Best places to snowboard near Los Angeles?

Question

Best places to snowboard near Los Angeles?

Answer 1

If you are just starting out I would suggest taking a trip up to Snow Summit in Big Bear.  Summit Run & Miracle Mile are some of the best runs to learn on.  The mtn is a mellow family type environment with a decent little deck for hanging out.  The food is pretty good there too, for resort food.

If you are into park riding you should hit Up Bear Mtn.  Bear has one of the top 10 parks in the nation and it's about 2 min from Snow Summit.  The scene there is super cool and whole hill has park features on it.  If you are just learning to ride I suggest you not go there.  The Bunny hill at Bear sucks and if you step in the way of a more advanced rider in the park they will not hesitate to take you out.  I LOVE Bear, but I began at Summit.

Other local mtns include Mtn High and Snow Valley.  Mtn High is a really easy drive.  Just about an hour from LA and no sketchy mtn driving required.  Usually a younger crowd will go there b/c their parents don’t like them driving the mtn to Big Bear.  Mtn High tends to get a little congested and the chances of an unwatched board getting stolen are very high.  Mth High does night sessions 7 nights a week.  the only time I go there anymore is for a night session.  It's pretty fun for night sessions.  

Snow Valley is ok, but it’s only about 20 min down the hill from Big Bear so you may as well just go there.

There is also Mt. Baldey.  Blech.  That’s all I have on that.

Hope that helps!

Answer 2

the closest place would be up in big bear in the san gabriel mtns. the conditions suck there though. man-made snow that melts halfway through the day.

your best bet would be to head up to lake tahoe. long drive though.

Answer 3

Best to worst:

1. Snow Summit  http://www.snowsummit.com/index_winter.p...

2. Bear Mountain  http://www.snowsummit.com/index_winter.p...

3. Snow Valley  http://www.snow-valley.com/index_english...

4. Mountain High  http://www.mthigh.com/

5. Mount Baldy, but only the day after it dumps snow. http://www.mtbaldy.com/

Any other place nearby is a waste of time.

If you want to drive 3.5 hours, go to Mammoth...great.