In 2020, in her third year of attempts, Veronica Paulsen send waves through the action sports world and became the first woman to land a backflip into Corbet's Couloir, and was crowned the Queen of Corbet's. That was just one chapter in Veronica's story. Last year she at Kings and Queens she attempted the first double-backflip by a female skier, she's gained sponsorships, opportunities to film with TGR, and has now started her own Youtube series. We caught up with the professional skier based out to Jackson to talk doubles, YouTube, and what's next.
Where are you originally from and when did you move to Jackson?
I'm originally from the Bay Area, I moved here in 2015 after college (Colorado College). I had never been to Jackson and I didn't know anybody here, but I had seen it in the movies and I knew it would be the best place to try my hand at big mountain skiing.
What was the process like getting invited to Corbets and was the backflip always a plan? And what did those years in between attempts look like for you?
The first year of Kings and Queens I got accepted by sending Jess Mcmillan my resume and home made athlete edit. I didn't know I was going to try the backflip until the morning of. I saw Mckenzie Lisac go for the backflip first, and watching her send it gave me the confidence to try also. From then I was hooked on this goal of landing it. The next three years I spent most of winter hucking backflips off of various cliffs around Jackson trying to simulate Corbet's as best I could.
I think it’s human nature to want to take care of unfinished business, especially when its on the world stage, how good did it feel to finally stomp that backflip and how did it change your life and career?
Landing that backflip in 2020 was one of the best days of my life. It launched my career, I gained over 10k followers overnight, I got my first ski sponsorship contract, and I was able to get my foot in the door with TGR.
It seems like you’ve sort of used the relations you’ve built to then transition into doing your own thing with filming this YouTube series. Was the idea sort of to take matters into your own hands, and with the series to pay homage/ respect to some of your mentors/ski partners over the years?
When I decided I wanted to start a series, I wanted to make sure that it was something that felt authentic to me, and something I could be proud of. When I asked myself what I loved most about skiing, the answer was always the people I've met along the way. So I wanted to center the series around that idea of showcasing the amazing people I've been able to meet and ski with throughout my career.
So at last year's Kings and Queens, you one upped yourself after being the first woman to stomp a backflip into Corbets, with the first ever attempted double backflip into Corbets, did that just naturally feel like the next step for your progression?
Trying the double backflip felt like the next big step for me. I wanted to keep progressing as an athlete and seeing what I was capable of, so naturally, throwing a double backflip into Corbet's came to mind.
Unfortunately, Kings and Queens was a no-go this year due to a lack of snow. Where do we stand now with the double?
Right now I'm taking the time to keep practicing double backflips off of backcountry jumps, I'm trying to dial in the trick so I can feel really comfortable with it when I go for it again next year (hopefully).
It's a route that we’re seeing many athletes these days go, now in season two how has the whole YouTube process felt for you?
I've loved producing my YouTube series. It's a lot of work, and requires tons of planning, but it's also very rewarding. It's been so fun to be able to work with my friends and make something that we're all proud to put out there.
What can we expect for the rest of this season?
We have already filmed 2 more episodes and will be releasing those in March as well. The next episode features winter camping with Griffin Post, and after that, rappelling into couloirs with Madison Rose Ostergren.
About The Author
stash member Teton Gravity Research
It all began with a dream and a little cash scraped together from fishing in Alaska... Since 1995, we've been an action sports media company committed to fueling progression through our ground-breaking films (37 and counting) and online content.