What Is The Best Ski Resort In Los Angeles?

Whilst Los Angeles is commonly known for movie stars in Hollywood, the glitz and glam of Beverly Hills and the incredible beaches which line the coast it’s also home to many ski resorts that are less than 100 miles from the city centre. Los Angeles skiing is not something that typically comes to mind when people think of Los Angeles and we decided to pull together a list of the best ski resort in Los Angeles, well within the greater Los Angeles area. Thanks to their high elevation and an annual snowfall of over 120” these ski resorts in Los Angeles become a winter escape that is bathed in the southern Californian sunshine. With over 250 days of sunshine a year Los Angeles skiing is certainly a treat for riders who are happy with perfectly manicured groomers and endless views. Our opinion on the Los Angeles skiing is that its perfect for families, beginners or anyone looking to get their winter fix who lives in the greater Southern California area. Advanced riders or those looking for deep powder will need to head to the likes of Utah, Wyoming and Colorado as the Los Angeles skiing is entry level when compared to these states. For us to put together a “best” list was extremely difficult based on the fact that we are looking at it from our perspective which might not be the same perspective, so we have decided to break it down into several key aspects. This list is based on an overall approach when looking at access, cost of a lift ticket, number of lifts, number of trails, average snow and access to on mountain services as well as off mountain services.When comparing the list to get the top ski resort in Los Angeles we have also based a lot of our research on the numbers to try and remove the bias, we understand that everyone will have a preference for their list and we welcome you to message us on social media to share your thoughts, send us some photos of you getting out there loving the best ski resort in Los Angeles and we will post these out to our followers.

Los Angeles Mountains in Winter. Credit: BBC Big Bear Mountain ResortBest for: Terrain Park RidersNumber of Lifts: 12Number of Runs: 29Resort Size: 198 acresDistance from Los Angeles: 98 miles (2 hours drive) Big Bear Mountain is the third largest ski resort in Big Bear, however this resort sits at the top of the list when it comes to terrain parks and freestyle skiing and snowboarding in southern California. Home to the only Olympic sized halfpipe in Southern California, Big Bear Mountain Resort is a freestyle mecca that has incredible views over Big Bear Lake and the surrounding mountains. Whilst their focus is on terrain parks Big Bear offers some great Los Angeles skiing for any kind of rider. Sitting high above Los Angeles in the San Bernardino National Forest mountains, Big Bear Mountain Resort comprises three main peaks: Bear Peak, Silver Mountain and Gold Mine Mountain with Bear Peak being the summit of the resort at 8,805ft (2,684m). Rising from a base area of 7,140 (2,716m) riders at Big Bear Mountain Resort can access 1,665ft (507m) of true expert vertical off Bear Peak in the eastern side of the resort and 1,300ft (397m) of true intermediate vertical in the western side of the resort from Goldmine Mountain. Big Bear in California claims the title of southern California’s highest peak served by a ski lift and from Chair 8 expert riders can access the highest and longest continual expert ski run in SoCal named Geronimo. Big Bear is also home to the largest learning area in the area, backed by professionally certified instructors that make learning easy, fun and natural. Big Bear is where many locals of SoCal learn to ski and ride.With 85% of the resort dedicated to freestyle terrain Big Bear in California is frequently at the top of many global list for best terrain park offering and they pride themselves on being an innovator in park design and development, it's not uncommon to see world class athletes throwing down some of the best tricks you will ever see on a Sunday afternoon. Pros: ✅Best terrain park offering with halfpipe and endless featuresExtensive snowmaking across many parts of the resortGreat views of the lake and surrounding mountainIkon Pass accepted at the ski resortHighest lift in Southern California Cons: ❌Weekends can be extremely busyLower snowfall than other ski resorts in CaliforniaAccommodation in and around Big Bear can be expensiveNo real village area at the base Big Bear Mountain Quick Facts Summit Elevation: 8805ft / 2684mBase Elevation: 7140ft / 2176mVertical Drop: 1665ft / 507mBeginner: 20%Intermediate: 33%Advanced: 33%Expert: 14%Number of Runs: 29Number of Lifts: 12Avg Annual Snowfall: 130" / 10.83ft / 330cmResort terrain: 198 acres / 80 haPass Type: Ikon