![\"Kings](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_0461800.jpg\")
The bingo machine used to select run order for the Kings and Queens of Corbets. | Photo: B. Witowski<\/p>\n\t\tThe bingo machine used to select run order for the Kings and Queens of Corbets. | Photo: B. Witowski<\/p>\n
The Tram Dock<\/a> at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort<\/a>, Wyoming, set the stage for what may be the wildest, most iconic on-mountain ski and snowboard competition on the planet: the 8th Annual Kings and Queens of Corbet\u2019s.<\/a> This year, 24 of the world\u2019s most fearless athletes will drop into the legendary couloir, battling not only gravity and consequence, but each other\u2014for a $50,000 prize purse and the coveted crown of King or Queen of Corbet\u2019s.<\/p>\n The opening-night gathering was equal parts ceremony and celebration. Athlete registration, the time-honored ritual of determining start order, generous food and drinks, animated socializing, and the obligatory Ski Shot all combined to create an electric prelude to the insanity soon to come. The anticipation was intense.<\/p>\n The start order was decided by a literal game of chance: a rotating bingo cage filled with 24 numbered balls. One by one, athletes spun the cage and drew their number, locking in their position for competition day. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort staff turned the process into theater, stretching the suspense and drawing cheers and groans with every reveal.<\/p>\n SnowBrains caught up with several athletes throughout the evening. One group explained that their ideal draw position is somewhere between third and ninth. Too early, and you don\u2019t get a feel for the conditions. Too late, and the line gets chopped up and unpredictable.<\/p>\n Lake Tahoe\u2019s Nate Bromley reflected on his first encounter with Corbet\u2019s Couloir as an eight-year-old on a family ski trip to Jackson Hole. He remembered inching to the edge, peering over the abyss, and deciding\u2014wisely, at the time\u2014that discretion was the better part of valor. Years later, now standing among the invited competitors, he laughed at how dramatically things had changed.<\/p>\n Local favorite Wyatt Gentry had a very different introduction to Corbet\u2019s. As an elementary schooler on the JHMR youth ski team, he was casually taken through the couloir during a practice session\u2014an initiation that would shape his comfort level in one of skiing\u2019s most intimidating arenas.<\/p>\n Perhaps the most unconventional path to the competition belongs to Lake Tahoe\u2019s Isaac Kaufman. For years, he and a group of friends made annual pilgrimages to Jackson Hole, unknowingly timing their trips with Kings and Queens of Corbet\u2019s. Last year, the day after the competition wrapped, Kaufman sent a flip off Corbet\u2019s that caught the attention of JHMR employees. The impression stuck\u2014and earned him an invitation to this year\u2019s event.<\/p>\n From the production crew and sponsors to resort staff and athletes, the stoke level was unmistakably high\u2014especially with fresh snow forecast in the near term. Everything seemed aligned for another unforgettable chapter in Corbet\u2019s history.<\/p>\n Unofficial Kings and Queens of Corbet\u2019s Competition Order:<\/p>\n Sarka Pancochova<\/p>\n Madison Blackley (former Queen)<\/p>\n Kaz Sosnkowski<\/p>\n Pat Fava<\/p>\n Piper Kunst (former Queen)<\/p>\n Wyatt Gentry<\/p>\n Elijah Singer<\/p>\n Wynter McBride<\/p>\n Lalo Rambaud<\/p>\n Quinn Boutot<\/p>\n Nate Bromley<\/p>\n Windham Miller<\/p>\n Erika Vikander<\/p>\n Tristen Lilly<\/p>\n Kelly Hilleke<\/p>\n Ana Eyssimont (reigning Queen)<\/p>\n Alex Hackel<\/p>\n Jack MacDougall<\/p>\n Yuki Kadono<\/p>\n Valerie Festavan<\/p>\n Isaac Kaufman<\/p>\n Ellie Weiler<\/p>\n Kendall Goodman<\/p>\n Dani Bacher<\/p>\n![\"Kings](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_0465800.jpg\")
Piper Kunst makes her starting position selection for the Kings and Queens of Corbet\u2019s. | Photo: B.Witowski<\/p>\n