2009 Resort Poll: Top 10 Pipes
DannyGariepy
- November 13 2008
- 7,543 views
- 12 comments
4. Mammoth Mountain, California
Jonas Michelot, Mammoth Mountain. PHOTO: Tim Peare
Flossing four pipes is not the only reason Mammoth stakes claim as one of the best pipe training grounds in the country. Their Super-Duper pipe rolls in at 600 feet long with twenty-foot walls, and their Superpipe cleans up at 450 feet with fifteen-foot walls. Mammoth also keeps its two smaller pipes fresh on the dailly, so you can work your way up to the big transitions.
5. Whistler/Blackcomb, B.C., Canada
It’s no wonder Whistler/Blackcomb snags top spots every year in the Resort Poll. The place keeps its pipe on lock with eighteen-foot walls that run 400-plus feet down the hill with loads of snow to keep it rolling late into summer. With the resort climbing straight out of near sea level, the expansive valley below provides a stunning view every time you blast out of the lip.
whistlerblackcomb.com
6. Park City, Utah
Peetu Piiroinen, Park City. PHOTO: Justin L’Heureux
All eyes have been on this pipe since the Olympics rolled into town six years ago and sent riders sky high. The park recently supersized the existing Eagle Superpipe to 22- foot transitions, stretching it to over 500 feet long. With pristine snow conditions all winter long, there’s no wonder this pipe is home to some of the world’s top pros. Look for the Park City All-Star team lighting it up in the mountain’s feature film I Ride Park City.
parkcitymountain.com
7. Snowmass, Colorado
Terrain Park Manager Isabelle Falardeau’s dedicated cutting crew recently partnered up with the SPT (Snow Park Technologies) crew, who helps to buff out this pristine Superpipe in the Blue Grouse Park. An eighteen-foot Zaugg cutter, time spent sweating away in the snowcat, and a favorable climate have all slung this pipe into the ranks.
aspensnowmass.co
8. Copper Mountain, Colorado
Over the last three seasons, Copper’s Main Vein Superpipe has been the first in North America to open its perfectly dialed transitions. With a throbbing village, load of pros, and events like the Grand Prix and USASA Nationals, the pipe is steaming with energy for the ’08/09 season.
coppercolorado.com
9. Bear Mountain, California
Keegan Valaika, Bear Mountain. PHOTO: Scott Serfas
When you think about the Southern California skyline, gargantuan mounds of sculpted snow don’t usually come to mind, but Bear’s advanced snowmaking setup churns out heaps of snow fit for a massive pipe. Bear’s 580-foot-long white wall is the jam as SoCal’s only in-ground Superpipe, and a pristine one to boot. The walls are always glassy and you’ll find ’em rollin’ in around triple overhead—every day.
bearmountain.com
10. Mt. Hood Meadows, Oregon
Meadows, with its 500-foot-long, eighteen-foot-high pipe, provides a flawless playground for blasting consecutive hits. The frame is mined into the ground to provide the earliest opening possible when the Northwest flakes start flying while sculptors Jason Stankevich and Josh King have the accuracy and muscle to keep it polished. This past season’s heavy snowfall also kept this giant crevasse open late, and if that’s not enough to satisfy your pipe dreams, it’s lit up at night.
skihood.com
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November 13th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
what about COP in Calgary? Though the hill is small, a 22′ Superpipe within the city limits of a major (1 million) city is pretty cool.
November 13th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
buttermilks pipe is only the best durin X-Games
November 13th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
yea i dunoo, I think Boreal CA should be on this list, those guys cut the pipe twice a day and do a full rebuild halfway through the season. I have been there in instances where there is maybe a tiny issue with the grooming or whatever and they will close the pipe until its fixed or for the day because they refuse to open with a less than perfect pipe and tarnish their reputation.
November 13th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
dude theres no way meadows pipe should be on there i’m a season pass holder to meadows and they never groom it its groomed like 2 weeks out of the year hte rest of the time the bottom is filled with snow and the side walls turn to solid ice
November 14th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
colorado just knows how to make the pipes.
and Buttermilk’s pipe is sick ALL the time..not just during the x-games
November 14th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
HA! Blog Haters are lame…but I guess you got what you were after Will, 5 mintues of attention and a response. Of course it is best during X Games, it is the biggest pipe comp of the year…but it still stays in killer shape every other day of the year…do you need some lessons?
Funny thing is…every park and pipe has something good about it even if they aren’t perfect everyday…they are places to have fun, but still somehow breed haters and complainers…you should move to a third world country where parks and pipes and having fun is not an everyday luxury and then you may have something real to complain about.
November 14th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
the 22 at meadows in 07 was the best pipe ever ( tamarack grand prix 22 is a close second)
November 15th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
i think creek’s pipe has been da best and will stay da best transwolrd is fuckin bullshit
November 15th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
sierra’s pipe s so sick tyson holds it down
November 18th, 2008 at 9:47 am
my glass pipe is the best.
March 3rd, 2009 at 4:25 pm
meadows had there shit together in 07 but as of not they are shit they cant keep the pipe open, i have not rode a decent half pipe at meadows in 08 or 09.