Backcountry.com Newsletter Articles

If you live anywhere near a high-elevation resort, “closing day” is a weak excuse to stop riding. Sure, hiking is more of a pain in the ass than sitting on a high-speed quad, but a session with friends on an otherwise isolated mountain offers near-endless opportunities for sunny, slushy shenanigans.

Get up, get out, and get somethin’.

The Trudge

The hike will be wet and muddy until you climb up to the snowpack—probably not the best time to break in your new white boots. On the plus side, if you’ve been filling the void since closing day with sixteen-hour video game binges, now’s your chance to clear the resin out of your lungs.

Nature’s cooler.

Stake A Claim

North-facing patches will have the best snow, since they spend less time exposed to the sun. Smooth, open slopes are probably a safer bet than riding in the woods—as the snow melts and natural land-mines like stumps and rocks get closer to the surface, your chances of catastrophic base explosions increase dramatically.

One man’s irrigation is another man’s jibbing.

Make It Happen

Once you find a decent spot, the rest is up to you. Build a jump, drag a homemade jib or two up with you, or get creative with stuff you find around the resort. If you can sniff out where the park crew stashes all the boxes and rails in the off-season, you hit the jackpot.

Good friends, good times.

Soak It Up

Make these last few days count—shave off that terrible mustache, try a new trick or two, and enjoy the last slivers of snow with a solid crew. When September hits and the withdrawals get serious, you’ll wish you’d spent more time hiking and less time on YouTube watching people get kicked in the groin.