An endless summer atmosphere combines with some of the world’s best snow conditions to create California snow culture—a winter sports scene like no other. With prime breaks just over an hour from the closest slopes—like the quick hop from Los Angeles to Big Bear Mountain, home to Bear Mountain and Snow Summit—surfing infuses the California ski and snowboard scene with the kind of carefree, kick-back vibe that most people associate with a day at the Golden State’s incomparable beaches.
That’s because in California, skiers and surfers don’t belong to separate sports tribes. Instead, they’re both seeking that singular connection to the natural world that comes with catching the perfect wave or racing down a slope of deep, fresh Sierra powder. “It’s not so much an intersection of surf and skate culture as much as it is a continuation of that culture in an alpine setting,” says Justin Kanton, a spokesman for Big Bear Mountain. “You see it from the early days of Toms Sims’ pioneering Skiboard that allowed him to surf on snow, to Shaun White bringing the skills he learned at San Diego skate parks to the halfpipes at Bear Mountain. The skiers and snowboarders who frequent our properties today all tend to have a style—riding and aesthetic—that is both influenced by skate and surf culture and uniquely their own.”
That sweet spot between surf and snow goes well beyond traditional skiing and snowboarding too. Here are some cool—and fun—ways to have a uniquely California snow experience.
Disc Golf
The toy company Wham-O produced the first Frisbees in San Gabriel near Los Angeles in 1957, and these flying discs have been a familiar presence on California beaches ever since. A number of sports have spun off, if you will, from Frisbees, and now disc golf has become a favorite at ski resorts throughout the state—such as Mountain High Resort’s 27-hole Sky High Disc Golf Course, which has views of both snow-capped peaks and the desert. In the Sierra Nevada, ride the aerial tram to the 18-hole course and Lake Tahoe panoramas of Palisades Tahoe. Or south of the lake, test your skills in the meadows and forests at Kirkwood Mountain Resort’s DiscWood Disc Golf Course, where the base elevation is 7,800 feet.
Superpipes
While California surfers dream of riding the face of such legendary big waves as Mavericks near Half Moon Bay, the state’s snowboarders and freestylers take on the curving walls of superpipes at leading ski resorts. Like a frozen 18-foot wave, Bear Mountain’s superpipe stretches for nearly 600 feet and helped earn the terrain park a number one ranking from TransWorld SNOWboarding magazine in 2016. “When it comes to the art of snowboard parks, it’s not an exaggeration to say that Bear Mountain is the most dedicated resort in North America and, probably, the world,” wrote TransWorld. There’s also an 18-foot superpipe at Northstar California. For something even bigger, try shredding the 22-footers at Palisades Tahoe and Mammoth Mountain—the number two terrain parks in TransWorld’s 2016 Park Poll.
Spring Skiing
California may be known as the home of the endless summer, but plenty of skiers and snowboarders love it for something else: the endlessly rich winter. That’s because California’s ski season can extend through spring and sometimes all the way into early summer. Come out for “corn skiing,” the name given to snow textured by spring melting and freezing cycles, and California’s sun-kissed slopes will look more like Malibu than Matterhorn. “California’s surf culture is most evident in the spring at Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows,” (Editor's note: now named Palisades Tahoe) says Sam Kieckhefer, a spokesman for the resorts. There’s plenty of spring action in the Eastern Sierra too. As Lauren Burke, Mammoth Mountain’s social media manager, describes the scene, “Think girls shredding in bikinis, the sundecks full of après-skiers, and the terrain parks popping off with U.S. Ski and Snowboard team training.”
Fat Tire Biking
The beach cruiser is a staple of many California boardwalks. And when the waves just aren’t breaking, many surfers head to the hills and get their kicks by fat tire biking—a winter variation of mountain biking with extra fat tires that help you navigate groomed trails as easy as a beach cruiser on the coast. Northstar California offer rentals, and after getting used to the different sensation of cycling in snow, the going is easy. Worried about a wipeout? Well, at least you can expect a soft landing.
Surf Lake Tahoe!
Given the right conditions, strong winds off the mountains can churn up Lake Tahoe and create waves big enough for winter surfing at such spots as Carnelian Bay, about four miles from Kings Beach. When Tahoe goes off, diehard surfers save the drive to the coast to brave the lake’s sloppy chop, as well as “invigorating” water temperatures of about 40 degrees. It’s not for everyone, and if you’re looking for a warm weather surfing alternative on the lake, rent a stand-up paddleboard from Adrift Tahoe, a Polynesian-inspired surf shop right along the lakeshore.
