Four Locations for Spring Splitboarding Missions
Words and images by MacKenzie Ryan
Spring. When you start skinning in the dark with all your layers and a headlamp on and close out the day riding in a tank top and bucket hat. This is my favorite time of year. Multisport opportunities abound. Warm day, cold nights, and corn--and sometimes heavy pow-riding.
This season’s unprecedentedly low snowpack is sure to limit where you can chase big lines. Still, there are adventures to be had if you’re willing to travel a little farther and, in some cases, accept longer approaches. Here are some of the spots I like for spring splitboarding missions.
1. Alta, UT
What’s better than splitboarding a steep-and-deep resort after it’s closed? Splitboarding a steep-and-deep resort that doesn’t allow snowboarders. Cue the punk rock music. Revenge is sweet.
Oh, Alta. The truth is I do not care you won’t allow me to ride your lifts. As soon as you close, all the dirtbag snowboarders and I skin right from the parking lot, track out your powdery goodness, and then sit in the Cliff Lodge’s rooftop hot tub for $20 (go off-season prices).
2. Jackson, WY
Thanks to a strict Forest Service lease, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort tends to close inexplicably early in April.
This obvious bummer has a few silver linings:
Jackson turns into a ghost town.
Due to Reason #1, you can actually find a cheap room at The Hostel in Teton Village or through AirBnB.
You can hike for mellow turns on Teton Pass, or gnarly turns in Grand Teton National Park.
3. Central Oregon
Non-stop backcountry spring missions get tiring. Mt. Bachelor spins lifts until Memorial Day (spring passes are $250). About 3.5 hours north, Timberline and Mt. Hood Meadows stay open absurdly late into the spring and then offer weekend-only sessions.
May is prime time in Oregon. You can tick off lines on the Central Oregon Cascades and, during the days you want to sleep in and lap between 10am and 2pm, access some of the most fun lift-served terrain the Pacific Northwest has to offer.
I love this area. It’s close to big rivers (Deschutes; Columbia) and only four hours away from the Pacific Ocean.
4. Colorado High Country
Colorado, like my home base of Utah, didn’t put up big snow totals this season. But, there is always rideable snow to be find somewhere in the high country.
Permanent snowfields, high-altitude zones, north-facing pockets: turns are available to you if you’re willing to take on the sometimes long-as-hell approaches. With the exception of mountain passes (Ophir, Loveland, Vail, Independent, Red Mountain), expect to go for a walk. I’m personally hoping the Gore Range will stay in this May.
Follow MacKenzie’s adventures @therealmackenzieryan-blog-blog
