Author: jackshort25

I have been all over the country snowboarding and I feel like I have to put together my top 3 for snowboarding. It is really hard to put together a list like this because each trip is completely unique and is its own encompassing experience, but I’ll give it my best. Basically I’m just going to tell you from my experiences, my favorite places I have been and recommend going. I am ranking these in no particular order and enjoy these all almost equally.

1. Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe, California
2. Jackson Hole, Wyoming
3. Angel Fire, New Mexico

Growing up in California, we used to go to Squaw Valley all the time and it is just a phenomenal mountain. With all the riding at the very top of the mountain and throughout the backcountry, there is so much terrain to ride and the powder is heavy and wet. The snow is phenomenal there and the views are just too pretty.

Jackson Hole, is known as being a God spot for winter sports and has never failed me. It is the perfect place from beginner to the best riders that have ever hopped on a board. From vast powder to an awesome terrain park, Jackson Hole has it all.

Lastly, Angel Fire in New Mexico has to be my other top spot. Talk about a small resort, small town and small mountain, there ain’t much to do besides ride and drink beer. However the snow is incredible as it’s in the Southern Rockies and the place is amazing if you love small town vibes.

Ultimately, if you go to any big resort in the World to go snowboarding or skiing, there will be a “terrain park” which is just a big area full of different features like rails, boxes, rail gardens, halfpipes, jump and side hits. All of these different features come together to give a playground to snowboarders and skiers to get good and jumping and grinding in their respective disciplines. From resort to resort, the location of the terrain park on the mountain varies and is normally completely unique from others.

Terrain parks are extremely popular now and will make up for a lot of the mountain’s activities, but it used to not be like that. Skiers actually invented the terrain park to segregate snowboarders off the slopes of the mountain because they were too “reckless” and “out of control”. In turn they built terrain parks to move more snowboarders off the slopes and onto supervised recklessness. Well that turned out to change the way resorts are and now terrain parks can be the main attraction for some mountains. As I said earlier, most terrain parks are unique and they are changed daily to keep riders on their toes and trying new stuff!

One of the most crucial parts of snowboarding is your snowboard boots and it is often overlooked. With the right pair of comfortable snowboard boots, your snowboard game can be taken to a WHOLE new level. Imagine playing soccer, football or basketball in a new pair Shoes or cleats and they are stiff and extremely uncomfortable. It’s terrible, you blister up, your feet hurt and it is very hard to perform at a high level. Same with snowboarding boots, but in reality, all boots are extremely stiff and it’s up to you to find comfort. Some of the most prominent snowboard boot brands are Burton, Vans and K2. They all make a variety of different boots with features stemming from Boa to completely unique boot designs. However personally, my favorite boots have been discontinued and are not produced anymore. Nike used to be my favorite for snowboard boots and designed them all from the Air Jordan 1. Personally one of my favorite pieces of foot wear ever made as it is so revolutionary.

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I mentioned earlier of a feature called Boa. The boa system is a very intricate wire design underneath the outer sole of the boot. All of these wires are all connected up to a spinning system at the top of the boot, where you spin it to tighten up the entire boot. Where a normal boot, lacing takes a long time to do and can be aggravating, this allows you to tighten up your boot and get out there quick!

When you think about snowboarding, this is probably what comes to your head, big jumps and big rails. Slopestyle is the main competition for snowboarding and truly is the all encompassing competition for the sport. Majority of slopestyle competitions start with 3 rail gardens which is basically 3 separate areas with rails, so the snowboarder has to grind on 3 separate rails to complete the first part of the competition. The rails come in a different variety of angles, widths and lengths, allowing maximum rider creativity.

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Following the rail section of the slopestyle course is normally 3 big jumps back to back to back. For the most part, all of these jumps are identical and massive. For some courses though, there is a smaller jump involved in the middle to show off a really nice style trick in between two massively technical tricks. On these jumps, snowboarders throw a a variety grabs to quadruple corks. It’s really about who has the most send with the most style. Through and through this is the best competition snowboarders can compete in and is featured through the Xgames, Burton US open and the Red Bull Signature Series.

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One of the most unforgiving and ruthless pieces of land in the world today is Alaska. Majority of the terrain is untouched and left as some of the last remaining true nature. The elements are in full force in Alaska and truly are a force to be reckoned with. However through all the rough terrain, there is so much beauty to be found in its snow. Snowboarding in Alaska is not for the faint of heart, it’s where the best strive to go and where the best showcase their best snowboarding ability. Not only is the snow just a delicate heavy powder, prefect for anything you want to do, the environment is just suited great for action sports. However with such great quality snow and runs to take, there is a catch, the weather can go from a warm sunny day, to a full on week long blizzard. The conditions are ruthless, but it is so worth the wait. From resorts, to massive spines on breathtaking mountains, Alaska has it all, just waiting for boards to tear it up! Regardless it is just such a beautiful place.

There are many types of snowboards that all serve a completely different purpose on the mountain. Depending on what you are doing on the mountain and how you want to ride that day selecting the right board can make all the difference. When you think of a basic snowboard, those are primarily your all mountain boards and park boards, great for casual riding and riding the terrain park.

As snowboarding has progressed to more challenging terrain and lots of powder, boards have started to change shape and look a lot different. With softer snow and more challenging terrain you want a board with good angles that can really maneuver through the snow easy. With modified tails and board shapes, snowboard companies have made some really wild boards!

Probably one of the most coveted events in all of snowboarding is the X-Games Snowboard Superpipe. The superpipe is basically a long tube with the top cut off, and snowboarders throw some of the biggest tricks in this event. The superpipe combines speed, massive jumps and massive style. You truly have to have some screw loose to do some of the things these guys are doing!

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These guys fly at max speed and launch up to 26’ up into the air it is crazy! This is definitely one of the most entertaining events in all of sports!

You can’t just think of the typical ski resort when it comes to snowboarding. All across the world, where there is snow, is the opportunity to snowboard. With different mountains and ecosystems come different types of snow and very different conditions. With all of that being said, the conditions in Japan are completely unique and special. The snow is very wet and thick causing massive snow build up and big sets of powder. When I refer to “powder” I mean snow that is relatively deep around knee to waist high that is very fluffy and thick to ride through. As the mountains in Japan are not the most popular and widely used, the snow is always super fresh and natural… ready to be ridden. In snowboarding culture, Japan is held in very high regards and is a very coveted place to snowboard. The more you know!