There is one day a year, however, when snowboarding does parade the slopes of Alta. Along with rampant other activities of debauchery, Alta's famous "High Boy" closing party on High Rustler is when the locals let it all hang out—and the secret is that no one cares that Alta doesn’t allow snowboarding. For any Wasatch enthusiasts that have never been to this party, it's one of the few times you'll ever see a snowboarder high up on Eagle's Nest. Costumed or not, these "knuckle-draggers" aren't as outlawed or harassed as you might think. In fact, it seems largely that the joke is on anyone who really believes that snowboarding is banned at Alta. (Please don't be silly, it truly is). Among nearly 10 other snowboarders that I counted on High Rustler none of them hold anything against Alta for not permitting their heathen ways.

The first time I heard about the snowboarders "poaching" Alta—which is far more difficult after Alta's automated ticket-checking system—it was from a 6'5" and 300 pounds dude with blonde ringlet curls down to his shoulders. His name is Doubie and his snowboard is longer than your skis. Hearing his "poaching" story made me realize how the real faction of Alta locals view snowboarding. Doubie rode Mount Baldy Express from the backside of Snowbird in order to gain access to the front side of Alta. He was rallying in hopes of grubbing down on the famed one-day-a-year Oysters being served at Alta Java. Alta's fancy new gates awaited him at the top of the lift promising certain devastation to his plan for mollusk consumption. Well, unlike the poachers in Burton's winning "Power to the Poachers" video who hiked in darkness until it was time to strike Alta, Doubie hiked a few polite steps above the gates—in broad daylight. As Doubie put it, "The poor girl [at the Alta information hut] was looking at me and then at the gate and not really knowing what to do. She said she was going to have to call Ski Patrol and I said, "Tell 'em Doubie says hi.'"

Doubie's nonchalance and long-standing personality in Little Cottonwood Canyon make the situation seem comical, but it also sheds light on the fact that the War is over. As Taos opened its doors earlier this season to snowboarders, Alta (and of a strong group of its hardcore locals) stands strong about not allowing this type of snow-sliding within their boundaries. The real question then is do snowboarders want to ride at Alta? Some people joke that Alta is an acronym for "All Alone Traversing Again." Is this a legitimate issue, the fact that certain areas have terrain difficult to access as a snowboarder?

Most of Alta's Snowboard team sits on the fence about this and largely sees their AltaBird passes and domicile locations as logistically easier than living down the canyon or in the treacherous-by-reputation Snowbird employee housing. Doubie submits to the truth about Alta's traversing, "I would definitely ride there but traversing to the good spots can be hard... I guess I would'’t mind dropping in over there once in a while... the truth is that old people get pretty scared of snowboarders, too."

Micah, a longtime member of the Alta Snowboard Team, referred to snowboarders as the "Red-headed stepchildren of Alta." He added, "We bus your tables, we clean your sheets, all we're saying is let us in!"

Some are fervent and others follow a more passive resistance. As Jake Burton said, "Poaching isn't simply a peaceful form of protest, it is truly your patriotic duty." In Doubie's case, it was his gastronomical duty to enjoy Oysters at 8,000 feet and for others it's simply a matter of getting home from Snowbird.

Flash now to the top of High Rustler as the sun goes down for the last day of the official 2007-2008 season at Alta. Of the remaining eight people fighting the cold wind, four are snowboarders including Laura Dewey, winner of the North Face Masters competition in Alyeska (pictured here). Dewey says, "Whatever, just ski the pow." And we scraped down the icy April faces of Alta, down to the "hardcore skiers" waiting for us at the bottom.