Skiing and snowboarding are two of the most adrenaline-pumping sports available to the public in today’s world. These two sports can take you deep into nature and up magnificent mountains only to come flying back down snowy slopes at highway speeds.

For the adventurous individual, the experience is surreal, exciting, and even peaceful. However, for those who are true adrenaline junkies and require a little extra risk to feel alive, enter the Terrain Park. What started as a way for snowboarders to annoy skiers with exclusive features has grown into an Olympic event for both disciplines. Over the past 30 years, terrain parks have blown up in the ski industry and major resorts compete to build the biggest and baddest features on the planet.

Here in North America, almost every resort will have some sort of terrain park but the size and quality vary significantly. Looking for the deets on North America’s best terrain parks? Here’s our breakdown of the continent's best.

Disclaimer: Terrain parks are a ton of fun, but they are also the most dangerous place on the mountain. More injuries happen here than anywhere else on a ski resort. It’s extremely important to learn the basics and progress slowly to ensure a smooth and safe learning experience. Many ski resorts offer terrain park and freestyle lessons which are a wealth of knowledge in this discipline.

No matter your skill level, always warm up, call your drops, pre-ride features and progress slowly. Even features you’ve hit multiple times change daily due to varying snow conditions. Be safe so you can have fun for the whole season!

Largest Terrain Park: Mammoth Mountain

If size is what you’re after, Mammoth Mountain lives up to the hype. Over 100 acres of terrain park bliss is meticulously crafted and cared for by a team of dedicated park enthusiasts. The Unbound Terrain Parks consist of 10 freestyle zones filled with 100+ jibs, 50+ jumps and two halfpipes.

There are three small feature parks, two medium, three large, and two XL with a seemingly endless supply of progression. The lift system is also very well suited to accommodate each zone with several of these parks having their own dedicated chairlift.

Beginner areas like Eagle, Wonderland and Disco are great for learning and provide more accessible elements and easier progression. Intermediate zones like Jibs and More and Forest Trail have small to medium features with the latter having the 11-foot halfpipe. Moving onto the Transition Park at Chair 20. This terrain park boasts floaty hits with unique transitions and transfers. This is a super fun area to get used to time in the air.

Snake Run is a long boarder-cross-styled terrain park with super fun jumps, berms, and additional air features. Think mountain bike flow trail but with snow. South Park introduces you to large and XL features. There’s less margin for error here so you have to be very skilled to take on these features.

Main Park is home to the resort’s largest features. You’ll find seasoned riders and pros hanging out here daily. You’ll also find the 22-foot halfpipe here. Finally, a very unique freeride-inspired park called The Hemlocks lives on the far right of the resort. Think Red Bull Natural Selection style.

Most Creative: Northstar

Another gem from California, Northstar offers an award-winning network of eight terrain parks with a total terrain area of 55 acres. Over the years, the creative minds crafting these terrain parks have put Northstar on the map as one of the most creative and well-maintained terrain parks in the game.

Daily grooming, weekly changes, and new additions happen as often as it snows. This gives the park a fresh feel every time you visit and an opportunity to develop your skills in an ever-changing environment.

All eight terrain parks are contained on the left side of the map with its dedicated high-speed quad. This makes it super easy to navigate what flavour of difficulty you’re after and progress easily without having to navigate around the ski resort.

Sidewinder and Moonshine offer extra small and small features to start on. Lil Stash is a unique backcountry-inspired terrain park with natural features designed by the late Jake Burton.

Pinball is home to a seemingly endless supply of rails and large features with The Straits offering Northstar’s massive jumpline. The last bit of the terrain park dubbed Pipeline finishes off with a large jump and the halfpipes

The top-to-bottom progression on the big lines is iconic. Back around the 2010s, Torstein Horgmo’s YouTube antics displayed the beauty of this park. Games of “In Your Face”, clean top to bottom runs, and additional new school shenanigans catapulted the popularity of Northstar’s terrain parks.

Largest Features: Whistler Blackcomb

Both Whistler and Blackcomb Mountain have designated terrain parks with a decent level of progression. Whistler Park holds small and medium-sized features whereas the Black Park offers medium and above.

Although there has been a noticeable change in the number of features in the Whistler terrain park in recent years, Blackcomb still builds the largest features on the planet that the general public can hit. The XL line, dubbed Shack Left, consists of massive jumps in the tune of 60-90 ft in size.

As the season progresses, you’ll also notice the large and XL jumplines get worked into whale tails, massive transfers, and huge creative jib jumps. The Black Park also has its dedicated chairlift servicing the medium, large, and XL features found in this park.

Additional features in the Black Park include quite a cool snake run with berms, jumps, and jibs. Blackcomb also used to cut a 22 ft superpipe annually but we haven’t seen it much in the past few years. Hopefully, this feature makes a comeback because people flock to it.

Best Progression: Park City / Woodward

Down in Park City, Utah, skiers and snowboarders are welcomed to America’s largest ski resort, Park City Mountain Resort. With all that space, Park City lives up to its name offering guests seven terrain parks and two halfpipes.

Little Kings is your beginner area on the far left of the resort. Transitions is on the complete opposite end of the resort and are your next step into progression with small and medium features.

Right at the base of the Park City is where you’ll find the most densely packed park area at the resort. 3 Kings is the resort’s flagship zone with tons of medium and large features including jibs and rails. Right beside 3 Kings is Pick ‘n Shovel offering large jump lines. Finally, the halfpipe sits to the right.

Just down the road from Park City lies Woodward Park City. If you follow extreme sports, Woodward is synonymous with high-level training grounds. The Woodward Mountain Park system has several areas filled exclusively with pristine park features. Features here range from small to XL with incredibly creative progression and unique development. There’s also a dedicated chairlift and it’s open for night-skiing.

Ready to Drop In?

No matter what resort you choose to visit in search of airtime excitement, the above five destinations provide a unique twist in an industry full of choice. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro in the park, you’ll have a blast exploring these options.