snow is good, I'm definitely planning on trying it again.

Related: Why Shane McConkey Is Considered The Greatest Skier Of All-Time

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