\u201cI realized the most badass new comp venue would be Corbet\u2019s Couloir,\u201d said McMillan, who, at the time, was in charge of special events for the resort. \u201cIt\u2019s a notorious line, a natural amphitheater, and sure, it\u2019d be a huckfest, but it was perfect!\u201d As a longtime competitor, McMillan felt there was more to the sport than line scores, four-point landings, and formulaic categories. \u201cIt would be an opportunity to disrupt the usual judged categories, and empower the athletes to be the judges of each other, and to reward what they thought were the best runs.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Colby](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Colby-AJimmerson_KQ_Comp_2025-8987.jpg-scaled.jpg\"\/)
Kings & Queens of Corbet\u2019s 2025 (Photo: Amy Jimmerson)<\/p>\n
Overall, she hoped to create an event for\u2014and judged by\u2014the athletes, to celebrate progression, the sport, and camaraderie, simply see what unfolded in the couloir, and who the other athletes picked as winners. Despite initial skepticism, McMillan\u2019s idea made it past the resort\u2019s head honchos, and she sent out an invitation to the first round of athletes on January 1, 2018.<\/p>\n
The idea was a hit, and the unique, peer-judged format is a huge part of what has helped grow the event. For Veronica Paulsen, a Jackson local who competed in the first iteration of Kings &Queens, shifting judging to the competitors was a refreshing move.<\/p>\n
\u201cKings & Queens is centered on athletes: we understand the conditions, and why certain choices are made in how we ski the line, because we\u2019ve been out there, we skied it,\u201d Paulsen explained. \u201cWe\u2019re all familiar with the challenges of discretionary judging\u2014and for Kings & Queens, everyone was psyched on putting creativity and expression above perfect technique.\u201d The Corbet\u2019s competition, noted Paulsen, is also unrelated to rankings on any other circuit, so athletes really feel like they have the freedom to try new things.<\/p>\n
The competition has evolved over its eight-year run. Although it began as a quirky event with a few big names plus some hard-charging local legends\u2014remember Jeff Leger and his famous swan-dive front flip into the couloir?\u2014 it is now stacked with X-Games medalists, Olympians, and Freeride World Tour athletes. There are still unknown dark horses that pop up on the list, but the unique format and the ability to be judged for the overall impression your line makes on fellow athletes has made Kings & Queens a coveted invitation. \u201cIt\u2019s insane the caliber of athlete it\u2019s attracting now,\u201d says McMillan. \u201cBut it\u2019s still the same in that they are judging each other, and just celebrating the progression of the sport and camaraderie.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Piper](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Piper-Keegan_Rice-5351-scaled.jpg\"\/)
Kings & Queens of Corbet\u2019s 2025 (Photo: Keegan Rice)<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not completely without parameters: Athletes know they don\u2019t have to adhere to the traditional rigid judging protocols like line scores or nitpicking on small differentiators, but safety and control are important. \u201cPersonally, I am looking for an overall impression\u2014not huck and hope, but style and some control, look good, don\u2019t get hurt!\u201d said professional snowboarder and Freeride World Tour veteran Erika Vikander. This year, Vikander is heading into her third Kings & Queens with solid riding and judging experience.<\/p>\n
Six-time competitor and two-time winner Karl Fostvedt likens the judging to a real-life session with friends\u2014just with some money attached\u2014and for that reason, says the judges get it right on the winners every year. \u201cIn this comp, you\u2019re more likely to aim for style and innovation, rather than just spin to win tricks, because that\u2019s the thing that everyone is going to be talking about later,\u201d said Fostvedt. \u201cI look for innovation, anything new that shows progression, so I\u2019d score a zero spin\u2014if anyone could land that\u2014way higher than, say, a triple backflip, because it\u2019d be so difficult, and no one has done it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The process after the competition takes place is simple: All the competitors gather and watch multiple angles of everyone\u2019s run. Each athlete\u00a0 anonymously ranks the others on a scale of 100 for their run. \u201cIt\u2019s personal, what each athlete might value most. I\u2019ll be looking for runs that embody the spirit of the competition, not technical perfection, and creative use of the couloir,\u201d said Paulsen. \u201cIt\u2019s about whatever excites each athlete the most, though, so it\u2019s different for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n