As expected, the guys and gals of 2023’s legendary Kings and Queens of Corbet’s event showed up and showed out.

Outside of this being one of the gnarliest drops in freeriding comps around the world, there are several aspects that make the event unique. One of which is that the champions are decided by none other than their fellow contestants. The King and Queen are voted for solely by their comrades—their brothers and sisters in big mountain prowess—so the crown is presented by those that know just what it takes to earn it. Along with that, skiers and snowboarders compete against one another rather than in separate categories. With that in mind, I’ll be breaking down the gear of the sideway-standers! For a look into what their double stick counterparts were shredding, take a peek at the skiing highlights here.

The Highlights

For the snowboarders, coming hot out of the gate was Jackson Hole local Cam Fitzpatrick, as the first athlete to link a complete run. Starting off his first line with a beautiful, laid-out backflip method into the couloir and finishing with a backside 720 melon off the massive jump near the base known as the “crowd pleaser,” he had his fellow athletes and the few thousand spectators hyped early on. He stole the show on his second run by turning his friend and photographer, Keegan Rice, into a handy prop to launch the drop. He had quite the performance.

Cooper Branham laid down a fiery run as well, utilizing a kicker at the top to crank out a double wildcat into the chute, a backside 360 off the mid-run kicker, and a front 360 stalefish off the crowd pleaser…and please the crowd it did. On Branham’s second attempt, he was a victim to a rather beat-up snowpack at the base of the drop after throwing a huge method to launch. It was a tough year for everyone as far as smooth landings go. We saw a lot of people eat it hard after the burly drop-in. Mason Lemery, Corbet’s first-timer, sent a beautiful looking inverted 540 only to be swallowed up by the pow below, but he finished his first run with a massive airy backflip that couldn’t have gone smoother.

Windham Miller met a barrel roll of epic proportions in the endless abyss of snow at the base of the drop, but it was merely collateral damage after a jaw-dropping front flip off the nose. His second run through the couloir was otherworldly with a huge front flip that had him taking to the sky like an astronaut, rolling into a back 3 off the kicker, throwing up big beautiful rooster tails on his way to the crowd pleaser, where he stomped a beautiful cork front 720.

It was clear to see that Madison Blackley was also enjoying every second of that deep powder that the run was so beautifully coated with, making big smooth, surfy turns, spraying low everywhere, and throwing a clean back 3 nose butter into the mix.

The riders really were bringing the stoke all day long. Coming off the nose with a radical switch backside 540 was Yuki Kadono. A fan fave, Kadono stomped an absolutely huge backside 1080 to finish his first line to which he was rightfully rewarded with chants of “Yuki! Yuki! Yuki!” as he rode into the base. Jack Wiley, though a very last-minute entry into the event, showed up to Jackson to prove what he was made of. He made his Corbet’s debut by hucking an extremely clean first half cab into the chute, tail-tapping the rock wall, and laying down a backside 7 off the crowd-pleaser.

Conditions were gorgeous, the energy was high, and a ton of tricks that could only be described as glorious were unveiled by snowboarders and skiers alike. However, this year, the skiers really dominated. The only snowboarder to make it to the podium was Sarka Pancochova with a slightly overshot backflip off the nose on the first run that resulted in a ton of air time—but a hard landing—followed by a huge, graceful backside 360 off the crowd-pleaser. Her second entrance off the nose started with a toe-side wall ride, finishing the line with an absolutely beautiful backside 7 melon grab.

Overall, it was yet another day to remember in Jackson Hole, Wyoming filled front to back with jaw-dropping drop-ins, mind-melting stunts, and a whole lot of snowboards that we’re now all dying to get our hands on. Let’s take a look…

The Snowboards

Arbor Veda

First up, we saw the Arbor Veda! The third competitor to drop, the first woman, and the first snowboarder of the day, Summer Fenton came in hot with Arbor’s big mountain dominator—the Veda. It’s an absolutely gorgeous board that rides even better than it looks, with extremely smooth turn initiation, a ton of response, and consistent flex and float. The Veda features Arbor’s Uprise fenders and GripTech for an uncomplicated, yet controlled ride in every terrain. Truly a perfect choice for Corbet’s!

Rossignol Juggernaut

The second snowboard was the Rossignol Juggernaut. Fully kitted in Rossi, Cam Fitzpatrick laid down his lines on the Juggernaut—an extremely lively and lightweight board with a ton of pop that will send your freestyle game to new heights. The Juggernaut takes Rossi’s well-loved Jibsaw and takes it up a notch by adding Radcut and Carbon fibers. It’s truly the perfect balance of high-strength power and lightweight finesse.

Ride Berzerker

Next was Mason Lemery on the Ride Berzerker. Designed by another well-known big-air snowboard extraordinaire, Jake Blauvelt, the Berzerker is really at home in any terrain. It utilizes a few of Ride’s top features, including Quadratic Sidecut and Carbon Slimerods 2.0. The end result is going to give the rider indescribable edge hold and stability on a narrow deck that is extremely nimble underfoot, loaded with pop, and damp enough to take big hard landings like a champ…just like we saw out of Lemery racing through the Couloir.

Rome Ravine Women’s and Rome Ravine Men’s

The next board of the day belonged to Madison Blackley, the 2021 Queen of Corbet’s. Rome’s Directional Diamond 3D shape paired with its Free-the-Ride profile is a lethal combination for the deepest of the powder days. Positive camber through the tail with a flat section under the lead foot and rocker in the nose gives this deck a surreal amount of float. Carbon hot rods add lots of powerful snap. The Ravine handles the gnarliest of conditions like a champ.

The dreaded last slot of the day featured Nial Romanek on the day’s second Rome Ravine. This is the same quiver killer we saw Madison Blackley on earlier in the day, but the men’s counterpart. Nial is no stranger to Corbet’s, and he picked the perfect snowboard to slash some fresh powder and huck some big air.

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Next up, the Bataleon Goliath—where freeride and freestyle come together in perfect harmony. Grant Giller used this deck to rip a big switch back 3 before surfing effortlessly through the thick blanket of pow below. Triple Base Technology meets Sidekick for a 3D ride unlike any other. The paulownia/poplar blend pairs with Dual-Radial Super Tubes and Carbon Streamers for crazy power and pop. The Goliath is the longest-running board in Bataleon’s lineup, and with all that surfy tech, I wouldn’t expect it to go anywhere anytime soon.

Later in the day, Cheryl Mass shredded the Goliath+. Ladies, don’t go thinking you have to ride a women’s board. They have their place, don’t get me wrong, but Cheryl reminded us that the biggest and baddest boards aren’t only for the boys. Similar to the Goliath ridden by Giller, the Plus is lighter, stronger, and faster. The Goliath Plus takes Bataleon’s lightest core and loads it with carbon for added strength and snap without additional weight. Their AirRide tech makes it an incredibly damp and smooth ride, even in less-than-ideal conditions. This is an absolute beast of a board.

Burton Custom Flying V

We then saw the classic Burton Custom Flying V in action. No other board could pull off that wild wildcat thrown by Branham. This is one of Burton’s most popular boards of all time as a super fun all-mountain crusher that has been in Burton’s lineup since 1996. The Flying V Bend profile gives you a blend of float and stability, edge control, and super crisp snap and energy. The longer nose adds to that floatiness while the Dualzone EGD woodgrain gives you fast response and reliable edge hold in every condition.

Signal Omni

The next board to drop the couloir was the Signal Omni. Signal rider Yuki Kadono showed everyone in Jackson Hole what the Omni could do. It’s known for being an incredibly low-weight board with a strong and supportive edge hold that can grab onto even the hardest ice pack. Signal’s Omnipotent Power Tech combines multi-angled carbon-infused fiberglass with paulownia and balsa for an insane strength-to-weight ratio. Yuki himself played a part in the design of this deck—essentially custom-building his ride.

Academy Graduate

We then watched Windham Miller send it with the Academy Graduate. This directional twin, cambered board is meant for the serious hard charges out there. This thing wants to rip hard and fast, and it takes no prisoners in the process. With Booster Flex Core, Underfoot Stabilizers, and Academy’s own dampening system, the deck is lively, powerful, damp, and truly not for the faint of heart. Not to mention, it’s also super durable with a fully wrapped metal edge.

Nidecker Thruster

It was then our third-place lady shredder to throw down. Sarka Pancochova sent it big on the Thruster. This board is an aggressive high-speed hard-charger. It’s an advanced all-mountain thrillseeker that carves hard and tracks flawlessly at speed. It’s built on Nidecker’s lightest core and uses Sidekick to lift the wide points off the snow for a surfy 3D ride. Added carbon and Absorbnid eliminate chatter while increasing stability so you can go full-time full-send.

Lib Tech Golden Orca

This was followed by another extremely well-loved deck, the Lib Tech Golden Orca. Lib Tech took two of the most popular boards in their line-up—the Orca and the T. Rice Pro—and melded them into one incredible freeride machine. The Golden Orca is volume-shifted with a Power Kink tail making it floaty and crazy dynamic. Never thought you’d be jibbing everything in sight and riding switch amidst deep, billowing powder? Well, now you can. Jack Wiley made a fine selection dropping into Corbet’s Couloir for the first time with this big mountain machine.

Lib Tech Dynamo

Of course, we can’t forget this year’s surprise honorable mention, the Lib Tech Dynamo. We got to see this one in rare form. We normally think about the Dynamo as an aggressive camber-dominant powerhouse that is hyper-light and super fast with a poppy freestyle attitude. But at Kings and Queens 2023, we got to see it used as an improvised kicker off the nose, and man, it gave a whole new meaning to a board that truly does it all.

See something you think could be the perfect new addition to your snowboard quiver? Chat with one of our Snowboard Experts to get set up now! Keep on keepin’ that stoke high, y’all!