Anyone who takes the free Summit Stage bus in Summit County, Colorado will notice an interesting phenomenon. When you approach Silverthorne Station, there are buses going to Frisco, which connect to buses to Breckenridge and Copper. There is also a bus going to Keystone. Gapers, dressed in multi-colored Bogner one-pieces can be seen hobbling towards the Frisco bus. As they carry their skis in an adorable manner that locals call the "Texas Suitcase," they watch with anxiety. "Which way are those snowboarders going?" they wonder. When the boarders hop on the bus to Keystone, they breathe a sigh of relief!
Keystone was one of the last Summit County resorts to allow snowboarders. Ironically, since its "liberation" in the late 1990s, Keystone has become the seat of Colorado's snowboard culture. Compared to other Summit County resorts, Keystone is an easier drive from Denver. It is also the closest ski area to Dillon and Dillon Valley, the "low rent" section of Summit County that has affordable lodging for the younger set. Keystone also plays host to the Snowboard Outreach Society's Learn to Ride Program. Although graduates of the program continue in Breckenridge, many show a sentimental loyalty to the place where they learned to ride. Unlike Vail, Keystone has fewer cat tracks and flat run outs. For riders, this is a good thing. Nobody likes asking skiers to pull them along with their ski poles.
While all of these factors play an important role in Keystone's popularity with snowboarders, there is one that stands above all others: It's called the A51 Terrain Park, and it's Summit County's newest snowboarder playground. With 100 acres of sick terrain, A51 is home to an impressive superpipe, as well as a skiercross course, channel gap, dozens of rails, boxes and a super-sized wallride. As if that were not enough, sections of A51 are open at night!
Although A51 was originally built with the hopes of attracting the X-Games and other comps, Keystone had an ulterior motive. They wanted a terrain park that was "slayable," read, doable for their average rider. Newbies can learn the ropes, or should I say rails in Freda's Incubator. Once you've mastered Freda's, you can check out the medium sized lane of A51. Here, you'll find an endless playground filled with flat rails, c-boxes, a wave rails and a few 20 foot jumps. As your confidence builds, the larger lane of jumps offers you sufficient airtime to test out your mojo on a variety of tricks. Shredders that subscribe to the no pain/no brain philosophy of riding should check out the mega-sized jumps that are located between the skiercross and lift line. Once you've experienced A51, you'll understand why Transworld Snowboard Magazine ranked it as one of America's best terrain parks. However, Keystone's appeal for snowboarders extends beyond the terrain parks and into the backcountry.
Boarders that prefer freeriding to freestyling will appreciate Keystone's big mountain terrain. The Outback has a nice mix of open bowls, tree trails and glades. Intermediates can fine tune their skills on Dercum Mountain. If you really want to improve, take some lessons with the highly qualified instructors at keystone's Ski and Ride School. Aspiring Shred Betties should consider the Burton Women's Learn to Ride Camp. Once you get hooked to the sport, you might want to train for endurance throughout the summer. In early season, the resort plays host to the 36 Hours of Keystone skiing and snowboarding marathon. If you wake up at 3AM with a desire to ride, head over to Keystone. Do you need some cash to feed your habit? Keystone now offers Keystone 1st - 3rd place prizes for the Team Challenge. Teams of two, three and four persons are invited to complete one lap every hour for a total of 36 runs. Riders that accomplish this challenging task
are entered in a drawing to win $3600 for First Place, $1800 for Second Place and $900 for Third Place!
Whether you are a park rat, a cruiser or a backcountry rider, Keystone has the terrain that will bring a smile to your face.
This guide to Keystone's snowboard park was brought to you by Lisa Marie Mercer.