{"id":399,"date":"2025-09-11T00:20:20","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T16:20:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php\/2025\/03\/07\/the-7-best-places-in-the-world-for-snowboarding\/"},"modified":"2025-11-23T09:56:06","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T01:56:06","slug":"the-7-best-places-in-the-world-for-snowboarding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/?p=399","title":{"rendered":"The 7 best places in the world for snowboarding"},"content":{"rendered":"
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First things first \u2013 whittling down the best places in the world to snowboard is a difficult task. The fantastic interconnectivity of France\u2019s Les Trois Vall\u00e9es, for example, will always go down a storm with snowboarders keen to max out their mileage, while the ridiculously stunning tree runs you\u2019ll find in places like Whistler Blackcomb will never fail to leave other resorts for dust when it comes to the fun factor. This is precisely why, as a former snowboard instructor who taught in Canada and spent winters working in ski hotels in Italy and France, I considered a range of factors, rooting out the resorts that have gone all-out to create snowboarder-friendly terrain, while offering a great range of accommodation. These spots also rank highly for having dedicated infrastructure that allows snowboarders to max out their time on the slopes, which might include squadrons of snow cannons to ensure an abundance of the white stuff or high-speed lifts that will whisk snowboarders to the top of the mountain for their next adrenaline fix.<\/p>\n

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With that in mind, if you’re looking for the best places in the world for snowboarding, here are the ski areas worthy of your winter radar.<\/p>\n

1. Hokkaid\u014d, Japan<\/h2>\n

Best for beautiful backdrops<\/strong><\/p>\n

Japan has an almost mythical status amongst both snowboarders and skiers. Not just because of its legendary ‘Japow’ (fine, dry powder snow that doesn\u2019t clump or stick) but because of its aesthetic appeal. Hokkaid\u014d, Japan\u2019s second-largest island is where you\u2019ll find some of its top resorts \u2013 places like Niseko, with its pristine, powder-covered slopes and snow-dusted pine trees. The resorts are a cut above when it comes to aesthetics too, whether it\u2019s the recently opened Ritz-Carlton Higashiyama Niseko Village with its in-room onsens and views of Mt Niseko-Annupuri, or the temple-like Kasara Niseko Village Townhouses, filled with Japanese artwork. Take a tactical approach to timing when snowboarding in Japan, and consider avoiding later February, when the slopes fill with visitors celebrating the Lunar New Year. I recommend visiting in March when slopes are generally crowd-free and flights, lift passes and accommodations cost slightly less.<\/p>\n

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The resorts of les Trois Vall\u00e9es, including Val Thorens, are a magnet for freestyle snowboarders. Jerome LABOUYRIE\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2. Les Trois Vall\u00e9es, France<\/h2>\n

Best for freestyle fun <\/strong><\/p>\n

Les Trois Vall\u00e9es, the world\u2019s largest skiing and snowboarding area, is a high-altitude French paradise with a seriously high fun factor. It\u2019s got seven resorts \u2013 the most famous of which are M\u00e9ribel, Val Thorens and Courchevel. This spot is a magnet for snowboarders with a love of freestyle, thanks to the presence of a knee-jarring six snowparks and 37 fun zones. It\u2019s also one of Europe\u2019s most snow-sure resorts, which is a major advantage when flinging yourself off rails, kickers and tabletops (for the uninitiated, these are obstacles designed specifically for snowboarders). This is due to its altitude \u2013 its 595km (370 miles) of slopes are between 1100km (3608ft) and 3230m (10,600ft) above sea level, and 85% of the ski area is above 1800m (5900ft).<\/p>\n

3. Kitzb\u00fcheler Alps, Austria<\/h2>\n

Best for beginners<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Learning to snowboard is much easier when you\u2019ve got a beautiful backdrop (as long as you can resist the temptation for a mid-slope selfie) and Austria\u2019s Kitzb\u00fcheler Alps are breathtakingly beautiful, as well as a great spot for novices. The area has 20 towns and 900km (559 miles) of pistes, which means there\u2019s plenty of room for beginners. One of my favorite resorts is St Johann in Tyrol, famous for its crowd-free, wide-open slopes. Additionally, a seven-day lift pass for the entire area costs just \u20ac319, which means less pressure to spend every waking hour on the slopes.<\/p>\n

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For a luxurious experience once you’re off your snowboard, head to St Moritz. Marcial Gamma\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4. St Moritz, Switzerland<\/h2>\n

Best for luxury<\/strong><\/p>\n

Snowboarders with a weakness for the finer things in life will love St Moritz, the name of both an alpine town and a ski area, and one which has been a magnet for celebs \u2013 ranging from royals to rappers and everyone in between \u2013 for decades. This is a place with some of the swankiest ski hotels, such as Badrutt\u2019s Palace with its army of butlers on hand to carry visitors\u2019 snowboards and dole out hot chocolates (or something stronger), and where annual events include the SunIce Festival (often referred to as the Coachella of the Alps) and the Snow Polo World Cup. But don\u2019t get it wrong \u2013 with 87 slopes located at between 1798m (5900ft) and 3292m (10,800ft) above sea level, the terrain is outstanding, and there\u2019s a reason it\u2019s hosted the Winter Olympics twice.<\/p>\n

5. Paridiski, France<\/h2>\n

Best for families <\/strong><\/p>\n

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France\u2019s Paradiski region, which has 425km (264 miles) of perfectly maintained trails, has two of the world\u2019s top resorts at its heart: La Plagne and Les Arcs, connected by the Vanoise Express, a double-decker cable car, which was the biggest, longest and fastest cable car in the world when it opened in 2003. The smaller villages that surround the larger resorts are great bases for families (one example is Peisey Nancroix, which is one of the prettiest and still has fast lift access to the main ski area), and discounted family lift passes mean snowboarding here doesn\u2019t have to break the bank. There are numerous beginner areas in which nervous first-timers can hone their skills, too \u2013 La Plagne has six (served by dedicated lifts that are free to use) while each of Les Arcs\u2019 six villages has its own dedicated beginners\u2019 area. There\u2019s also a fantastic range of off-piste activities, ranging from laser tag to bowling.<\/p>\n

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Whistler Blackcomb is a top place for snowboarders to get off-piste. Juana Nunez\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

6. Whistler Blackcomb, Canada<\/h2>\n

Best for apr\u00e8s-ski<\/strong><\/p>\n

Regarded by many snowboarders as the world\u2019s best resort for off-piste fun, Whistler Blackcomb, which has 200 trails spread across 33 sq km (8171 acres), is a place where the fun doesn\u2019t stop when the last lift grinds to a halt. This Canadian resort has everything from buzzing nightclubs (particularly Moe Joe\u2019s, famous for its lively dance parties) and cocktail bars to cosy apr\u00e8s-ski hangouts such as the Braidwood Tavern, where you can rest weary legs while sipping beers from local breweries (most of which offer brewery tours, incidentally). The liveliest spots include the Longhorn Saloon, at the base of Whistler Mountain. Anything goes here \u2013 be prepared to see plenty of dancing on the tables, and don\u2019t be surprised when the bartender pulls out a champagne cannon to spray the crowd with fizz.<\/p>\n

7. Espace Killy, France<\/h2>\n

Best for advanced snowboarders<\/strong><\/p>\n

Say hello to one of the world\u2019s top ski regions, France\u2019s Espace Killy \u2013 299km (186 miles) of slopes, at a height of between 1548m (5080ft) and 3450m (11,318ft). Although there\u2019s plenty for beginners and intermediates here, it\u2019s a also magnet for daredevils who come to slash through the off-piste powder stashes of the Parc National de la Vanoise and test their freestyle skills in the snow parks (our favorite of which is the DC Park, which has chillout zones and free wifi for that all-important slopeside selfie). The biggest resorts are Tignes, where one of the most challenging runs is the 10km (6-mile) La Sache, which streaks from the top of the L\u2019Aiguille Perc\u00e9e (meaning \u201cthe eye of the needle\u201d), and Val d\u2019Is\u00e8re, where you can challenge yourself on the Face, a run which featured in the 1992 Winter Olympics, when Patrick Ortlieb took a mere two minutes to ski from top to bottom.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First things first \u2013 whit<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":401,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-france-travel-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=399"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1195,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399\/revisions\/1195"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}