One of the best things about snowboarding is that everywhere you go to do it is different. Very few people in the world are fortunate enough to have ticked off all of the places on their bucket list, meaning for most there are a number of locations which remain unreachable – somewhere they will endlessly watch videos about, but never actually visit.
These places are spread across the world, though for the most part, you’ll find them in North America or Europe. Here are some of the best places to go snowboarding.
Best Places To Go Snowboarding
Whistler/Blackcomb, Canada
This place is known around the world, even by those who wouldn’t know snow from grass, giving you a pretty good idea of its quality.
Whistler is a resort for everyone, boasting high quality riding for snowboarders of all styles and all ability levels.
This place is massive, with 8000 acres of varied terrain, and 37 lifts enabling you to access every inch of it.
City slickers will love the proximity of Whistler to Vancouver, with the British Columbian city just an hour and a half’s drive from the top of the mountain.
Unfortunately, and as you will see is a recurring issue in this list, Whistler’s quality is not a secret, meaning it gets packed, particularly in the school holidays.
Lift queues can get annoyingly long, and you’ll run over plenty of kids, but at least you’ll have fun doing it.
Davos, Switzerland
Switzerland is pretty well known for its snow, and this is the best resort they’ve got.
Freeriders will love the quality of the off-piste areas, but there is riding for all abilities and styles here.
Spread across five mountains, this place is renowned for its powder, but there’s also fun parks, half-pipes, and generally a whole lot of everything.
It’s a massive town and riding aside, there’s a heap to do here. As it’s spread across five mountains, you’ll need to devote a little time to transport to access all corners of the resort, but each mountain is individually big enough to keep you entertained for a day.
Like Whistler, Davos gets pretty busy, and if you plan to spend a weekend there in peak season you’ll need to be prepared for a little bit of frustration.
Mammoth Mountain, USA
California is not all beaches, rich people and surfing; there also happens to be a world-class ski resort just inside the border of Nevada.
Mammoth Mountain is best suited to freestylers, with over a dozen parks to go with a couple of pipes on offer.
For the rest of you, this probably isn’t the best place in the world, but it is still damn good.
There is a good range of off-piste areas as well as plenty of beginner runs, meaning all different kinds of riders can enjoy the immaculately manicured slopes of Mammoth Mountain.
Often, riding is possible until May, giving the place an extended season, but at peak time, as with everywhere, watch out for crowds.
Given it’s proximity to a few huge cities, it inevitably gets filled with city slickers on the weekends, so if you want to avoid this influx go during the week.
St Anton, Austria
Let’s head back to Europe, and visit a place with some of the best terrains Europe has to offer.
The off-piste quality here is as good as it gets, while freestylers will probably be a little more limited in their options.
St Anton is better suited to riders who are at least of a decent level, though beginners will be able to find something to do here, and not necessarily on the slopes.
The village here loves to party, so even if you have a shit day of riding you’ll still be able to salvage something out of your trip. It’s pretty pricey and full of Brits, but some of them are okay once you get to know them, and the quality of terrain makes it all worthwhile.
This is just a small sample of the best places to go snowboarding. There are plenty, plenty more.
Canada is home to more than just one good mountain, as are the USA and Switzerland, and we haven’t even touched on France.
These are just a handful of some of the best of them, but as each mountain offers up different things, the best slopes for one may not be the best for another.
Regardless, funding trips to each and every one of them is near impossible for mere mortals.
Tick a few of them off your list though, and you’ll die a little happier.
Do you have a few additional best places to go snowboarding? Let me know and I could feature you on this page with your answer? Just comment below with the places and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible
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