With a strong El Ni帽o on its way, it looks like the wave could be a big one this winter in California. The swell is already arriving in the mountains, with plenty of early-season snow across the Golden State, there鈥檚 never been a better time to play outside. From snowboarding and skiing at world-class resorts聽to snowshoeing and ice skating in pristine mountain wilderness, we鈥檝e got tips on how to best catch the wave this winter.
1. Ride a Fat Bike
Fat biking is experiencing a recent surge in popularity. 础迟听, guides will outfit you with a bike, then escort you through snow-covered trails and offer instruction鈥攏ot that you鈥檒l need any. 鈥淚f you can ride a bike, you can ride a snow bike,鈥 says Ken Long, owner of Tahoe Mountain Guides. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e in a mixed condition situation, like snow and dirt where you can鈥檛 possibly snowshoe through it, that鈥檚 perfect for a fat bike.鈥
2.聽Snowshoe Amongst Towering Sequoia Trees
At Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, you can take a聽聽in the shadows of giant pines and sequoias. Rent snowshoes and head out on your own, or sign up for a ranger-led, two-hour trek that comes with free snowshoe rentals. Naturalists from the Sequoia Natural History Association also lead guided snowshoe walks and聽help聽you spot wildlife tracks and local vegetation.
3.聽Dance to a DJ on a聽Snowcat
There鈥檚 no聽apr猫s-ski聽party quite like the聽聽every winter weekend at Heavenly鈥檚 mountaintop Tamarack Lodge. Complete with聽hula-hooping聽Heavenly Angels and half-priced cocktails, you鈥檒l also find a DJ spinning tunes on a retrofitted聽snowcat. You鈥檒l hear the party: The cat, a former Heavenly grooming machine turned party vehicle, is outfitted with 52 speakers and 12,000 watts of amps.
4.聽Soak in a Mountaintop Hot Tub
Located at High Camp, Squaw Valley’s Swimming Pool & Hot Tub is one of the state鈥檚 most scenic spots to swim and relax. A 2,000-foot tram ride whisks you up to the mid-mountain complex of pools and hot tubs (there are also lockers, showers, and a changing room), where you can take in the views of the Sierra聽and sip a cocktail from the Umbrella Bar.
5. Go Fly a Kite
Imagine ocean kite surfing but on snow, and you鈥檒l have an idea of what聽snowkiting聽looks like. At the聽鈥擟alifornia鈥檚 only聽snowkite聽facility, which is located near Sugar Bowl ski area鈥攜ou can sign up for an intro to聽snowkiting聽lesson, where you鈥檒l learn the basics of wind-powered snow sliding, or a multi-day backcountry聽snowkite聽adventure with a聽snowkite聽champion as your guide.
6. Ice Skate Under Half Dome
Yosemite National Park doesn鈥檛 close in the winter; in fact, it鈥檚 a beautiful time of year to visit, with fewer crowds and spectacular snow-capped granite faces. Grab ice skates and twirl beneath views of Half Dome and Glacier Point at the , an historic outdoor rink that鈥檚 open from November to March. Afterward, you can roast s鈥檓ores at the nearby outdoor fire pits.
7. Ride a Tube Down a Mountain
Kids love聽, Tahoe鈥檚 snow tubing epicenter at Soda Springs Mountain Resort鈥擟alifornia鈥檚 longest-running ski area, which first opened in 1935. Twenty separate lanes offer high-speed runs in a giant inflatable tube, while a 400-foot moving carpet brings you back to the top of the hill.
8. Get Towed by a Team of Huskies
础迟听, just outside the town of Mammoth Lakes, enjoy a sled ride through the woods led by a litter of Alaskan Malamutes and Siberian Huskies with names like聽Chugach聽and Thunder. Sign up for a day dogsled tour amongst the rugged peaks of the eastern Sierra or opt for an overnight snow-camping trip where you鈥檒l learn to work with the dogs and dine on hot meals under the stars.
9.聽Zip Through Snow-Covered Treetops
础迟听聽in Big Bear Lake, you鈥檒l off-road a Jeep three miles into the forest, then spend a couple of hours touring a treetop adventure park like no other鈥攚ith nine high-slung聽ziplines聽ranging from 120 to 860 feet long, plus a suspension bridge.聽You鈥檒l reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour as you whiz through the snow-covered treetops. The place is open all winter long, weather permitting.
10.聽Cross Country Ski at North America鈥檚 Largest Nordic Resort
, located atop Donner Summit outside of the town of Truckee, boasts 200 kilometers of groomed trails for Nordic skiing across 6,000 vast acres, making it North America鈥檚 largest cross-country ski area. With eight warming huts, you can spend days here without skiing the same trail twice. Sign up for a lesson, rent classic or skate skis, or explore on your own.
Catch the Winter Wave:聽For more fun ideas and tons of info聽about how to play outside this winter in California, head over to .