the 10 following resorts have often been named by the best snowboarders as being the cream of the crop in the snowboarding society
These resorts have slopes at high altitude, steep slopes, northern exposure, and massive glaciers which last through the spring and sometimes into the summer months, providing plenty of snowboarding. un usaualy some of these resorts in fact record their best snow laden months in March or April.
Lake Tahoe, California
Tahoe resorts is almost meant to be, condition wise, perfect for snowboarding. Kirkwood is possibly the best with the highest altitude, it is an extraordinary place which has been considered the largest natural snowboard park in the U.S. The altitude, wide open bowls, arcing ridge line and long gullies accommodate steep chutes, crisp corduroy trails, extreme drops and huge wind lips.
Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows are also renowned for their excellent spring exposures.
Sugarloaf, Maine
This mountain has an elevation of more than 4000 feet. Nights can be very frosty and April is historically the second most-snow-laden month of the ski season.
Snowbird, Utah
Snowbird is a mythically enormous slope, the resort has the maximum altitude of any Utah retreat and the north-facing slopes keep wonderful surfaces, even though the area gets warm. The most insistent queues are for the Tram, which takes 125 die-hard powder freaks to 11000 feet in eight minutes. Once there, it's a frantic rush to strap in quickly and score freshies.
Summit County, Colorado
This county claims the highest altitude resorts in the state. Of the three major resorts, Copper Mountain has the best territory and exposure for the late season. Neighboring Arapahoe Basin is a spring legend. Snow stays on the steep Palivaccini long into the summer, with some Aprils having up to four feet of snow, and May sometimes adds another two to three feet of powder. The scene at the base area is amazing, with hundreds of riders enjoying tailgate parties. Close-by Loveland is a springtime contender too.
Whistler/Blackcomb, British Columbia, Canada
This region, particularly the upper slopes, ordinarily makes it almost to Memorial Day. Blackcomb's big bowls and the glacier make this a wonderful place to enjoy riding in the sun. The slopes into the village can acquire very deep slush, even in spring. From the summit of Whistler Mountain's high snowcapped Peak Chair to Blackcomb Mountain's Horseman T-bar, the choices are mind-blowing: 200-plus trails, three glaciers, and 12 bowls, in addition to tons of wind lips, cornices, boulders and hundreds of acres of trees all combined with the largest vertical drop in North America.
Mammoth Mountain, California
Without a doubt one of the kings of spring riding. This area has excellent weather for spring snow freezing at night, but warm during the day. The altitude changes between 8000 and 11000 feet. A few of the lower lifts may close, but the upper mountain remains open.
Stevens Pass, Washington
Stevens Pass is divided into two areas: a front side, wooded with steeps off Big Chief and Cowboy Mountains; and a backside Mill Valley area, which has some wide-open regions with hidden groves of trees and a perpetual fall-line. The splendid view from the peak of Stevens' Big Chief Mountain is equalled by topography that offers some serious double diamond trails, open fields, and pockets of wicked tree riding.
Sunshine Village, Banff, Alberta, Canada
This resort is famed for its snow. It has no snowmaking--nature continually provides an enormous bounty of the white stuff. And Sunshine keeps its snow remarkably well through the late season. The resort is by itself at the top of a gondola, but Banff’s bistros and nightlife are only a short trip from the base.
Killington, Vermont
This has normally been the first-to-open and the last-to-close resort in New England for decades. It maintains its snow better than any other northeastern resort. The late season ground is indeed more limited than at peak, but the verticals remain daunting. Killington, familiar for partying during the cool harsh midwinter, really goes hell mad in the spring.
Crested Butte, Colorado
Crested Butte kicks ass. Its steep, ungroomed, and packed tight with cliff jumps and radical tree runs. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid hid out here in 1902, and not much has changed since.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
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