When: March 31-April 4, 2005 Where: Winter Park, Colorado What: Snowboarding

Carving, turning, shredding, gliding through freshly-fallen snow is always fun. Snowboarding in relatively sunny weather is even better. Winter Park gets over 29 feet of annual snowfall. And the day we got there, it was still snowing at the end of the 2004-2005 season. The drive up to Winter Park is a bit intense, especially when someone else is driving, and this time it was my friend Jake. Thank goodness the tires of the SUV we rented didn't slip on the icy patches in the road. The criss-crossed various routes a snowboarder or skier can take are outlined with a map available at the various ski lift bases. From beginner to expert, this mountain has courses and even trick courses (rails, ramps and jumps) for the beginner, intermediate or expert snowboarder. After getting used to snowboarding again, and swerving and shooting through the various intermediate and expert courses, one is bound to want to conquer The Bowl, located at the top of the mountain. The wind is piercing cold up there, in stark contrast to the sunny and almost warm temperatures farther down the mountain. The snow gets picked up by the quick mountain-top winds. But the wind and cold are worth it, because taking a course down from the Bowl, a snowboarder can shoot through the tree-filled wilderness and snowboard through foot-thick untouched snow. There are also a few nice places to eat after a long day of snowboarding. Deno's Mountain Bistro offers some unique and delicious dinners to refill one's energy and Untamed Steakhouse at Wildcreek has one of the most amazing grilled chicken sandwiches I have ever eaten. A lot of the locals are very laid back, but some almost seem a bit eery. We assumed it is because perhaps some of them use marijuana, or at least the very low levels of oxygen in the air up this high. But not everyone was like that, just a few. Rudi's Deli had some very laid back staff who were happy to make a warm sandwich on a cold day; the walls were covered with snowboarding stickers and the like. Winter Park offers a genuine Colorado snowboarding experience. VIDEO Chad Neuman snowboards on one of the courses. The ski lift rides were very quiet. The breathtaking mountain scenery was an added bonus while shooting down the mountain side. Winter Park Ski Resort featured various shops, lodging and of course Starbucks. Jake and Katie Long take a break. There was snow on the ground and sun in the sky. Donald Ready shoots off a pile of snow while descending from the Bowl. For more information Ski Winter Park Winter Park and Frasier Valley Download Trail Map