How to Surf and Ski in California in One Day
By Cassie Shortsleeve. Photos: Courtesy Big Bear Mountain Resort.
Surf in the morning, ski in the afternoon: It’s called the ‘California Double’—and it’s part of the reason it’s hard to argue with committed Californians who say their home state is better than yours. They get to brag about begging off work on a sunny day, jumping into the Pacific, and then heading two-and-a-half hours east to the SoCal mountains where there's currently an outrageous amount of snow.
In fact, California is one of the few places travelers can do both activities in one day (though, go global and you can do a New Zealand Double or Japan Double). The problem is, planning a surf-then-ski (or vice versa) adventure is far more difficult than it initially sounds. You have to time it right. You have to know where to go. You have to have the right gear.
Orange County’s Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa, which sits right on the Pacific Coast Highway in the middle of Surf City, is game to help. On Sunday, April 2, the hotel will help travelers enjoy a ‘California Double’ sans the legwork. (You don’t even need to be staying at the hotel to sign up.)
You'll start the day catching waves (or, for beginners, learning to pop up on the board) on the shores of Huntington Beach with a lesson from local surf shop Toes on the Nose, and end at 8,200 feet at Snow Summit Resort in Big Bear, in the San Bernardino National Forest. The mountain closes in mid-April, so this is one of your last chances to fit in a double. Green slope skiers, take note: Snow Summit just so happens to be home to one of the largest ‘learning areas’ in Southern Cali. The price for the trip ($199) includes surf lessons, lift tickets, meals, and round-trip travel via a luxury coach bus (ski rental equipment costs aren’t included).
To register, visit toesonthenose.com or call 714-845-4638.
This story originally appeared on Conde Nast Traveler.
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