FREESKIER is no stranger to covering the legends of our sport. For 25 years and counting, we’ve been celebrating the athletes who make skiing come to life and bring it to new heights. Last week in Jackson Hole, we witnessed a new crop of skiers and riders upping the ante at the fifth annual Kings and Queens of Corbet’s competition—and it was only right to bring in a musical legend to celebrate accordingly at the Awards Ceremony.

Karl Denson and his band, the Traveling Universe, shot up the road from Fort Collins to treat the competitors and a sold out crowd at Jackson’s Pink Garter Theatre to a jam-infused, funky dance party to cap off the week-long event. But before the band took the stage, there was business to attend to—naming the King, Queen and People’s Choice winner of the athlete-judged competition. New for this year, the People’s Choice winner was voted on by viewers of the event and, in the end, the perpetual smiles, rowdy skiing and uplifting attitude that Corey Jackson brought with him to the event earned him the win and a YETI cooler full of prizes.

Then, it was onto the official winners. Alta local, Piper Kunst, took the top spot on the ladies’ side, showcasing her prowess with a smooth top-to-bottom run in the techy couloir that culminated with a massive backflip on the “crowd pleaser” jump at the bottom of the venue. On the men’s side, snowboarder Hans Mindich, a two-time podium finisher in the event, earned the love of his peers to be placed atop the men’s podium.

After naming this year’s winner, FREESKIER’s Sam Taggart and Damian Quigley took the stage to dish out a slew of prizes, including 4FRNT and Volkl skis, goggles from Salomon, POC and Dragon, YETI ramblers and custom FREESKIER hats from Ski Town All-Stars. But handing out gear to the ski-crazed crowed and enjoying the celebrations of the Kings and Queens awards ceremony weren’t the only thing on our minds. We were in town to introduce and kick-off FREESKIER’s Music in the Mountains concert tour, a multi-stop series of live music and DJ sets in mountain towns around the West. With Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe in the bag, we’re looking ahead to stops featuring Dopapod, Maddy O’Neal, Manic Focus, Big Something and more.

Keep scrolling to see highlights from the entire night in Jackson, shot by photographer Keegan Rice.

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About Music in the Mountains:

FREESKIER is about more than just ski action. It’s about the people, places and experiences that bring the ski community to life. In 2022, FREESKIER is hitting the road to visit some of the best ski towns across the country and celebrate the local communities in each of them. Every stop of the Music in the Mountains Tour, presented by ZYN, will be a chance to share stories of days on the hill and further grow the community while getting your legs into ski shape with a good old fashioned dance party. Don’t miss your opportunity to hang with the FREESKIER crew, get some exclusive FREESKIER swag and win tons of brand new ski gear.