10 Best Snowboard Schools In the USA | 2024 Rankings

If your kids love skiing and snowboarding, consider sending them to schools that support snowboarding activities. This is because students who grew up loving to shred on the slopes can find it difficult to give up skiing or snowboarding when they go to college.

For this reason, we’ve compiled some of the best snowboard schools and colleges in the USA.

Most skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts want quality slopes close at hand, both for recreation and when school pressures are high.

So, studying in a school that supports it or studying close to mountains offers a great chance to participate in college skiing or snowboarding teams.

In this article, you will get to know more about snowboarding, where you can learn snowboarding and skiing as a beginner, and the best snowboard schools and colleges in the USA.

Here is a table of what to expect:

What is a Snowboard School?

Just as the name implies, a snowboard school is one that lets students participate in snowboarding activities. It can also include schools, colleges, resorts, and centers where snowboarding and skiing lessons and courses are taught.

Basically, most snowboarding schools are located in mountains, sloppy areas, or in an environment that supports snowboarding activities.

Now, what is snowboarding?

According to Wikipedia, Snowboarding is a recreational and Winter Olympic and Paralympic sport involving descending a snow-covered slope while standing on a snowboard attached to a rider’s feet.

Some snowboarding schools and colleges may also include sledding and skiing as part of their extracurricular activities. 

Why Study in a Snowboard School in The USA?

Basically, snowboarding makes winter tolerable, and even enjoyable.

As you may already know, it’s easy to hate winter- the cold, ice, shoveling snow from the driveway, and driving in the snow.

But snowboarding on the other hand, puts good use to the cold.

While the snow is a nuisance if it’s on the road, it can also be a source of pleasure if it’s on the mountain.

Now imagine being a student of a school or college that supports snowboarding or skiing activity, especially one in the northern part of the U.S.

Even though you’re going to have a cold winter and some snow, you’ll definitely find a way to enjoy it with these activities.

Where Can I Learn Snowboarding in The USA?

There are schools, resorts, and centers where snowboarding and skiing lessons are officially taught in the USA. They include:

• Pine Knob Ski And Snowboard School
• Ski & Snowboard School – Telluride Ski Resort
• Ski lessons & ski school in American ski resorts – Chalets USA
• Adventure Ski & Snowboard School – Encinitas, California
• Breckenridge Resort – Ski and Snowboard Lessons
• EA Ski & Snowboard School
• Aspen Snowmass Ski School
• Stoten Snowboard School
• The White Mountain School
• Snowboarding At CADS Edmonton

How Much Does it Cost to learn Snowboarding?

To learn snowboarding, you must first own your kit. According to SnowboardingHelp, the grand total snowboarding cost is about $1115.

However, on average you can rent a snowboard, boots, bindings, get your lift ticket, and lessons for $40-60.

Below is the breakdown of the cost:

The breakdown of the cost of items would end up looking something like this:

Standard Snowboard with Soft Bindings	$400
Snowboard Boots	$190
Goggles	$100
Gloves	$100
Total	$790

Here is a breakdown of the costs for your snow clothes:

Snowboard Jacket	$150-300
Snowboard Pants	$100-240
Synthetic underwear and socks	$75

What are the Best Colleges for Winter Life in The USA?

Aside from the high schools, students who enroll in a university that encourages skiing and snowy events have one of the best winter life in the winter.

At the best colleges for winter life, the winter break is never long enough. This is because there are more activities, events, and parties than anyone can possibly take in during a few weeks of winter break.

So, the best colleges for winter life in the USA are:

• University of Utah
• Middlebury College
• Dartmouth College
• Colorado College
• Reed College
• Babson College
• St Lawrence University
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Blacksburg)
• University of Rochester
• Syracuse University
• University of Denver

What are the 10 Best Snowboard Schools in The USA?

Several US schools and colleges engage their students in snowboarding activities. But for the sake of this article, emphasis will be laid on 10 of them.

Taking cognizance of the student’s academic, we’ve ranked these snowboard schools in the USA using the following ranking factors:

The grades a snowboard school offers can determine the level of facility it’s operating with. That is if it has a low or high facility.

It is often said that students in lower grade usually have more facilities and hands than others.

This refers to the number of students the snowboard school has in each class. A lower number means that the teacher gets to give the students the required attention they need.

This simply means the fee parents are to pay each year for their child. Tuition shows how affordable the school is.

Here are the best snowboard schools in the USA:

• Oak Hill Academy
• Eaglebrook School
• Brewster Academy
• Fountain Valley School of Colorado
• Vermont Academy
• Cardigan Mountain School
• Indian Mountain School
• The Bement School
• Colorado Timberline Academy
• Asheville School

#1 Oak Hill Academy

Founded in 1878, Oak Hill Academy is a small, co-ed, college preparatory boarding school in Virginia for students seeking growth in a structured environment. It is one of the USA schools and colleges where students engage in snowboarding activities.

Oak Hill Academy combines structure with self-reliance, discipline with discovery, and a guiding hand with a warm heart. The school’s curriculum challenges the brightest students and encourages those who may feel less motivated or who may be experiencing difficulty in their current school setting.

Also, their structured and relational environment provides the opportunity for students to redefine themselves in very positive ways. 

In addition to the academic programs, Oak Hill believes in the importance of student engagement in campus life at Oak Hill. So they place a high value on student participation in athletics, clubs, and other activities. Some of which include Snowboarding, Snow Skiing among many.

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#2 Eaglebrook School

Founded in 1922 by Howard Gibbs, Eaglebrook School is a private boarding and day school for boys in middle school located in Deerfield, Massachusetts. It is one of the USA schools and colleges where students engage in snowboarding activities.

Eaglebrook’s goal is to help each boy come into full and confident possession of his innate talents, to improve the skills needed for the challenges of secondary school as well as establish values that will allow him to be a person who respects individual differences and acts with thoughtfulness and humanity.

So, in a warm, caring, structured atmosphere boys learn more than they ever thought possible, discover inner resources, develop self-confidence, and have fun along the way.

As part of the school’s athletic programs, it offers alpine skiing at both the competitive and recreational levels.

Eaglebrook School owns and operates an on-campus ski area with snow making, a chairlift, and snow grooming.

In fact, since 1923, many skiers have developed from the Eaglebrook School Ski Program and have gone on to achieve collegiate, national, and international fame in the snow sport world. 

Each season, several Eaglebrook student-athletes qualify for the Western Massachusetts Alpine Championships and one to four racers qualify for the Eastern United States Finals and United States Eastern Championships.

Also, on a yearly basis, there are several student-athletes who represent the Eaglebrook in the USSA Race Program. All of Eaglebrook coaches and skiers are registered with both the United States Skiing Association and the Tri-State Alpine Ski Racing Association. 

For more information about Eaglebrook snow sports program, please contact the Director of Snow Sports and Head Varsity Ski Team Coach Brian Rose at brose@eaglebrook.org.

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#3 Brewster Academy

Brewster Academy is a co-educational independent boarding school in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, United States. 

It is an elite boarding school without the elitism: an intellectually diverse and academically challenging community that nurtures curiosity, confidence, collaboration, and character in preparation for lives of meaning and accomplishment.  

At Brewster, students enjoy full, fun, and meaningful days structured so every hour comes packed with activities to help you grow – intellectually, socially, physically, emotionally, and personally.

So, as part of the school’s athletic programs, Brewster students are involved in both snowboarding and alpine skiing activities.

Brewster snowboarding team competes in a variety of disciplines including GS, Slopestyle, and SBX. The team competes against other Lakes Region schools and most competitions are held on Wednesdays. The school’s home mountain is Gunstock in Gilford, and the team travels to other New Hampshire ski areas for competitions hosted by sister schools.

On the other hand, Brewster’s alpine ski team competes in District II of NEPSAC. Students here also have the option of competing on the U.S. Ski Association (USSA) level.

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#4 Fountain Valley School of Colorado

Founded in 1930, Fountain Valley School (FVS) is a private coeducational independent college preparatory school in Colorado Springs, Colorado that offers day and boarding programs for students in grades 9-12.

FVS provides abundant opportunities for year-round recreation and experiential education programs. It is one of the USA schools and colleges where students engage in snowboarding activities.

Some of the best skiing in the world is right in Fountain Valley backyard, and you can ride the mountains 30 to 40 times in the season if you want. In fact, buses head to the ski resorts both Saturdays and Sundays. 

For advanced skiers and snowboarders at the school, the All Mountain Program (AMP) focuses on the development and emphasizes all-around skiing/riding. You set realistic goals for the season and then, faculty coaches help you to improve on skills to meet those goals.

For instance, you may want to become a better powder skier, learn telemark or work on racing techniques (also include some kind of snowboard goal here). Also, during the week, AMPers will work on strength and agility training to get ready to hit the slopes on the weekend.

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#5 Vermont Academy

Vermont Academy is a co-educational, college preparatory school in Saxtons River, Vermont, in the United States, serving students from 9th to 12th grade and postgraduates. One of the strengths of Vermont Academy is that its students embrace both the arts and athletics. 

Vermont athletic program promotes the development of the whole student-athlete (head, hand, and heart) by focusing on teamwork and sportsmanship, self-discipline, and an appreciation of lifelong fitness.

Bringing it down to Snowboarding.

Vermont Academy is one of the USA schools and colleges where students engage in snowboarding activities.

The Vermont Academy snowboard team offers training up to six days per week throughout the winter, with optional training opportunities during the fall. In accordance with the athlete’s desire and motivation, they provide the opportunity, guidance, and attention that improve both riding and competition skills.

The Vermont Academy snowboard team has successfully trained and coached riders from the early stages of turning, jumping, and grinding, to the high school competition level and above to the National level. The team trains on campus at the #77 Winter Sports Park and at Okemo Mountain in Ludlow.

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#6 Cardigan Mountain School

Founded in 1945, Cardigan Mountain School, also called Cardigan or CMS, is an all-boys independent day and boarding school in Canaan, New Hampshire, USA for boys in grades 6-9.

At Cardigan, they understand and appreciate boys at this great age and stage of development. So, they’ve created an environment designed to nurture not only their academic achievement, but also their physical, social, ethical, and personal growth.

Cardigan provides all students with a unique opportunity to participate in an age-appropriate, competitive athletic program. One of these athletic activities is the Alpine Skiing Program.

Basically, Cardigan provides the focused training environment of a ski academy while remaining dedicated to academic enrichment, character development, and athletic growth through participation in other sports during the fall and spring.

Unlike “winter term” programs available to boys this age, Cardigan utilizes a dynamic curriculum and an academic support system to set the boys up for success at their next step, both academically and athletically. Also, Cardigan skiers train on-snow five days a week with no disruption to their academic development. 

Athletically, they prepare the boys with dry-land training for speed, flexibility, power, and strength. On-snow, they utilize the latest techniques and progressions for technical skill development and reinforce that through video analysis.

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#7 Indian Mountain School

Founded in 1922, Indian Mountain School is an independent coeducational boarding and day school for children grades pre-K through 9, located on two campuses in Lakeville, Connecticut, United States.

In addition to providing an excellent foundation for high school coursework, IMS teaches students the skills necessary to live and work with others. 

Here, stuents benefit from experiencing the beautiful natural environment. In fact, from the school’s earliest days, outdoor experiences have been an integral part of student life. And part of these outdoor experiences includes the skiing and Snowboarding program.

Basically, the Recreational Skiing and Snowboarding program at Indian Mountain is a non-competitive co-ed program for grades 7th-9th. The snowboard team goes to Catamount Ski Mountain Tuesday-Friday for a free ski. Note that Ski/Snowboard rentals are available, as well as lessons for beginners and the terrain park for freestylers.

On the other hand, the Competitive Ski Race team competes in Slalom and Giant Slalom races across a number of mountains across southern New England. This program is comprised of a Varsity Ladder and a Junior Varsity Ladder. The team also practices and hosts home races at Catamount Ski Area.

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#8 The Bement School

Bement School is an oasis; it is a small, kindergarten through grade 9 school nestled below the Pocumtuck Range and flanked by the sparkling Deerfield River. They’re a kind community that values happiness and hard work, and also teach their students to embrace challenges.

Bement basically wants their students to feel excited and fulfilled every day, whether they are kindergartners chasing butterflies or ninth graders conducting science experiments. It is also one of the snowboard schools and colleges in the USA as students here engage in snowboarding activities.

The Bement School ski program has a proud tradition of being a member of the Mountain Institute Ski League (MISL), which competes on Wednesdays at Berkshire East in Charlemont, Massachusetts.

The ski program is co-ed and competes in both the JV and varsity divisions of the league. We race against many of the Western Massachusetts independent schools: Deerfield Academy, Northfield Mt. Hermon School, Williston Northampton School, and Wilbraham and Monson Academy.

In fact, the ski team has had a great deal of success over the years. In 2017, the girls’ JV team won the JV division. Also, the program prides itself on providing a quality ski racing experience for all participants.

Note that the team begins in December with dry land training and the race season begins in January and continues until the end of February.

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#9 Colorado Timberline Academy

Founded in, Colorado Timberline Academy offers a non-traditional college preparatory curriculum for high school students. It a close-knit community that offers programs with educational and outdoor-oriented excellence. It is currently one of the USA schools and colleges where students engage in snowboarding activities.

At Colorado Timberline Academy, they provide an outdoor activity program that involves every student. This includes skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, hiking, camping, rock climbing, kayaking, and more.

Each student at Colorado Timberline Academy is afforded a season ski pass every year as a part of their outdoor pursuits program. During the school’s fourth bloc, they shorten three class days in order to ski and snowboard at Purgatory Ski Resort.

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#10 Asheville School

Founded in 1900, Asheville School is a private, coeducational, University-preparatory boarding school and one of the USA schools and colleges where students engage in snowboarding activities.

The school is located in Asheville, Western North Carolina which has numerous spots ideally suited for winter mountaineering in the USA. And as such, when the weather permits, Asheville School students experience the exhilaration of both cross-country and downhill skiing or snowboarding.

Once the snows begin to fall, the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed to motorized traffic to provide a wonderful track for cross-country skiers to follow. Also, six area ski resorts are able to help by making snow when the temperature drops below freezing.

On the other hand, Asheville School offers downhill ski trips almost every weekend during January and February to resorts such as Beech or Sugar.

During that time, the school also participates in interscholastic ski races sponsored by the Cataloochee Ski Area. These usually take place on Wednesday afternoons and evenings, and seniors or students with honors are eligible to participate.

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FAQs On 10 Best Snowboard Schools In The USA | 2024 Rankings

Conclusion

The article above provides you with vital information on where you can learn snowboarding and skiing as well as the top snowboard schools in the USA.

I hope this helps you in your decision making process.

Good Luck And Success!!!

Reference

• BoardingSchoolReview – Top Snowboarding Boarding Schools
• CollegeConsensus – Best Colleges For Skiing & Snowboarding

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