Tucked away off minor state and provincial highways beyond the mega-resort hype, it’s easy to miss the dozens of small, part-time hills that cater to local communities of weekend warriors. But visit one of these hills that only opens around the weekend, and you will find a stripped-down snowboard experience that makes up for any lack of high-speed quads with an abundance of soul, character and, when storms roll through, deep, untracked snow. frequency TSJ takes you to four such part-timers: Hurricane Ridge, WA, Hemlock, BC, Eaglecrest, AK and Lost Trail, MT.

Growing up near Vancouver Island, BC’s Mount Washington and its abundant snowfall and relaxed pace, I had it pretty good. But lift-line chatter often led to stories about a smaller hill to the north called Mount Cain. Beyond ample terrain, Cain held an attraction that neither Washington, nor its defunct neighbor Forbidden Plateau, could offer: powder Thursdays. Specifically, Cain was (and still is) only open part time. So, as everything got slashed to pieces at Washington, Cain remained dormant through a storm, piling up three days of snow before its t-bars shuttled the few who braved the dirt road to tits-deep terrain…

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