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Introduction to Northwest Winter Sports
Alaska , which is often considered as America's last frontier, is a place of adventure and excitement. Commonly thought of as a dark State, Alaska experiences 6-13 hours of daylight - giving you the opportunity to experience its wildlife and ski along its ski trails. Most ski resorts in this state suits all varieties of skiing, and has snowboarding areas. Ski and snowboard resorts are generally found in Alaska's interior and southwest regions. Mt. McKinley, the continent's highest peak, can also be found in the interior region of Alaska. Riding opportunities are available from October through April.
Idaho is the home of Sun Valley Ski Resort, America's first destination which was created in 1936. Idaho is endowed with some of the West's driest powder, 16,000 acres of downhill areas, perfectly groomed runs and scenic beauty. These characteristics will surely draw both snowboarders and skiers to visit the place, regardless of their skill level. The State has 46 Nordic ski areas that offer a lot of room to glide. Many of the state's ski resorts come with parks and pipes. If you are seeking some thrill, Idaho is definitely a place to go.
Montana is known for its huge mountains that are covered with snow, making it ideal for snowboarding and skiing. Montana ski resorts offer uncrowded slopes, 14,000+ acres that suits both skiing and snowboarding, 548 runs, and great scenery. It also has thousands of acres of land that suits cross-country skiing. Montana ski resorts have a total of 65 lifts that can move up to 72,000 people per hour. Ski season in this state can last from November to March.
Oregon's mountains and climate makes it suitable for skiing and snowboarding. The state is endowed with natural beauty which has been preserved for all to experience and enjoy. The high mountain passes of the Oregon Cascades, scenic landscape, and snowfall are great treats for beginner and expert snowboarders and skiers alike. Bordering the State of Washington and adjacent to Portland, Columbia-Gorge-Mountain offers many of the adventure activities, including downhill skiing.
Washington receives more than 500 inches of snowfall each year which is highly suitable for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. Most downhill ski areas can be found in the Cascade mountain range. This mountain range also offers heli-skiing, impressive vertical drops, and generous snowfall. In the East of the Cascades, skiers carve through fluffier powder of the drier eastern region.
Alberta's geographical areas are composed of prairies, parkland (mixed forest and plains), forests, and mountain regions. It offers a huge selection of groomed and ungroomed trails all over the provinces for cross-country skiing. You can also choose from urban river trails to out-of-the-way trails in the provincial parks. Alberta also takes pride of its light, dry powder snow which is perfect for snowboarding and skiing.
British Columbia's Rockies are filled with alpine destinations for you to enjoy this winter. This Canadian Region has ski and snowboard areas that meet international standards. You can also find small resorts and back road ski areas that offer quality service as well. Community cross-country ski areas can also be found throughout the region, providing trails for every skill level. British Columbia also has heli-skiing terrains that offers challenging alternative for those who are looking for a different kind of adventure. Snowboarding is also popular, especially in the North Shore where each mountain has its own snowboard park.
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Summer Snowboarding
By Cliff Montgomery, ExtremeProSports.com
If you're interested in snowboarding, the summer months can be a drag for obvious reasons. But if you have the desire -- and the money to get there -- you can find some real meccas for the summer snowboarder. Here are some of the best places in the world to get your summer fix from sweet lady snow.
Mt Hood, OR --Perhaps the place for American snowboarding over the summer months. There are a number of places to stay while at Mt. Hood, but one good location is Windells -- a Snowboard Camp, Skateboard Camp, Ski Camp, and Winter Camp all rolled into one.
Windells Camp at Mt. Hood is the place for snowboard, ski and skate camps -- winter, spring and summer. They host camps for kids and adults of all ages and abilities. Their camp environment allows for just the right amount of independence, while maintaining superior levels of safety and supervision. Windells Camp has plentiful snow, a 12,000 square-foot indoor recreation and training facility, tons of activities, and a friendly staff.
Glacier Snowboard Camps, Canada --Located in the heart of beautiful Whistler, BC Canada, Glacier Snowboard Camps is by far the best deal for anyone looking to improve their snowboarding and have a great time while doing it. They pride themselves on being a smaller, more personal summer snowboard camp. Unlike other summer snowboard camp owners, these owners are up on the glacier everyday to make sure the camp's terrain is the best it can possibly be, and that every snowboarder is having a wonderful time.
Switzerland -- Austria's European equal in offering summer snowboarding facilities. The Swiss boast a number of great destinations which provide half-pipes or funparks; and like everything else in Switzerland, they are of the very highest standard. One of the main places to check out is Saas-Fee, which boasts to having Europe's only all-year-round half-pipe and terrain park. Loads of pro riders hold camp here.
SAAS-FEE
Saas-Fee has been a well-known resort to snowboarders for many years. With its high altitude glacier, Saas-Fee also provides a mountain where you can ride fast and hard in the summer months. Indeed for some here, summer is the best time to visit Saas-Fee. The glacier opens in early July until September, with access to 20km of runs and a terrain park with kickers, ¼ pipe, tabletops, rails and a half-pipe. A lift pass will set you back 60CHF a day.
ICERIPPER
Iceripper Summer Camp has been running camps here since 1988 and has gained a good reputation. There's instruction for freestyle from half-pipe to rails, and room for beginners. In the afternoons there is fine wakeboarding, climbing, tennis, golf, mountain biking, and ice hockey. 590CHF gets you 6 nights Bed+Breakfast accommodation with 5 days riding and instruction, and yes, even a T-shirt. The camp has half-pipe, big airs, corner, rails, chairlift, drag lift, skatepark and some great snowside tunes with an occasional BBQ. www.iceripper.com
ZERMATT
Zermatt has the largest summer boarding area in Switzerland, high up on the Klein Matterhorn. The glacier opens in June until September and there is a number of easy/intermediate runs, all serviced by t-bars and a terrain park.
The Gravity Park has a series of kickers and rails and a super-pipe alongside the lift. A lift pass will cost you 60CHF, but the area is only open from 7:30 to 1:30pm; you need to get up early before it starts getting slushy. In the afternoon you can even take a look at the worlds highest ice pavilion at 3,810m (11,430 feet) if you're so inclined.
STOKED Summer Camp
Stoked runs 2 weeks of summer camps in July. A 6-night package including tuition, accommodation, lift pass etc. will set you back 630 euros. For more info take a look at www.stoked.ch
In most cases, lodging is available at or near the base area of the slopes.
Las Lenas Ski Resort, Argentina
Trails
More than sixty kilometers of runs provide skiers and snowboarders of all abilities with descents of varying difficulties, from a height of 11,253 feet above sea level to the base at elevation of 7,349 feet. The vertical drop of the lift-served in-bounds area of Las Lenas ski resort is a hefty 4,035 feet, with gradients ranking from 12% to 53%.
Chairlifts
Built in 1983, Las Lenas boasts the most modern lift system in South America. Lift lines are extremely rare at Las Lenas, since the mountain has 16 modern ski lifts that allow a total uphill capacity of 9,200 skiers per hour. Ski lifts are named after Roman and Greek Gods: Venus, Eros, Minerva, Vesta, Vulcano, Jupiter, Apolo, Neptuno, Mercurio, Caris, Selene, Juno, Iris, Marte, Urano, and Cenidor. Lifts run nonstop from 9am to 5pm daily.
These aren't the only good summertime snowboarding locations, but they are certainly some of the world's best.
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TOP 10 SNOWBOARDING AREAS
For many snowboarders, spring is the best time. In spring, crisp snow softens into bright mid-morning corn snow, goggles are swapped for sun glasses, temperatures are kind and quitting early for sunny après-ski is part of the fun.
Following are 10 resorts often named by the best snowboarders as being the cream of the crop, especially from Memorial Day to about July.
These resorts have high altitude, steep slopes, northern exposure, and massive snow packs or glaciers which last through the spring and sometimes into the summer months, providing plenty of snowboarding. Some of these resorts in fact record their best-snow-laden months in March or April.
Lake Tahoe , California Tahoe resorts present wonderful snowboarding. Kirkwood is possibly the best with the highest altitude; it is an extraordinary place which could easily be 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, hair-raising cliff drops and huge wind lips.
Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows are also renowned for their excellent spring exposures.
Sugarloaf, Maine This mountain is thought the best overall riders' mountain in New England. The elevation is more than 4,000 feet, the exposure slows the melt, nights are frosty and April is historically the second most-snow-laden month of the ski season. Reggae Weekend, in mid-April, is one of the East's biggest snowboarding parties. However, the mountain usually closes in late April--not for lack of snow, but too few riders.
Snowbird, Utah Snowbird is a mythically enormous, double black-diamond behemoth. 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 11,000 feet in eight minutes. Once there, it's a frantic rush to strap in quickly and score freshies.
Summit County , Colorado This fine 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; some Aprils have 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-boggling: 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 8,000 and 11,000 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. It's 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. The Butte is the location of the U.S. Extremes for both boarding and skiing, and is unreal after a dump.
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