The Best Snowboarding in North America

Don't underestimate the flyboys back east (Stowe)

Comment On This Article

Add to My Favorites

There are a few things that North America's premier snowboarding resorts have in common: buckets of snow, outstanding terrain, and ridiculously priced hamburgers at the in-house restaurants. Beyond that, they're as varied as the beers on tap at the local microbreweries.

From the heavenly freeriding in British Columbia to the groomed, hard-packed powder of the northeastern United States, we've chosen the ten best resorts to snowboard in North America. Some of these mountains are known for their epic proportions: Whistler-Blackcomb's mile-high vertical drop, Snowbird's 500-plus inches of annual snowfall, and Crested Butte's terrain have been steeped in the "extreme" sports scene for some time now. Others stick to their old-school values, like Alberta's Lake Louise, where the best mode of transportation into the backcountry is your own two feet. Then you've got Stevens Pass, tucked away between Seattle and Wenatchee, Washington, where the only fluff is the virgin powder you're cruising on.

The resorts that follow are the best around. From Vermont to Vancouver we've picked the ten best places to cruise the groomed terrain, huck yourself off of cliffs, and explore the backcountry—and to keep yourself happy doing it. Each resort has an introduction and general information, followed by a second page of freeriding, freestyling, and carving descriptions.

Freeriders are those who seek out the "freshies." Those who have skied the Northeast know what a luxury the powder out West is. Sometimes you have to ski out-of-bounds in the backcountry to find the untouched stuff. Canada is a lot more liberal with its rules, so be careful if you're riding in the United States. You may lose your pass if you happen to wander beyond the boundary line. Be sure to check on avalanche reports if you decide to explore.

Freestylers , jibbers, acrobats, maniacs, freaks, flyboys, flygirls…whatever you want to call them, these people love to get high. The terrain parks keep getting better, and the exposure of freestyle snowboarding is peaking right now, so there's never been a better time to learn to fly.

Carvers are those who like the fast and well-marked groomed terrain. These folks get a certain amount of satisfaction out of their heel-to-toe dance, the sweeping arc of their boards on the mountain, and the rolling runs laid out before them.

Mix it up for the best time. And don't forget about those microbrews.