Ski resorts that allow snowboarding, the history of snowboarding, and resorts that still ban snowboards

Visit any ski and snowboard resort and you will see anywhere from 20-50% snowboarders versus skiers. Snowboarding is welcome at all but three US ski resorts. The three US ski areas that do not allow snowboards are Alta and Deer Valley in Utah, Mad River Glen in Vermont. These three ski resorts have continued their ban of snowboards, while Taos Ski resort in New Mexico lifted their ban on snowboarding in 2009. The rest of the luxury ski destinations mentioned on our site welcome snowboarders.

Despite what skiers thought three decades ago, snowboarding is here to stay. The one plank snow surfing phenomenon has brought new life, primarily young men statistically, to the sport of “skiing.” One of the advantages of snowboarding is a shorter learning curve than skiing, according to professional ski and snowboard  instructors and experts, but those first days learning to snowboard can be painful as both feet are strapped to the board and there is no way to brace for your fall except with your butt or wrists, a common resulting injury.

Interesting fact, Tom Sims created the first snow board in 1963 called a skiboard. Sherman Popper later came up the first snurfer in 1965 which include a rope handle. So while everyone thinks Jake Burton Carpenter invented the first snowboard, there were predecessors. But Burton’s first snowboard design was fiberglass, and built to last back in 1979.

Jake Burton learned to snowboard on his prototype board at Stratton Mountain Resort in Vermont, then he launched production of his Vermont made Burton snowboards. Burton’s marketing plan, and Burton mission statement of “Rider Owned... Rider Driven” backed by his quality snowboard design were genius. Now there are over 30 snowboard companies, but Burton still leads the pack in product development of “the best snowboard equipment in the world” dominating snowboard sales with his “We dream it, we make it, we break it, we fix it” philosophy.

Snowboarding continues to push the limits of the perhaps conservative ski industry, from an uprising of terrain parks, half pipe s and jumps at ski resort,  to a cultural clothing shift from conservative well fitting ski clothes to baggy street inspired snowboard pants with bling belts and hoody jackets with graffiti and gangster graphics.

Snowboarding halfpipe and racing were allowed into the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan, and snowboardcross arrived in 2006 with Maine's Seth Wescott winning the first winter Olympic Gold in the venue. Ironically snowboard cross preceded skier cross which debuted in the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010.  The longest running snowboard competition, older than the Winter X Games held in Aspen, Colorado, is the Burton US Open which was hosted at Stratton Mountain Resort in Vermont through its 30th anniversary season, but moves to Vail, Colorado in 2013.

Skiing has a long Olympic history dating back to 1924 when Nordic skiing was first offered in the Winter Games. In 1936 Alpine skiing debuted with racing which grew in disciplines over the decades, later joined by freestyle moguls in '92 and aerials in '94. Skiing superpipe and Nordic Women’s jumping will be part of Sochi Russia’s Olympics in 2014.

See our Snowboard-friendly Resort Reviews, Snowboard Events and our Heli-board Trip Review!