Travel + Leisure have posted their ’20 Best Snowboarding Resorts in the World, According to Expert Boarders’ list, and safe to say it’s quite controversial.
The publication contacted, “several boarders” and compiled their opinions to create the list. The credentials and locations of these riders isn’t specified, so keep that in mind when reading the list. Also, we’re not off to a hot start when a publication refers to riders as ‘boarder’, but what are you going to do?
Without further ado, here are the 20 Best Snowboarding Resorts in the World according to “expert boarders” and Travel + Leisure.
Best Snowboarding Resorts in The U.S.
Mt. Baker Ski Area, Washington
Brighton Resort, Utah
Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, California
Park City Mountain Resort, Utah
Aspen Snowmass, Colorado
Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort, Oregon
Powderhorn Mountain Resort, Colorado
Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but how can you create a list of the best resorts for snowboarding in the United States of America and not include a single resort on the East Coast or Midwest?
Snowboarding originated in Michigan and was launched into the stratosphere by folks like Jake Burton Carpenter in Vermont. Major snubs on this list include: Wild Mountain, MN; Mont Snow, VT; Stratton, VT; and Killington, VT.
Best International Resorts for Snowboarders
Kitzsteinhorn Glacier, Austria
Baldface, Canada
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France
Ski Alberg, Austria
Laax, Switzerland
Niseko United, Japan
Les Arcs, France
Davos Klosters, Switzerland
Revelstoke Mountain Resort, Canada
Verbier, Switzerland
Rusutsu Resort, Japan
Tignes, France
Whistler Blackcomb, Canada
The international list is a little less controversial, but doesn’t it feel like there should be more American ski resorts on the overall list? Heck, they could have even split it 50/50 between American and International ski resorts, but for some reason, the “expert boarders” surveyed for this list clearly favor resorts outside of the US.
You obviously can’t include every resort on a defined list, but it feels like Banff Sunshine Village, AB (ever heard of Holy Bowly…?!) and Big White, BC were snubbed. Also, how is Whistler Blackcomb on the bottom of the International list? That feels a bit odd considering the endless park, freeride, powder, and cruising opportunities Whistler provides, but hey, what do we know…?
Skiers get a lot of the shine when it comes to ranking resorts, but which resorts do you think are best for snowboarding? Let us know!
