Fives Great Places to Snowboard this Winter

Now that we’ve all survived the end of the world and Christmas is over, the time has come to indulge ourselves in activities that can bruise our tailbone and egos.

Snowboarding is one of my favorite winter activities, other than watching my son pee in the snow. Here are five places around the US that you should visit this year if you have a hankering for high-speed surfing down a big sheet of ice.

1. Big Sky, Montana: This winter wonderland has roughly 3,500 acres of  land and mountains for boarders to tackle. There are  experienced, intermediate and beginner slopes, so everyone gets a taste of the white stuff without breaking a hip in the process. Guys, if you’re taking your girl boarding, don’t get on Lone Peak mountain if you’ve  only been in the game for 2 weeks. She’s not going to be impressed when you have a concussion and can’t remember her name.

2. Mount Hood Meadows, Oregon: Getting about 430 inches of snow per year, MHW gives boarders a variety of trails for advanced and beginners. On the roster are six freestyle terrain parks, and a 500-ft long, 18-ft high Superpipe. It is also lit for night riding.

3. Mammoth Mountain, California: The tallest ski resort in California lives up to its name with an elevation of over 11,000 ft and a 600-ft long, 22-ft high Super Duper Pipe. Mammoth gets about 400 inches per year and is the only resort in North America with a Super Duper, Super and Mini Pipe.

4. Squaw Valley, California: Squaw Valley is one of the largest ski locations in the US offering over 6,000 acres of white stuff. Since their merger with Alpine Meadows this year, Squaw now offers 43 lifts and over 270 trails. Squaw was in the news recently when two snowboarders caused an avalanche that injured two other people, a 39-year-old woman and 16-year-old boy. Squaw Valley was  also the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics.

5.  Big Boulder, Pennsylvania: Big Boulder is rated one of the top 5 snowboard parks on the east coast and is a snowboarder’s dream with a multitude of terrain parks.