Made in Colorado
What Is a Super El Niño?
A super El Niño shifts the jet stream, which can tilt the odds toward an active, wetter winter with increased moisture and heavy snow potential for parts of Colorado.
A Couple of Past Super El Niño Seasons in Colorado
1982/83 Season Highlights
- 120% to 130% of average snowfall statewide.
- The Christmas Blizzard dumped over 2 feet on Denver in a 24-hour period, and more in the foothills.
- 557" seasonal total recorded at Loveland Ski Area.
- 400" at other major Continental Divide resorts.
- Heavy snow deep into the spring, with Berthoud Pass logging 93 inches in April alone.
1997/98 Season Highlights
- 113% of overall average.
- Telluride recorded a high total of 232 inches (33 inches above average).
- Significant early-season moisture.
Preparation and Gear Needed
- First and foremost: good winter, all-season or all-terrain tires with a minimum 3/16" tread depth. This helps tremendously getting up I-70 or over mountain passes safely.
- A winter roadside emergency kit and water.
- Outerwear with a good waterproof rating or Gore-Tex.
- Goggles with a great low-light lens, like our Never Summer x Spy Marauder Goggles.
- A balaclava, like the Never Summer Eagle Mountain Double Layer Convertible Balaclava.
- Good snowboard/ski socks are key. We like Smartwool and Stance.
- Check the condition of your bindings and boots.
- Pack or vest, avalanche beacon, rescue gear and education if you're going off-piste or into the backcountry.
Boards You Need to Crush El Niño Grande Pow
- Proto Swift ST: On those big dumps (I'm talking 48 inches in 24 hours), bust out the big swallowtail. That deep swallowtail allows it to sink and the long nose to float like a butterfly in bottomless pow. Available in the big-gun size, 178 cm!
- Proto Swift: The Proto Swift will crush anything Super El Niño throws at us, from deep days in the legendary Vail Back Bowls to carving wide-open groomers on the front side. With 20 mm of taper, firm flex, a classic shape and Never Summer's most extensive rubber vibration damping, the Proto Swift will mow through anything in its path while laying out a turn that can only be described as a work of art.
- Nokhu: We love to ride trees, and if you do too, the Nokhu is the ticket. With its mid flex, short tail and Triple Camber Hybrid, you will weave through the tightest trees. Surf the earth on the Nokhu.
- Cirrus: The premier volume-shifted board for women. Featuring Triple Camber Hybrid for float and versatility, it's perfect for surfing trees, slashing banks and edge-to-edge fluidity that is second to none.
- Proto T3 FR: A very capable freeride board for any condition. A slight setback and tapered shape combined with Hybrid Triple Camber give the Proto T3 FR great float in powder while staying solid on hardpack. Add the legendary stability of our RDS 1 (Rubber Damping System) and Precision Stitched Carbon Matrix (PSCM) for those looking to go fast and hard. The Proto T3 FR is a Super El Niño weapon.
- Women's Proto T3 FR: For the woman freerider wanting to tackle the deep powder days at Telluride or have the ultimate stability bombing pristine groomers in Aspen, this directional snowboard is perfect. It features Triple Camber Hybrid to handle aggressive riding with a rocker profile that is easy to manage.
- Eclipse: If you live on the East Coast but are traveling out west to hit some Super El Niño pow, the Eclipse is what you need. It features a setback stance, Early Rise Float Mechanics and a tapered shape for the pow out west, plus the Camber Dominant Triple Camber Recurve Profile for Ice Coast riding.
- Summit T3 Splitboard: A great choice for the rider wanting to get the most out of the entire season. With past Super El Niños providing good early-season conditions and heavy snow into the spring, the Summit T3 is your season pass to shred epic backcountry lines.
