Veronica Paulsen Tackles Jackson Hole's Central Couloir

Featured Image: Courtesy of Veronica Paulsen

If there's one thing this video conveys, it's the power skiing has to shape our lives for the better. The takeaways of life lessons and valuable knowledge from these types of pursuits are unmatched. That message is delivered beautifully by these two Jackson Hole legends: Veronica Paulsen and Andrew Whiteford.

Paulsen has built herself into one of the prominent faces of freeride. Since becoming the first woman to stomp a backflip into Corbet's Couloir in 2020, she's been on a roll expanding her skiing into larger terrain. Though the Tetons hold some of the most renowned big mountain skiing in the world, few lines in this iconic range are as recognizable as Central Couloir, making it a worthwhile target for Paulsen last winter as she rebounded from a fractured sternum sustained during Kings and Queens of Corbet's 2025.

To complete this massive run, located in the middle of Cody Peak, a good deal of studying is required. There's no way out once you drop in. In some cases, the hike up would arguably be more dangerous than the continued descent. That's where the knowledge of someone like Andrew Whiteford becomes necessary. Whiteford is a legendary Jackson Hole skier, having checked off daunting and downright mysterious lines in the Tetons for years.

Together, Whiteford and Paulsen explore the lore of Central Couloir, navigate the route's intricacies and dive into the philosophy behind skiing behemoths like this one. It doesn't come easy, to say the least. "[You need] the alignment of different key elements like the conditions on the mountain, your mental desire to be there and your physical ability to back that up," Whiteford aptly states.

There's no brief way to explain the mental and physical battles that come naturally to big mountain skiing, but this project does as good a job as any. Dealing with themes of loss, perseverance and personal triumph, it's well worth the full watch. We can't wait to see what this duo gets up to this winter.

From YouTube:

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