When people think of California, they picture pristine beaches, celebs walking around every city, or simply sunny weather everyday of the year. With pictures all over social media and the internet of the sun shining on palm trees, people don’t typically think of California as the go-to state for their snowboarding needs. However, if you’re a CA local, you know about the secret spots that California has to offer for snowboarding such as: Mammoth Mountain, Heavenly Ski Resort, Squaw Valley, Royal Gorge, and Northstar. During the winter time, these places are big hits and people from all over come visit.

Mammoth Mountain

Photo via: Mammothmountain.com

Mammoth Mountain is the most well known location to snowboard given its size and large variety in slopes. Don’t be fooled, just because it doesn't snow year-round in California, Mammoth Mountain gets loads of snow in late fall/winter!

Squaw Valley

Photo via: evo.com

If you live in or you favor northern California, then Squaw Valley is the place for you. The slopes earned a 9 out of 10 ranking from The World Snowboarding guide, and held the Olympics in 1960! Even though this valley isn’t nearly as famous or well known as Mammoth, you should still check it out.

Heavenly Ski Resort

Photo via: onthesnow.com

Another great location in Northern California is Heavenly Ski resort. This location was also ranked 9 out of 10 from The World Snowboarding Guide. What makes this resort different from the rest of the locations, is how wide and long the slopes are. Heavenly Ski Resort is perfect for freestyle snowboarding, allowing you to master any tricks you want on a long wide slope.

The Royal Gorge

Photo via powerhounds.com

The Royal Gorge, also known as The Sugar Bowl, is a great location for a variety of slopes. With over 3 mountains to choose from, you could spend a whole day out there and you would need to come back another day to fully complete all of the slopes! It’s a great location with many different programs, routes to choose from and a great spot to carve some fresh powder!

Northstar

Photo via snowboarding.transworld.net

Last but not least, Northstar is another amazing snowboarding location that you won't want to miss when planning your next trip to the mountains. This resort is one of the smallest in California, but has well over 3,000 acres to shred on. Northstar is also very easy to access and you can obtain very cheap plane tickets to the airport on the side of the mountain! This is a great spot to take your family and experience California in a way like never before.

Now you have a better understanding when it comes to the prime local spots for snowboarding in California! Whether you're an advanced or beginner snowboarder, look no further. Keep in mind, these are just a few of the many great spots in California to snowboard!

Be sure to follow and tag us @lifesradco in all your snowboarding pictures!