Aspen, Colorado, United States of America

On the surface Aspen can appear to be a ritzy place just for the rich to play up. When you get past this and get into the mountains there is plenty of amazing steep and gnarly terrain. This is a home for the true snowboarder, not just a place to wear the gear with the rich pseudo-snowboarders/skiiers. If you want to feel the thrill of some real terrain and the crisp air to match it - you will find the runs here!

Aspen is a favourite Colorado ski resort. It is world-renowned for its downhill skiing. Aspen Mountain rises imposingly from the township and is one of four ski areas surrounding Aspen. Snowmass, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk all lie within 12 miles of Aspen town.

These mountains are cut by beautiful alpine valleys. The Maroon Creek, Castle Creek and Hunter Creek Valleys are all easily accessible from Aspen township. Much of the high mountain area surrounding Aspen lies within designated wilderness areas in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass, Hunter-Fryingpan, and Collegiate Peaks wildernesses.

Aspen sits at the upper end of the Roaring Fork Valley, with the Roaring Fork River, a superb trout stream, running through the town. Aspen offers an interesting history, outdoor challenging recreation opportunities, abundant cultural activities, pleasant climate and beautiful natural scenery. Most of the area around Aspen is public land within the White River National Forest. The spectacular Elk Mountains rise to the south and west of Aspen, with the Williams Mountains and the Sawatch Range to the east. These mountains are cut by beautiful alpine valleys. The Maroon Creek, Castle Creek and Hunter Creek Valleys are all easily accessible from Aspen township. Much of the high mountain area surrounding Aspen lies within designated wilderness areas in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass, Hunter-Fryingpan, and Collegiate Peaks wildernesses.

The four ski mountains are the most popular attractions within Colorado ski resorts but are far from the only ones. The Maroon Bells are some of the most photographed mountains in North America and are a very popular destination. In addition to the restored historic buildings within the town of Aspen, Ashcroft and Independence are well preserved ghost towns which offer a scenic outing and a glimpse into the region's rich mining history. The Roaring Fork and Fryingpan Rivers provide anglers with some of the best trout fishing in the state. Independence Pass (a main summer route into town), Castle Creek Road to Ashcroft, and Maroon Creek Road are all paved roads offering spectacular scenery.

More information on the mountains to come...

Buying a Snowboard

To start you need to sort out two things: Your preferred style of snowboard riding and your ideal board length. Styles of snowboard riding have names and you can start with the main ones - freeride, freecarve, racing or freestyle. Each will require a different edge. The amount of edge in contact with the snow is called the effective edge. Snowboards are also available for the kids market. Kid’s snowboards are usually cheaper.

Freeriding Snowboards – A combination snowboard built for a mix of riding styles. The freerider may be doing freestyle tricks one minute, carving groomed trails the next minute and then venturing onto untracked powder. These snowboards are a medium board between the freestyle and racing snowboards and as such combine characteristics of each. There tends to be some difference in these snowboards, some tending to be more like a freestyling snowboard and others more like a racing snowboard.

Racing Snowboards – Racing or Alpine snowboards tend to be a stiffer board than the freeriding or freestyle boards. They edge better and carve out high speed turns with less chattering. Racing snowboards are narrow and fast, they are built to hold an edge at high speed. Alpine snowboards are similar, though a little sturdier to survive tough mountain skiing.

Freestyle Snowboards – Freestyle snowboarders spend most of their time in halfpipes, on rails, spinning and bonking off anything in the snowboard park. Their snowboards are wide and flexible with little camber or swing weight.

If you are unsure as to which riding style you fit into, then select the middle range freeriding snowboard, you can always move to a more suitable snowboard later. As a general rule beginners may find a snowboard that touches between their chin and nose, when they stand next to it, will work best for them. Freestyle snowboards are usually shorter and alpine and powder riding snowboards are longer.

Professional riders have snowboards built to their own specifications…they have snowboards that combine just the right amount of sidecut, flex, camber and length for their body weight and riding style…