Snowboarding highlights: Mission Ridge

Mission's terrain park has been around just a short time, but the resort is working to give boarders what they want. Accessible from Chair One, the park covers about four or five acres with six to eight obstacles that include a tabletop, rollerz, kickers, a small quarterpipe, and jumps of various sizes. In the mean time, there is incredible free riding at Mission in Bowl Four and the Outback.

Traversing into the big wide bowl will get the adrenaline flowing fast since looking down on the untracked pristine slope is a thrill unto itself. Bowl Four is shaped like a fan with the wide end at the top. From here, Bowl Four provides a perfect pitch for carving big arcs through deep snow. As riders near bottom, the fan funnels into a gladed tree area with rolling terrain. Right before entering the trees there is a bench, or flat spot, that makes a perfect pit stop to rest and marvel at the beautiful signatures in the snow. After passing through the trees, Bowl Four deposits riders onto a groomed blue run called Chak Chak. Take Chak Chak to the base of Chair Four to start all over again.

Traversing right from the bench area opens up into a snowboarders paradise. The Outback is full of natural kickers and halfpipes, steep pitches, jumps, stumps, bumps, hops, and drops. Mission regulars love this area and routinely claim to find new lines with each entrance. Cut to the right from the bench and then head down, following the terrain. Snowboarders can only go so far to the right, as huge rock walls frame the area in. Near the bottom and at the top of the left pitch, a fence below is visible. From here, head back to the left, which deposits boarders into lower Chak Chak. Boarders who reach the fence find they have a difficult traverse over to Chak Chak.

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