California Photos Skiing and Snowboarding Books

Skiing and Snowboarding Books

Having been to many skiing/snowboarding resorts in Southern California, I have made some observations about many resorts.

Mountain High is probably the easiest drive from Los Angeles as most of the driving is not on mountain roads. It has become very popular with the younger crowd recently and the snowboard park is a nice treat. We have photos from Mountain High on the Los Angeles Photos Web site.

Snow Summit might be the most famous resort in Southern California. Located near Big Bear Lake, it is a bit of a drive from Los Angeles but it is well worth it.

Bear Mountain is also near Big Bear Lake. They used to be know as Goldmine in the late 1980s.

Snow Valley is on the way to Big Bear but it is about 20 to 30 minutes closer to Los Angeles than Snow Summit and Bear Mountain. Snow Valley has added new runs in the back and it should not be overlooked.

Mount Baldy is a short drive from San Bernardino. The snow on the mountain can be seen from many different vantage points throughout L.A. The resort is very small and the lifts are old. There are several short, steep runs but the resort only has a handful of lifts.

Mount Waterman is small like Mount Baldy. It relies on natural snow so sometimes it is closed while other resorts like Snow Summit are open. The resort only has a handful of lifts but the face is a very challenging run and the moguls can get pretty big. It is right off the Angeles Crest Highway back in the mountains behind Mount Wilson. We have a picture of a snowboarder in the air at Mount Waterman on the Los Angeles Photos web site.

Some of the resorts I've visited in other parts of the state include June Mountain, Mammoth Mountain, Heavenly Valley, Mount Rose, Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley, Boreal and North Star.

ISBN: 0809232022
Book review by Amazon.com reprinted with permission
Written by a ski-school instructor, Terrain Skiing will help skiers of all ability levels (and especially intermediates) adapt to ever-changing terrain situations and snow conditions, and ski with confidence and skill. If you want to ski challenging slopes like an expert--or simply master the intermediate trails for optimum enjoyment--consult this guide before your next trip to the mountains.

ASIN: 6305087385
Review by Amazon.com reprinted with permission
Opening with a nightmarish montage of an avalanche, Snowriders 2: The Journey Continues, from the master of ski films, Warren Miller, quickly transforms into an exuberant celebration of downhill glory. In Miller style, gorgeous footage of some of the world's most skillful skiers tackling the world's gnarliest slopes is combined with intelligently chosen rock music to create an entertaining mix. Miller's film crews shoot skiers in the Alps of the South Island of New Zealand, track Americans making a lengthy pilgrimage to tackle the remote and forbidding slopes of Kazakhstan, and follow a tattooed and pierced snowboarder from his apartment in Greenwich Village to Killington, Vermont. For those wild souls who find skis and snowboards too tame, the video also features heart-stopping footage of cheerful maniacs careening down ridiculously steep mountains on, what else, mountain bikes. As if that's not enough, there are also those who up the ante by descending glaciers in kayaks. The musical soundtrack and the stuning camera work is combined to great effect, as exemplified in a haunting montage of the Vail Ski Patrol moving like wraiths through whitened woods to the accompaniment of the Counting Crows' "A Long December." --Robert J. McNamara