Top Historical Places to Snowboard in the West
The Rockies. The Sierras. Two of the best regions for snowboarding and skiing in the world, they are definitely the best places to ski in the United States or Canada. The Rockies stretch from north to south in the western US, while the Sierras make up the coastal range of western North America.
While everyone has a reason to choose the best place to go snowboarding, there are five resorts of distinction which have historical significance in snowboarding.
Whistler-Blackcomb
Compared to the others, Whistler-Blackcomb is a recent development. Its place in history was solidified in 2010 as it was the location of many of the ski (Whistler) and snowboard (Blackcomb) competitions in the Vancouver winter Olympics. One of the longest slopes from peak to bottom, there are actually two mountains and two resorts located a short drive north of Vancouver International Airport.
Park City
The largest resort in the United States, Park City in Utah is the location of the snowboard and skiing competitions from the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002. Just a short drive from Salt Lake City, Park City ski resorts (there are two resorts in the area) still have the feeling of a small town, and the Wasatch Range separates them from the city so you can breathe in the crystal clear air while you enjoy the Olympic standard snowboarding.
Palisades Tahoe
One of the best ski resorts in California, Palisades Tahoe is the third site on this list to have hosted the Olympics. While the other two locations were the snowboard and ski hills for a nearby city, Palisades Tahoe holds the distinct honor of being the only resort area to have hosted the entire Olympics there.
Sun Valley
Sun Valley, Idaho gets on this list, not because of the Olympic skiing potential, but because of the fact that the first alpine ski chair lifts went into operation in Sun Valley in 1936 and 1937. This historic resort has been dropping snowboarders and skiers on the slopes for 80 years! Although there are other, older sites for skiing, this invention definitely changed the sport. Today, iconic Dollar Mountain caters nearly exclusively to snowboarders who prefer parks and pipes.
Buttermilk-Tiehack at Aspen The Winter X Games was held five times from 1997 to 2001 before it landed in Aspen, Colorado at Buttermilk which is also known as Tiehack Mountain; one of four separate ski areas at the Aspen Snowmass resort complex. In 2002, the run there began and currently is slated to continue until 2018. One of the reasons that it found a home here is that the X can literally take over the entire base area to allow the huge crowds that it gets. Many snowboarding “firsts” have happened on the slopes of X.
What are some of the most historic western snowboarding locations in your mind? Drop us a line with your reasons why in the comments below.