Best Snowboarding Resorts

Many call it the ‘snowboard capital of Europe’, and we’re inclined to agree. Avoriaz has been transforming rookies into bona fide riders for yonks, and the variety of terrain here just goes on and on. They start ‘em young here, with Mint Snowboarding School teaching tots from 3 years old (we haven’t seen that anywhere else in Europe) on the coolest, diddiest snow parks we’ve seen. And the snowparks don’t stop there – far from it. There are SIX here overall, including the pro-standard Arare, less intimidating La Chapelle and a huge halfpipe. Our favourite is The Stash – an outstanding ‘Eco Park’ packed with wooden jibs, rails and walls. Designed by the one and only Jake Burton, it was the first of its kind in Europe and remains by far the finest. Freeriders can pass the time surfing between the trees of Combe à Floret, dropping cliffs under the Pointe de Vorlaz or traversing into the wide-open powder bowl from Pointe de Mossette. Don’t let all of this overshadow the piste riding here, though. Every SNO trip to Avoriaz has to include a cruise on the high-altitude Bleue du Fornet for its superb views, as well as a plummet down the high octane Comebette black.

The Big M is a much loved stomping ground, with its park, pistes and powder keeping us coming back year after year. Serviced by its own lift, with beer on tap at the Vans bar, we could easily spend all season in the Penken Park. A favourite of Jenny Jones and regular host of the British Snowboarding Championships, it has its 11 kickers, 34 boxes and a 5 in 1 rail ride – there’s even a chance for youngsters to take to the tables in their own kids-only zone. It’s not all about the parks, though; the pistes are pretty fine too. Head to the Ahorn to build up your rhythm before cranking up the tempo on the insanely steep Harakiri or freeriding some of the 300km ungroomed descents.

This Colorado classic was the area’s first resort to welcome snowboarders and famously held the world’s first freestyle snowboard event back in 1985. It’s certainly remained in the spotlight, drawing in pro’s from far and wide for events like the Dew Tour and the Super Girl All-Female Slopestyle. As you’d expect, the parks are pretty awesome – Freeway Park (of Shaun White – You Wrote the Song fame) has the gong for ‘Best Park’ from Freeskier magazine to prove it. Located off chair 5, an impressive 22ft superpipe draws you in…. and not settling for just one, the resort’s FIVE freestyle areas keep you coming back with a goldmine of table tops and spines. Onto the piste, Breck doesn’t take its foot off the pedal, with its signature motorway groomers a dream to ride. Peak 7 is a favourite: start off at black Y-Chute (off the broad bowl), and cruise onto tree-lined carvers like blues Monte Cristo and Claimjumper. One route that can’t be missed, expert or novice, is the super-long Lower American via Volunteer, a blue/green combo that stretches diagonally across Peak 9 at a sloping gradient, kicking up the powder spray.

The mighty Jakobshorn is the king of the snowboarding scene here – with the JatzPark’s massive kickers and rails at the top of the mountain, and Bolgen’s whopping great superpipe at the bottom (occupied by the pro’s when the O’Neill Evolution Snowboard Jam comes to town). Further afield, waves of blue and red groomers can be found all over the area’s six mountains, some high and open and others weaving between the trees. Experts have their fair share of more testing rides, like black #13 to Wolfgang, black #9 to Davos and some glorious off piste itineraries on the Pischa ‘Freeride Mountain’. There’s also scope for plenty of healthy competition, thanks to the bordercrosses on both Madrisa and Parsenn.

St Anton should be firmly on every established boarder’s bucket list. You could easily return here every season and find new terrain every time, with 280km of groomers, 180km of marked off piste and limitless, legendary backcountry to boot. Freeriders owe it to themselves to take on the infamous Valluga North Face at least once: When your nerves have recovered from the initial chute drop, try out the Bridge Couloir for an equally thrilling alternative. The line down the back of Kapall has a challengingly steep top section, and a huge array of natural hits to bounce down. Make your way to the peak of Schindler Spitze, find enough courage to duck the fence and hurl down the channels of steep, narrow fingers. O’Neill’s STANTON Park has anything and everything you need to make your buzz down the 4 lines a winner, ranging from fun to pro with a top-class restaurant and DJ at the bottom, revving up the adrenaline.

A name that makes any seasoned rider’s stomach fizzle in anticipation: boarders searching for testing terrain, tremendous scenery and an authentic town vibe will have a ball in Chamonix. The combination of manmade and natural obstacles is mindboggling - Grand Montets and Les Houches are home to two outstanding parks (Summit and Bellevue), both split into separate sections for newbies and veterans. If it’s in the snow god’s favour, Le Tour has a cracking natural half pipe, and the Brévent and Flégère areas have a stonking good mix of natural tables and jibs, not to mention a Big Airbag jump and some fabulous powder descents. Speaking of which, the ultimate way to experience Cham is delving into the backcountry with a guide: any one-planker worth their salt must pass the test of the Vallée Blanche, a 20km, 2700m vertical dive into wilderness. Admittedly there’s a flat bit, but it’s so worth the effort for the kudos (and those views of the Drus summits).

Verbier’s Eden for extreme freerider’s: Only a short traverse away from any lift, you’ll find a heady mix of gullies, rock faces, powder fields and open bowls. Stand atop Mont Gelé, and take your pick of couloirs so intense you’ll need to pack your wits in your rucksack that morning. Play around underneath Chassoure for some of the most challenging lines in the area (and that’s saying something!) but for seriously steep, deep powder, it doesn’t get any better than Mont Fort. Verb is all about natural parks, like the zone under the Lac des Vaux lift, and when you’ve got such wild landscape to explore, you’d be crazy to want to get your adrenaline fix any other way. With all of this going on, the snowpark rarely gets crowded, so, if that’s more your style, take to the perfectly shaped kickers and shred your socks off.

High snow is good snow, and with both villages above 2100m and slopes reaching heights of 3450m, the riding here is as high as it gets. Then, you’ll find broad, casual groomers all over the place. Rip a few lines down the likes of Signal, Grettalu and Carline blues above Val Claret and you’ll be feeling invincible, and ready to tackle whatever the week has to throw at you. For progression, check out independent snowboard school Rebel Alliance, who can help you from your first heel-side turn to backcountry and park techniques. Freeriders will find that absence of forest opens up little areas that might otherwise be inaccessible – nifty powder puddles and cliff drops are waiting to be sought out on top of seven cracking itinerary trails. Head up the Tichot and Col du Palet lifts and veer left for freestyle terrain including a halfpipe, or venture further afield to neighbouring Val D’Isere for their gargantuan Valpark, not to mention even more world class terrain both on and off the piste.

Whistler must have a whole cabinet of board-related awards by now – host of the 2010 Winter Olympics, and home of untold numbers of pro snowboarders – it’s difficult to know where to begin. Blackcomb’s the best area for on-piste riding, with a choice of blue highways from the Solar Coaster and Crystal Ridge Express chairs. For powder, head out into British Columbia’s pristine backcountry by Cat, Heli or good old fashioned hike. Freestyling here is no game either. The Nintendo Terrain Parks team is responsible for constructing these areas, and each season they completely redesign and rebuild them based on suggestions and reports from riders over the season. The result is that whether you’re hitting the pro’s XL Park or the Big Easy Terrain Garden, year on year it’ll only ever be improving.

From the spine-tingling 3226m peak of the Aiguille rouge, the view is all white. Here’s where you’ll find black pistes like the Aiguille Rouge itself or Robert Blanc, not to mention hair-raising freeride material leading down the open faces to Arc 2000. On lower half of the mountain, it’s all about dipping in and out of the tree lines and jibbing off natural rollers on the side of the piste. Hard-core freestyle is catered for as well – a huge slopestyle area above L’Arpette has a wide range of features, including an airbag for the most tentative or XXL kickers for the least… Pistes here tend to follow a pattern of being wide and steep or narrow with lower gradient. Either way makes for the best kind of fun - take a cruise on Grand Renard under the Col De La Chal and follow it through with Reches into the trees above Vellandry with the Barmont blue.