Being two hours away from some of the best snow parks in the country has its perks, but not necessarily for poor college students who don&t know where to go.

The most inexpensive and beginner friendly place to start is Boreal Mountain resorts. For college students who present their college IDs, Fridays only cost $10 and a seasonal college pass valid Monday through Friday costs $99.

The park features 41 trails on 380 acres, with one half-pipe and eight terrain parks. Its hours of operation are 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. unless night riding is not available 8211; then it closes at 4 p.m.

Night riding, from 3:30 p.m. until 9 p.m., is only $22 and the regular all-day pass costs $35 with or without a college ID. Boreal is one of the few parks that offer student discounts, but it offers less acreage for the buck than any other park.

The next park that&s close to Boreal&s size has over 1,000 more acres and costs only $20 more, The Sugar Bowl has 100 trails, two half-pipes and two terrain parks for $54 Friday through Monday and $35 Tuesday through Thursday. The park is open 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. and has a new Super Pipe available for more experienced riders.

Kirkwood, rated as having one of the top 10 parks in the country, offers a two-day pass during the week for $71. Special rates are available for groups of 20 or more, if you travel in mass.

Sierra at Tahoe and Northstar at Tahoe have the best season pass offer of all the parks. A Double Whammy College Season Pass valid for both parks is available for $249, which adds up to 6,480 acres, 146 trails, two half pipes, four terrain parks and arguably the best two parks in Tahoe.

A single day at Sierra costs $53 and at Northstar $61. Both parks are open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., so there is no night riding, but half-day passes, which start after 12:30, cost $40 at Sierra and $38 at Northstar.

Heavenly, with 4,800 acres and 84 trails, also offers a good deal. Riders can take on the mountain from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. for $59 a day if purchased on or before December 17, then the price goes up to $65. A season pass for college students costs only $299, and the only restrictions for the pass are holidays.

Squaw Valley, though virtually unaffordable for college students (its season passes cost over $1,000), offers a great night riding deal. It&s only $20 to ski from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., and has 100 trails over 4,000 acres.

Go to Boreal for the first half of Friday for $10 and head over to experience a whole new park for only $20 more. An all-day pass for adults is $59, which goes down to $43 at 1 p.m., finishes off at less than half the original price, and $2 less than Boreal&s evening ride.

The mountains are calling all snowboarders, and the price is right for college students. There&s a mountain for everybody&s budget.

Being two hours away from some of the best snow parks in the country has its perks, but not necessarily for poor college students who don&t know where to go.