The 4 Best Backcountry Snowboarding Destinations in the U.S.

Splitboarding is having a moment. Still.

The uphill craze started during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic when wonky rules at ski resorts coupled with a need to distance from other people led to a boom in splitboard and backcountry gear sales. For nearly all of 2021, it was near impossible to find a splitboard in stock on Salomon’s website. The companies and shops that did have them available were not budging on the sale price.

While those days are behind us, the in-bounds uphill craze is now seasoned enough to venture into the backcountry. Here are a few spots for you to get started.

Before you read this list, please understand the importance of carrying the three essentials: a beacon, a shovel, and an avalanche probe. Learn how to use them. Take avalanche safety courses. Always carry a cell phone with you, and make sure you bring extra layers to keep yourself warm in case of emergency. Never, ever venture into the backcountry alone.

This list is based on personal experiences.

1. The Cooley-Jericho Glade – Franconia Region, New Hampshire

Established in 2019, this 840-acre area in the Cooley-Jericho Community Forest is smack dab in the middle of four towns: Franconia, Sugar Hill, Easton, and Landaff. The uphill shows off Mount Lafayette and Cannon Mountain. It’s not a steep route—the skintrack gains just 800 vertical feet or so to the summit, but there are some amazing tree runs and other features to drop in off of.

One piece of advice: if you’re not in good enough shape for multiple runs, make sure to take the Innkeeper line and head back the way you came in. Otherwise, you’ll be splitting back up to the summit for a long run down.

2. Berthoud Pass – Berthoud Falls, Colorado

One of the most breathtaking views both on the way up and down, Colorado’s Berthoud Pass has been dubbed the best backcountry spot east of the Continental Divide.

The uphill is a mellow 600’ of vertical gain, and there are several different places to drop in once you’ve summited. Go back down the way you came up for a mellow, winding run. Drop into the trees for some gnarlier (and riskier) stuff. Just whatever you do, bring the three essentials.

The summit has an elevation of 11,945’. On a weekend, the parking lot is popping, so bring a lunch and a soda to enjoy afterward. There is a welcome area with rest rooms, if you need them.

3. Sherburne Ski Trail – Mt. Washington, New Hampshire

Is the Sherb in?

Skin up Tuckerman Ravine Trail on Mt. Washington, New Hampshire, which sits adjacent to the Sherb. There are steep pitches, exposed rocks, waterbars, and ice (it is the ice coast). It’s a fan favorite for many east coast backcountry athletes.

The trail is 2.4 miles long and runs from the floor of Tuckerman Ravine down the Little Headwall and past Hillman’s Highway near the Hermit Lakes Shelters, down to the parking lot of the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center. It drops 2,400’ over the course of blue square-quality riding.

4. Thunderbolt Ski Trail – Adams, Massachusetts

Built in the 1930s, Thunderbolt is one of the original ski trails cut in Massachusetts. It was described in a 1939 guidebook as “one of the steepest and most difficult expert trails in the east.” We’ve gotten metal edges—and snowboards, for that matter—since then, but Thunderbolt is still a favorite among New Englanders.

There is a hut at the summit for you to take a break before riding down, fully equipped with its own fireplace. The steepest portions of the run-down are comparable to a blue trail or an easy black diamond at a resort. The entire ski line is 1.8 miles long, with 2,216’ of vertical drop.

Thunderbolt has been ranked by the Powder Project as the number one ski line in Massachusetts and the number one spot in Berkshire County.

Original Post from this site