Aggressive snowboarders looking for a shot of adrenaline should head straight for the North Face, a group of isolated steeper runs, such as Ripcord, with a 37-degree pitch.

Other than the North Face, the rest of Mount Snow is cruising paradise. You can carve hero turns down just about any trail on the mountain. Be sure not to miss Snowdance, a trail as wide as a football field is long, off the Canyon Express chairlift. The Sunbrook area, off the south side of the summit, is an ideal spot for lower-intermediates. Although the resort’s glades are all marked with black diamonds, they’re an unintimidating place to practice in the trees.

From the summit, beginners will feel comfortable on Deer Run and Long John, two trails that make wide traverses of the mountain. At the south end of the resort is Carinthia, which offers long mellow runs for advanced-beginners, lower-intermediates and anyone else who wants to have a playful cruise. There are enough zigs, zags and small drops to keep you awake. Snowboarders flock to this area because of the park and pipe here.

First-timers can start at the Launch Pad area outside the Discovery Center on the right side (looking up the mountain) of Mount Snow’s main base area. This well-staffed area is segregated and has its own lifts: two moving carpets, a rope tow and a triple chair.

Parks and pipes

New for this season, Mount Snow built an advanced level park on what was the Fairways Trail at Carinthia and dubbed it Vermonster. The resort has five parks now.

Un Blanco Gulch: on the mountain’s Main Face, is an intermediate freestyle terrain park built for experienced riders who are not quite ready for the big leagues. It’s well maintained and conveniently located with quick access via the Canyon Express. Take the Canyon Trail, and watch for the park about halfway down on rider’s left. This park is all about options: almost all of the jumps have two take-off ramps of different sizes and approaches. The park opens with a few tabletops, then there’s a nice hip jump off to the left, which offers a perfect segue into the lower rail section. These smaller sized rails are almost identical to those of the larger park, and are a great way to practice.

Grommet Park: on Cooper’s Junction trail, is a specially designed park for kids 12 and under. With kid-sized hits, jumps and slides, it’s the perfect spot for youngsters to experience the thrill of freestyling.

The Gut Superpipe: big enough for competition yet not overpowering, offers smooth transitions and well-shaped walls. 460 feet long, with 18-foot walls and 17-foot transitions, it's at Carinthia, and easily accessible via two lifts. It also makes a fine finisher after a run through the new unnamed park.

Jiblet (a mini-rail park in front of Grand Summit Hotel has lights, a covered magic carpet, and a sound system, it's open until 7 p.m.

The final terrain par is Au Natural -- a natural snow-only park at Carinthia on what was formerly the Rusty Nail Trail.