Ski resorts no longer cater solely for skiers anymore. Snow rafting, glacier climbing, hiking and snowboarding are all popular activities offered by resorts throughout Europe and the United States. If snowboarding is your thing, there are a many top resorts in Europe that have great snowboarding facilities.
Depending on what is most important to you, there are several highly rated resorts that you will enjoy. If you are a snowboarding beginner, you may consider:
Cervinia. This resort is on the Italian side of the Matterhorn, rather than the Swiss side. Recent renovations and improved lift service have elevated this accessible resort to one of the best for beginning snowboarders.
Flaine. This is a French resort that features interconnected collections of lifts and slopes. A high altitude always guarantees snowfall, and its broad slopes are a perfect introduction for beginners.
La Plagne. This French ski resort is the largest of its kind in Europe. It features small apartments for tourists to stay in and several beginners' trails.
Once you've practiced on some of those top-rated beginners' trails, you may want to take your snowboard to more challenging slopes. The following slopes are some of the more highly recommended intermediate level slopes.
Davos. This Swiss resort is more like a ski city, and is one of Europes oldest resorts. It is also the highest city in Europe, guaranteeing snowfall for much of the year.
Madonna di Campiglio. This Italian resort offers fantastic slopes for intermediate snowboarders, and is also known for its incomparable scenery, which is breathtaking in summer as well as the winter.
Trois Vallees. This French resort covers a huge area, and is so broadly spread out that snowboarders will be able to take to the slopes without seeing another boarder if they want to. For intermediate boarders, this gives you the freedom to experiment and hone your newly perfected skills.
And if you've advanced to the level of expert snowboarder, you may already have your own favourite slopes, but if not, here are some good ones to keep in mind:
Verbier. The Swiss resort of Verbier offers some of the Alps' most challenging slopes. If you snowboar here, you have the chance to stay in a genuine Swiss chalet.
Chamonix. This is the most famous ski town in France, and is popular with snowboarders, as well. The valley stretches out for more than ten miles, with ski slopes running down the valley walls at regular intervals. It features some of the world's best slopes for advanced skiiers and snowboarders.
