Winter activities in california for adrenaline junkies

High Sierra peaks, deep drifts on a Mammoth volcano, family-friendly resorts, snowy escapes on the edge of Yosemite and more—California has enough alpine destinations to keep anyone grinning as wide as a happy snowman. Find the resort that suits your style—from big-mountain/big village resort-style settings to under-the-radar treasures.

The quickest way to snow in the Los Angeles region—short of getting into an airplane and flying to the slopes—is to beeline to this popular mountain getaway on the east side of the San Bernardino Range. Three areas make up the ski resort, each with its own style and atmosphere. If you like the vibe of slope-side music, live performances, night skiing, and on-hill contests, then head for the West Resort. East Resort aims to deliver a true alpine experience, with a high-speed quad accessing the region’s longest trails, with moguls, glades, and Mojave Desert views. Mountain High North Resort, open Friday through Sunday during peak season, fills the niche as the family-friendly hangout, with 70 acres of beginner to intermediate terrain and the largest snow-tubing park in Southern California.
The resort offers 290 acres of skiable terrain, with an average of more than 130 inches/330 centimetres of snowfall each season. There’s a nice mix of trails too, with 25% beginner, 40% intermediate, and 35% advanced.


Shasta Cascade: Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lassen is more on the radar of travellers during winter and spring, for being a popular ski mountaineering and backcountry snowboard destination, but even snow-sports novices can strap on a pair of snowshoes and tromp into the snow wonderland to see the beauty of Lassen cloaked in white. While roads through the park close in winter, both the north entrance (Loomis Plaza area at Manzanita Lake) and south entrance (Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Centre) have marked snowshoe trails. Bring your own snowshoes and set off on your own, or go for a ranger guided snowshoe walk, offered on weekends. If you’re a cross-country skier, the snow-covered park road lets you kick and glide to Lassen’s steaming geothermal features surrounded by a blanket of white.

High Sierra Ski, board, and play on the edge of Lake Tahoe
On Tahoe’s south shore, Heavenly—one of the world’s biggest ski resorts—offers jaw-dropping lake views. This enormous resort has absolutely everything—not just these big groomers with head-swivelling views, but also a wide range of terrain parks, mogul runs with names like Gunbarrel, and peaceful, untracked glades where the world seems to slip away into snowy bliss.


Heavenly has also bumped up the fun even if you don’t ski or board, with on-mountain zip lines, tube runs, scenic gondola rides, and a party-like atmosphere on and off the mountain, making it especially popular with international travellers who might be new to snow sports. The on-mountain Tamarack Lodge is a favoured pick with its late-afternoon Unbuckle après party; you don’t have to be a skier or boarder to join in the fun. Heavenly’s base village is another star attraction, with an ice-skating rink, outdoor fire pits, and a wide array of restaurants. And Heavenly straddles the California/Nevada, and the adjacent Stateline area offers top entertainment and gaming in high-rise casinos and splashy hotels.
Tip:
Consider getting an Epic Pass for access to Heavenly, Northstar California, and Kirkwood; there are various options and pricings, so check to see which one could work for your vacation plans.