California

Think California ,USA, and you conjure up thoughts of sunny beaches where the weather is always warm. The concept of skiing in the state of California may seem somewhat strange, but high up in the mountains lie some of the best ski resorts in the US.

In keeping with the expectations for California, there is generally plenty of sunshine at the ski resorts. It is not uncommon for snowstorms to blow through in the evening and for it to be sunny the next day. Powder and sunshine – perfect!

California SnowThe snowfall in some parts of California is fantastic. As examples, Alpine Meadows has an average annual snowfall of 12.5 metres and Kirkwood has a whopping 15.2 metres – one of the biggest snowfalls for a ski resort in the world.

California Ski ResortsBig is best when it comes to ski resort in the US, and California is no exception. Mammoth mountain is unoriginally “mammoth”. Squaw Valley is also large, but Heavenly is huge with almost 2,000 hectares of ski terrain.

California not only has quality but also quantity when it comes to ski resorts, with 40-plus downhill and cross-country resorts. No wonder there aren’t many cat skiing operations in California – there’s no space left!

The resorts can be grouped geographically into major areas.

Northern California- Cedar Pass Snow Park
- Coppervale
- Gold Mountain
- Mt Shasta Ski Park

Central California- Badger Pass
- Bear Valley
- Cottage Springs
- Dodge Ridge
- June Mountain
- Mammoth
- Montecito-Sequoia
- Shirley Meadows
- Sierra Summit

Lake Tahoe area- Donner Summit area
    o Boreal
    o Donner Ski Ranch
    o Soda Springs
    o Sugar Bowl
 
- North Shore Lake Tahoe
    o Alpine Meadows
    o Homewood Mountain Resort
    o Squaw Valley
    o Diamond Peak
    o Mt Rose
    o Tahoe Donner
    o Grandlibakken
    o Northstar
 
- South Shore Lake Tahoe
    o Heavenly
    o Kirkwood
    o Sierra at Tahoe

Southern California- Angeles Crest Resorts
- Bear Mountain
- Big Air Green Valley
- Buckhorn
- Mountain High
- Mt Baldy
- Ski Sunrise
- Snow Summit
- Snow Valley

There are various international airports serving the California ski resorts including LAX (Los Angeles International airport), San Francisco and Reno/Tahoe.