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LEGENDARY LADIES: VERONICA PAULSEN, Meet the Modern-Day Pioneer of Female Skiing




Veronica Paulsen skier
Veronica Paulsen sending a massive backie (backflip). Photo Credit: Morgan Shields


What makes a legend? Someone who's the first to do something? Or is it someone who forges their way into the unknown, pushed by their need for progression? As we all know, you don't become a legend overnight. The behind-the-scenes work is where the foundation is laid down. Long training days, challenges to overcome both physically and mentally, injuries, coaching, work, the list can go on. For Veronica Paulsen, becoming a legend has had its own journey. From setbacks (canceled events, injuries, etc.), to continuing to push progress in the sport what makes someone charge their way to legendary status?


For those of you who are unaware, Veronica Paulsen is the first female skier in history to throw a backflip off of Corbet's Couloir. Earning her the title of Queen of Corbet's in 2020. You know Corbet's, the infamous feature located in Jackson Hole. The Kings and Queens of Corbet's is a competition where Olympians, X-Game athletes, and Pros alike gather to compete and show off their style while hucking it off of one of skiing's most infamous lines. With a 50-degree pitch and a 20-foot vertical drop, Corbet's would make the most advanced skier puckered just standing at the top.


Veronica is now back at it. Only this time, her goal: to be the first female in history to do a DOUBLE BACK FLIP off of Corbet's. With the Kings and Queens of Corbet's coming up in a few weeks (currently scheduled for Feb 8-15, 2025), She-Shredz wanted to reach out to the queen of flipping herself to get an idea of just how someone goes from mogul freestyle skier to backflip wonder.


To get to Queen's status, you have to start where it all began. Veronica was born and raised in California, with Olympic Valley (formerly known as Squaw Valley) as her training grounds. How can one be inspired to push bounds this big? Veronica told us, "I’ve always been inspired by women’s sports. Growing up I looked up to skiers like Michelle Parker and Ingrid Backstrom who were pushing the sport, but I also looked up to women in so many other sports: Serena William, Mia Hamm, and Allyson Felix, and I religiously watched the Stanford women’s basketball team, just to name a few. Seeing women give their all to be at the top of their sport and push the boundaries of the game gave me so much confidence as a young woman, and I wanted to be able to pass that on to the next generation as well."


There's something to be said about any athlete who wants to pass on their passion to the next generation. In a world where likes and being viral is the name of the game, Veronica is proving herself to be ionic.


How does it feel to know that she is now an inspiration to both young girls and "experienced" (matured) skiers? Veronica's humility shines through: "It still feels surreal when I hear young girls in skiing look up to me. To be in that position now is such an honor. There’s a lot of pressure that comes with that, but also so much support, and I’m grateful for that every day. I hope everyone out there who supports me knows how much it means to me and that I work hard every day to continue to make you all proud!"



Veronica Paulsen Skier
Veronica Paulsen going full throttle down a line. Photo Credit: Jordan Skattum


As skiers, we all can relate to those hard times. You know the ones: low tide, injuries, being "off your game," long days with little reward. Sometimes, it's rough just to get out there. We would be lying to ourselves if we glamourized the reality of pushing the boundaries of a sport. How does Veronica deal with the ups and downs? After the Kings and Queens contest was canceled in 2024 due to lack of snow and conditions, how do you come back from such a blow that is outside of your control?


"Sometimes it can be demoralizing to revolve your life around a sport that is so dependent on the weather: something you have no control over. Not to mention the injury risk that is always present in skiing and how many times you could be sidelined with a season-ender. The best way for me to persevere when I get discouraged is to focus on what you can control: your attitude in the face of these setbacks. After experiencing historically low snow seasons, and lingering injuries that kept me on the sideline, I am so appreciative of every day that the snow is good and that my body feels healthy enough to ski all day. It might sound cheesy but if you don’t take any day out there for granted when the low tide does come around, you’ll be happy to know you skied as much as you could while it was good."


How do you fuel genuine inspiration? What propels you to get out there, make those turns, and unleash all for the possibility of one moment in time that freezes, only making us continue to chase it endlessly? For Veronica, it's simple- "For me, skiing is all about the friendships and connections I make in the mountains. There’s nothing better than skiing a bluebird powder day with your best friends!"


The most important question we asked Veronica? What's your favorite ski line of course: "Favorite line of all… anytime I get up Cody Peak on a bluebird pow day with my friends! That’s what it’s all about!"


While Veronica is getting ready for the upcoming Kings and Queens of Corbets, we at She-Shredz can not wait to watch her stomp that double backie! To watch Veronica compete and show off her badass unique style tune in on February 8-15th stream live on Redbull TV.







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