Top Snowboarding Resorts and Half-pipes

View at Whistler, BC

Top 10 snowboarding resorts
In her search for the planet’s best snowboarding resorts Observer Escape's Gemma Bowes has got gnarly all over the world. She names her top 10 favourite places to get radical.

1. Tignes, France

This resort simply has everything you need for a brilliant snowboarding trip. I've returned here time after time and never get bored of the massive expanse of terrain and the ridiculous nightlife. Great off-piste lies at the top of almost every lift. There are fantastic powdery bowls and, despite the ugly buildings, the views of the lake are pretty stunning.

Staying at the friendly boarders' chalet, the Dragon Lodge is essential. The guys will show you the best places to ride and party. Tignes' nightlife is exactly what you want on a snowboarding holiday: incredibly cheesy but with a cool crowd. The perfect evening begins with some Kwak beers in the St Jacques, followed by the potent iced margaritas in Daffy's cafe, and then some dancing to Dire Straits in the Yorin cafe, by which time you should have worked yourself up for the crescendo - sliding across the sticky dancefloor of the cavernous Blue Girl nightclub.

2. Lake Tahoe, United States

For the boarding holiday of a lifetime you can’t go wrong with Lake Tahoe. With several large resorts spread around the lake there is a phenomenal amount of terrain to explore. I remember endless miles of near-deserted, powdery slopes and hours of fun riding through the trees in Sierra, plus thrilling steep, deep runs in Heavenly. It's more about the boarding than the nightlife here, but the hip Block hotel is popular with pro-riders.

3. St Anton, Austria

Oh. My. God. You have to go full throttle at a boarding holiday in St Anton. It's the only way to experience it to the max. It might not have a very snowboardery vibe, but if you want somewhere with stacks of accesible, mind-blowing off-piste, you'll have a lot of fun. Head to the top of the Valluga lift for amazing views and challenging riding, and to the Rendl area, where the slouchy boarders hang out, for a decent park and good freeriding when there’s powder.

You’ll need to drink a lot to get into the spirit of the après-ski in infamous slopeside bars such as the Krazy Kangaroo. But they can be fun if you embrace the jolly atmosphere created when posh Brits meet big beery Germans.

4. Verbier, Switzerland

I have probably spent too many holidays in Verbier - some friends once owned a chalet there - but it's an amazing resort with a stark, almost scary setting. You feel like you're really conquering a proper mountain when you board. When there’s been a big dump, La Chaux is a lot of fun with loads of natural features and gullies. If Verbier's mean, steep mountains get the better of you, Nendaz is a quieter area with some easy riding for beginners, or for practicing ollies or switch riding. Verbier’s many black runs offer some exciting challenges. My favourite is the monstrous Tortin - the only run with moguls I’ve found that is actually fun on a board.

5. Saas Fee, Switzerland

Year-round riding is what makes Saas Fee a hit with the baggy-trousered crew. In the summer and early in the season, loads of professional boarders and skiers head here to train on the glacier. The resort has allowed one of the British snowboarding team’s coaches to design the board park, meaning it seriously kicks ass. It’s a car-free resort with a top-notch boarders’ hotel - Hotel Dom. You’ll probably end up in Popcorn every night - the bar that all snowboarders know and love.

6. Banff, Canada

Because of the harsh conditions, riding in Banff feels extreme however hard you hit the slopes. You’ll feel extreme just sitting in your lodge watching telly, because the weather reports are full of roads being cut off by avalanches, and temperatures dropping to minus 50°C. On the hill, heavy snowfall is common in Sunshine Village and Goat’s Eye. If you’ve got a wild streak, try to conquer the double-black diamond runs, such as Hell’s Kitchen. There’s even a run that includes a ride down a frozen waterfall.

7. Zermatt, Switzerland

Zermatt is the ultimate, traditional picture-perfect ski resort. It would almost be too much of a cliché to come here if it wasn’t so darned lovely. The little mountain huts are wonderfully old-fashioned and adorable, the curving paths that hug the hills offer stupendous views of That Mountain and there are so many sweet little pistes through the trees. Go for Christmas and you’ll almost die of the quaintness. Okay, a too-cool-for-school snowboarder shouldn’t be interested in all that, so I can also add that there are lots of great powder bowls and couloirs, fantastic reliable snow conditions due to its position as one of the highest European resorts, and acres of backcountry.

8. Ruka, Finland

The boarding here is by no means challenging but it’s the perfect resort for beginners. The slopes are lumpy, rounded and hence non-threatening. Everyone speaks perfect and entertaining English, and the snow is wonderfully soft and powdery. If you get sick of the boarding (how could you?), there are loads of other activities on offer. Such as snowmobiling across frozen lakes in wolf-infested snowfields or husky sledging – I hate dogs but found it an incredible experience. The local bar has poles attached to the ceiling to hold onto while you dance on the tables (they're clever, the Finns). But you'll practically have to fight the locals to let you join in with the karaoke. I got thrown off stage for attempting to sing Ra Ra Rasputin in Russian.

9. Risoul, France

I came here years ago, when the highly amusing Snowbombing music and snowboarding festival was held here. The resort has a really laid-back, boarder-friendly attitude and it’s great if you have a mixed-ability group. It’s well laid out, and you’re guaranteed a relaxed week. The bars are cool in a scruffy way, and though you’ll end up eating in Snack Attack at least once, there’s some decent traditional grub to be found.

10. Les Arcs, France

Loads of off-piste, thick powder and natural hits make Les Arcs a sublime playground for the rider. It’s very easy to reach as it’s right next to Bourg St Maurice, the main train station for the Alps. The different areas have a very different vibe - 1800 is the liveliest. The resort has quite a mellow, cosy feel but there’s a vast amount of varied terrain and fantastic tree riding.


World's Best Snowboard Half-Pipes

Half-pipes have evolved a lot in the past decade. As riders got more extreme – so did the half-pipes. They are bigger, steeper and taller than they were to begin with. Kidzworld surveyed the globe and found the tightest half-pipes the earth has to offer!

1. Whistler, BC (Canada)
Whistler’s Blackcomb Mountain is home of the world-famous Superpipe. As its name suggests, the pipe is indeed super and is only for the most talented riders. It's 450 feet long, with a 17-foot radius and is 16.5 feet high! Snowboarding stud Shaun White won the Superpipe event here in the Global X Games in 2003. So if you wanna follow in his footsteps, you're gonna have to head up north and start practicing!

2. Mammoth Mountain, California (USA)
For a snowboarder who enjoys riding a half-pipe, going to Mammoth Mountain is like a kid going to Disneyland for the first time. On top of having an impressive Superpipe, the terrain park also boasts the world’s largest half-pipe with the Super Duper Pipe. It is 600 feet long and 18 feet high! Add 400 inches of snow per year and a long snowboarding season and Mammoth is the place to be for snowboardin’ junkies.

3. Saas-Fee (Switzerland)
A real world class, Saas-Fee is said to be the best place to snowboard in Europe. The Saas-Fee resort, which is located in the Swiss Alps, boasts three, 300-foot half-pipes and a superpipe. However, they are known to play lame music around the half-pipes - so remember to bring your iPod!

4. Breckenridge, Colorado (USA)
The Freeway Superpipe is one of the most popular and best constructed half-pipes in the world. Nearly a decade old, the Freeway Superpipe is 455 feet long and nearly 17 feet high. This world class half-pipe in the Rockies hosts a number of competitions like the Chevrolet U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix.

Article sources: guardian.co.uk and kidzworld.com


Grab The Bookmarketer For Your Site