31 Reasons Why Snowboarding in the Park Will Always Beat Powder

1) The park is always there for you. Powder is a cruel and temperamental mistress

2) Nine times out of ten the park will be in good shape. Powder gets tracked quickly

3) In parks you quickly get to learn the run-in speeds, so you can boss it every time

4) If you cock a trick up, you get a second shot at it

5) And you can take your time to get tricks properly dialled, tweaks and all. This makes you instantly attractive to the opposite sex

6) You don’t have to rush to get your laps in at the park

7) In fact it often gets better as the day goes on

8) So you can enjoy a lie in

9) Or a few beers the night before

10) And if the park stays icy? Well, then you just get really good

11) Like Finnish good

12) Finland has very little proper off-piste, but boasts more pro snowboarders per head of population than any other country. Why? They all ride park

13) There’s just so much variety in the park

14) Rails

15) Stairsets

16) Wallrides

17) You don’t get any of those in the backcountry

18) No halfpipes in powder either

19) And everyone knows that being able to ride a pipe well basically makes you the ultimate badass

20) Then of course there are the kickers

21) Perfectly shaped kickers of all different sizes and shapes

22) Kickers which experts build for you

23) That don’t require a hike to get to

24) With landings that don’t get bombed out

25) Sure, if it’s hard falling in the park can hurt more, but that just makes you harder

26) And anyway, you can go higher off park features than you ever can in the backcountry

27) Plus the camaraderie in the park is better. You can always meet new people

28) Make new friends

29) Get stoked on other people’s riding

30) And enjoy the feeling of pushing yourself

31) Which let’s face it is what snowboarding is all about…