Brains
Countless resorts worldwide have reputations for building incredible terrain parks. From unique jump lines to arrays of boxes and rails, the hard work of park crews does not go unnoticed. After an in-depth look at terrain parks in the United States and Canada, here are North America’s top five.
Honorable Mention: Valhalla Terrain Park (Trollhaugen)
The Midwest’s terrain park culture is truly one of a kind, with tow ropes helping skiers and snowboarders take hundreds of laps in the span of a few hours. Trollhaugen’s Valhalla terrain park, located in central Minnesota, is what some of the best snowboarders from the Midwest call home. Valhalla is where Trollhaugen’s biggest features are, and the park crew consistently changes the setup, allowing skiers and snowboarders to see a variety of different features. Typically made up of all rails and one jump, Trollhaugen has some of the best rail skiers and snowboarders in North America.
#5: Choker Terrain Park (Whistler Blackcomb)
Whistler Blackcomb’s Choker Terrain Park is the best overall terrain park in Canada and one of the most exciting in North America. The park is an impressive 3,480 feet long and features a 1,007-foot vertical drop, making it one of the largest parks on this list. While it may not feature the biggest jumps or rails, its unique build and focus on progression give Choker its reputation as one of the best. From traditional tabletop jumps to hips, and from boxes to rails, this park has something for the beginner and for the experienced jibber and jumper. Choker’s size and emphasis on progression make it the fifth-best terrain park in North America.
#4: Three Kings Terrain Park (Park City Mountain Resort)
The 3 Kings Terrain Park, located right at the base of Park City Mountain, is another terrain park with a unique layout that makes it one of the best in the States and North America as a whole. The park is made up of three different trails that converge into one, making the ‘3 Kings’ title a fitting one. The first of these trails is a jump line alongside a box and rail trail, and finally, a mini halfpipe. This layout allows skiers and riders to choose what kind of features they want to see and work on, optimizing time spent in the park. The three trails funnel into one rail-specific park, featuring the iconic green “I RIDE PARK CITY” rails, made popular by the “I Ride Park City” YouTube series that displays the various parks at Park City Mountain. The 3 Kings Park’s unique layout and importance in skiing and snowboarding culture make it the fourth-best terrain park in North America.
#3: Main Park (Buttermilk Mountain, Aspen)
Buttermilk Mountain, the annual home of the X Games, is home to numerous impressive terrain parks, with Main Park being the most impressive of the bunch. Buttermilk’s Main Park is a two-mile, top-to-bottom terrain park that holds the resort’s most advanced features, making it perfect for the seasoned park rider. Extra large jumps, rails, banks, and logs make up this park, as well as a full-sized halfpipe that ties Main Park together. Pros from all over come to Buttermilk to ski and ride Main Park, and the size and technical aspect of the park keep skiers and snowboarders busy all day.
#2: Woodward Peace Park (Copper Mountain)
Peace Park, created by Olympic snowboarder Danny Davis, is a world-famous terrain built in collaboration with Woodward, an action sports camp known for developing some of the biggest names in action sports. According to Copper Mountain, the park was created with one goal in mind: to break traditional park formulas and to reinvent freestyle terrain with a focus on flow and transition. The most obvious evidence of Peace Park’s emphasis on transition is in its snow features. Traditional jumps, table tops, hips, rollers, volcanos, bumps, and more help give Peace Park its ‘flowy’ feel. The way Peace Park uses snow is unparalleled, and it is truly a creative skier’s and rider’s dream. The park also features a rail section and a mini halfpipe, but the way Peace Park creates snow features is the reason it is the third best terrain park in North America.
#1: Unbound Main Park (Mammoth Mountain)
Mammoth Unbound’s Main Park is where professional skiers and snowboarders come to find massive jumps and technical rails built in the most creative way possible. The park also uses plenty of non-traditional park features, such as stairs and wall-rides, giving Main Park a “video part worthy” feel, according to Unbound. This certainly holds true, with many professionals coming to Main Park to film and capture the iconic pink features in action. Along with the jumps and hard features, Main Park also has a full-size halfpipe, perfect for professional skiers and snowboarders looking to train for both slopestyle and halfpipe competitions. In total, the park has 28 jibs, two large jumps, one extra large jump, and six snow features. The variety of Main Park, along with its creativity and high-level features, make Mammoth Unbound’s Main Park the best terrain park in North America.
Across North America, resorts work tirelessly to build the best terrain parks they can. From small Midwest resorts to the big mountains of the Rockies, terrain parks are a place where many skiers and riders feel they can best showcase their skills. The feeling of stomping a difficult trick is a feeling like no other, and all across North America, skiers and snowboarders are always finding ways to have a good time in the terrain park.
