# Best Place to Board in April-May



## Guest (Feb 4, 2010)

Me and my fiance are planning to go snowboarding trip in end of April to May. We want somewhere special since it will be our honeymoon. Price isn't going to be the main factor. Can anyone recommend where would be the best place to board and have fun?

Thanks!


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

A lot of places are winding down or closed for the season at that time in the states. In Colorado, about the only games in town will be Arapahoe Basin and Loveland. Loveland generally closes the first weekend of May. You should be able to find good lodging deals in Summit County though.

A lot of the Tahoe area resorts in California will probably still be open. Squaw usually does the last season thing and a few of the others. Mammoth mountain is another spot.

Hood in Oregon will definitely be open. Snowbird in Utah is usually open through June. 

You can expect the operations to be scaled down from mid winter operations. There should still be plenty of fun stuff to do.


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## burritosandsnow (Nov 22, 2008)

Many places are starting to wind it down by this time and may be either closed or have limited terrain. I would look at some of the resorts in the Pacific Northwest or Vancouver that are open year round as your best bet for a good trip.


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## burritosandsnow (Nov 22, 2008)

killclimbz said:


> A lot of places are winding down or closed for the season at that time in the states.





burritosandsnow said:


> Many places are starting to wind it down by this time and may be either closed or have limited terrain.


haha we think alike! oh btw we didnt get enough snow early this year to form a good solid frozen packed base .. im bettin for a fast melt and early season for the bird


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## Guest (Feb 4, 2010)

Hahahahah!! Great, 2 people already replied for the same response. Thanks guys! 
We don't mind going another country though. I know it's too early for Chile or Argentina. I thought Vancouver will be closing down in May.


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## neednsnow (Nov 30, 2007)

someone asked a similar question,earlier. Vancouver would be a good option since they'll still be all hyped about the Olympics. However, I'd suggest Tahoe. Utah is a bit lame for a honeymoon. I love Utah, but the non-mountain activities are very eh. If you did South Lake Tahoe, you have the goofy Casinos (not very glitzy at all!) and the beauty of the town. You also have the option of hitting a number of different resorts.....Kill said something about Squaw and I think that would be a good option since the whole area has been getting hammered with snow this season. Another thing to consider is that if you did tahoe for a few days, you could do part of your honeymoon in the valleys, too. Do a few days in Tahoe and drive the 3 hours to hit wine country for a few days. Between the two, you should have a bun in the oven in no time!


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Going to wine country is very fun. Since my family all lives in the Bay area almost every time I visit I hit up several wineries. Russian River valley is probably my favorite. More low key than Napa and absolutely fantastic Zins and Pinots come out of there. Good stuff. Very romantic around there too. Healdsburg is a good town to stay in.


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## lisevolution (Sep 20, 2007)

I'll also chime in and suggest Tahoe for the same reasons. For the non-on snow days you have a bunch of options for things to do that can actually make it feel like you're on your honey-moon. The wineries, the casinos and if you want to take the drive you have San-Fran not all that far away either.

I'm in a worse conundrum myself. I'm getting married at the end of September. It looks like me and my fiancee are probably going to hold off on the honey moon until closer to the end of the year and are trying to do a Euro riding honey moon if money and time allows. If not it may be vancouver or tahoe for us also depending on who's getting snow.


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## pencap75 (Dec 10, 2008)

*Banff*

I am the future husband of the original poster.

From my research, Banff seems to have great snow in late Apr/May.

What do you guys think about Banff.
I researched Tahoe, there seems to be good non-snowboarding things the misses will enjoy, however the snow at that time can be hit or miss according to some people.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Tahoe is going to be hit this year. They've been pounded with snow. If it quit snowing right now (and it isn't going too) there would be plenty of snow for spring style riding in April-May

The main reasons I am heavily recommending California is the weather. It can snow then and snow a lot, but if it's not snowing it's generally sunny and warm. Other places like Canada (Colorado-Utah too) are more susceptible to getting a blustery windy day at that time that just freezes and crusts everything over. Fine if you live in those spots, you can pick and choose your days. For a vacation, I think you want reliable. California has the best spring skiing in North America. A few can come close to rivaling it, but none exceed. 

Banff is a great area, absolutely stunning. So I doubt you would disappointed there. Riding conditions can be a lot more variable though. At the time of year you are going, I would not count on getting fresh snow. It's just not that likely. If you do, it'll probably be good the day it is snowing and for a few hours after it quits. That is about it. That time of year is just too warm for powder snow to hold up for more than a day.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Oh yeah, and congrats...


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## roremc (Oct 25, 2009)

Banff will be great during April. Its still possible to get great powder days in April. When you hit may Sunshine will still be good but Lake Louise will close in the first week of May so it could be a bit light on. 
If its for your honeymoon I would check out the Chateau Lake Louise and the Banff Springs hotels. Both are amamzing places to stay! 
The one good thing about April is that Sunshine will be guaranteed to have great conditions. Depending on when in April there is also opportunities for non ski activities like snow mobiling and dog sledding.
I live in Banff so if you have any questions let me know.


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## freshy (Nov 18, 2009)

You should go to Alaska and do a heli trip.


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## RickB (Oct 29, 2008)

wifey and i got married in Tahoe on April 17th (16yrs ago!), at Squaw to be exact. We were going to have the ceremony outside... but it snowed a foot that day! :thumbsup::thumbsup: Rode heavy powder the next day, then we hit Kirkwood the next day which was rad too.

Then we drove to Napa and did some wine tours too, good stuff.

Congrats!


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