Frozen Experiences of a Lifetime: Test Drive the Continent’s Best Terrain Parks

Sure, snowboarding got its start out east—look up “snurfing,” if you haven’t already, to learn all about Michigan’s (yes, really) role in its birth—but the western half of the continent has adopted the sport as its own. Vail was one of the first major resorts to embrace snowboarders instead of shunning them, and these days Colorado continues to provide some of the best terrain, for both boarders and jump-happy skiers. Check out Aspen’s Buttermilk, longtime site of the Winter X Games, head to Keystone or Breckenridge, and don’t forget the original home of the terrain park, Vail.

California is another terrain park leader: Mammoth Mountain and Tahoe’s Northstar and Heavenly are good bets. British Columbia’s Whistler Blackcomb and Park City, Utah, round out the top terrain picks.