Hi! I am a Colorado Native and a snowboarder for 10 years and a skier 10 years before that. I have only done my skiing/ riding in Colorado and Wyoming, needless to say, I'm going to reccomend Colorado. If you are not familiar with Colorado, there are many different resorts available, i.e. small, medium, large, train parks, cruisers, tree runs, freestyle, racing, etc.
Heading westbound on I-70 from Denver you will first encounter Loveland and Arapahoe Basin. These mountains are closest to Denver and they are smaller in comparison to the big resorts. Also, you can exit northbound over Bethoud Pass towards Winter Park/ Mary Jane a medium sized resort that has some good runs for snowboarders, but seems to cater to the skiiers, in terms of terrain. Continuing west on I-70, there are more resorts on the west side of the Eisenhower Tunnel, the longest mountain tunnel in the US. Copper Mountain, Breckenridge, and Keystone are all big resorts within close proximity of eachother. THe big hauses of Colorado are further west, Vail and Beavercreek are fancy and fun. All of them offer a different culture and different terrain. I like to mix it up, not spend too much time on one mountain.
To be completely honest, I am more of a powder hound type and my number one day, in 20 years, happened on Telluride Mountain. Telluride is a solid 8 hours drive south from Denver, including dangerous mountain driving conditions and very extreme highway elevations. Down south there is also Durango Mountain formally known as Purgatory, a great little mountain to play around on after a killer day on Telluride mountain. These two are not far from eachother.
My second best ski day, happened on Steamboat. Also, I skiied Steamboat as a child and was a season pass holder for 4 years while attending college at the University of Wyoming. Needless to say, it is a snowboarders playground, but a complete cow town with the western feel to it. Steamboat is also isolated in regards to not having another resort to try out. However, Strawberry Springs, natural mineral pools, are in Steamboat a great way to warm-up after a cold day of riding. Be careful, clothing optional after dark.
For your goals, I would reccomend any resorts off of I-70 because they are close together and you can find a cheap place in a town called Frisco, (there are hostels,) and just drive to whichever resort. You can buy a pass for any of the Vail Mountain resorts ( Keystone, Breck, A-Basin, Vail and Beaver Creek) and it will be transferrable to those resorts.
Let me know if you have more questions.
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