Stowe

The Burton Method Center is a popular place to take up boarding, with its combination of special techniques and learning equipment to get you over the painful early stages. The success rate for newcomers to snowboarding (in terms of them continuing to board) is far higher here than elsewhere.

Carvers and freeriders have plenty of options and there are few flat spots on the mountain. There are several terrain parks, of which Tyro and Midway are the toughest, with rail slides and barrels. There’s a Superpipe on North Slope and there’s even a separate website dedicated to boarders and freestylers at www.ridestowe.com.