Catch the perfect California wave another day. If you want to learn to ski or snowboard, hit the California slopes, a beginner’s paradise with hills catering to novices. With several ski lifts within a two-hour drive of Los Angeles, there’s no excuse not to head for the snow on a winter’s day. Be sure to check local weather reports for ski conditions, since this is the West Coast, and snow levels vary each year.
Badger Pass Ski Area
Yosemite National Park
www.yosemitepark.com/BadgerPass.aspx
For 50 years, quaint little Badger Pass has specialized in teaching visitors to Yosemite National Park how to ski. This is the perfect family spot, with its old A-framed lodge, bunny hills, and tubing area. Check out the $65 “Learn to Ski” package for kids, then grab a cocoa and watch from the lodge sun deck. This is also a great spot to try cross-country skiing, with equipment rentals on site and introductory classes running through the day. Located about an hour from Yosemite Valley, the best way to get to Badger is to take the Badger Pass shuttle bus from Yosemite Village and leave the winding drive up Glacier Point Road to the bus driver. Make a day at Badger Pass a part of a longer winter Yosemite exploration with Yosemite Lodge as your home base. Yosemite is about a six-hour drive from Los Angeles.
Big Bear Resort
Big Bear, California
www.bearmountain.com
Located in the snow-capped San Bernardino Mountains, Big Bear is Southern California’s biggest and best-known ski resort and just a short drive from Los Angeles. Big Bear has the largest beginners area among its So Cal competitors. Two-hour ski and snowboarding lessons begin at $59 for adults and $49 for kids under 13, not including equipment rentals. Lodging is plentiful at both Big Bear Mountain and in the Big Bear Lake area. Check out the Big Bear website to book accommodations ranging from bed and breakfasts to cabins.
Mountain High Ski Resort
Wrightwood, California
www.mthigh.com
Little Mountain High is convenient to Los Angeles (about a two-hour drive) and offers lesson packages that let you start on an indoor hill simulator. The “virtual snow” simulator lets you practice standing without falling, stopping, and turning before you try the real thing. Lessons here are booked in-person only and on a first-come, first-served basis. Just read Mountain High’s detailed website for everything you need to know. A $75 adult lesson package includes equipment, an hour and 45-minute lesson, and an all-day lift ticket.
Mammoth Mountain
Mammoth, California
www.mammothmountain.com
We’re talking mountains, not ski hills at Mammoth, one of California’s premier ski areas with the tallest mountains in California. Located in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountain range, this resort is officially in Northern California but is frequented by Southern Californians, who make the five-hour drive from the Los Angeles area. It’s a beautiful spot, with plenty of condos, cabins, and hotel rooms to choose from, plus restaurants and nightlife. The beginners program has its own large area. Half-day adult lesson packages during the week begin at $84.
Mt. Baldy
Mount Baldy, California
www.mtbaldyskilifts.com
Mt. Baldy is a ski area, not a resort, and only an hour from Los Angeles. Proximity to the city and low prices make this no-frills spot appealing. Ski and snowboard lessons plus a day on the slopes run $59 for adults and $39 for kids. The cozy old Mt. Baldy Lodge is known for a roaring fireplace and hot cocoa topped off with especially good marshmallows.
