![Leigh family on summit](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/travel/2023/12/14/TELEMMGLPICT000360000858_17025692880890_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqJyrp2CgJdvkf6RNbNQnS3mueiiQYIIKqjpy8X2rB4Fc.jpeg?imwidth=680)
An American road trip is the key to the perfect family ski holiday
Ski trips with teenagers can be trying – Ski Sunday’s Ed Leigh finds revitalised family unity on America’s West Coast
![Leigh family on summit](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/travel/2023/12/14/TELEMMGLPICT000360000858_17025692880890_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqJyrp2CgJdvkf6RNbNQnS3mueiiQYIIKqjpy8X2rB4Fc.jpeg?imwidth=680)
The most incredible thing about skiing and snowboarding is that you can do it together as a family. Name another activity where you have two, if not three, generations doing an activity at the same time for days on end… It’s impossible.
A holiday in the snow is the holy grail of shared family time, but with two fully-fledged teenagers; Suki (16) and Oscar (14), I had started to struggle to come up with ideas that catered for us all.
A week in the Alps had become all too familiar; Laax and Verbier have been our go-to winter playgrounds, but the promise of stroppy teenage tantrums, combined with two of the busiest resorts in Europe is far from inviting.
I began to wonder if California could hold the key to finding family holiday harmony. I’ve visited California many times for work – there is something undeniably magical and strangely familiar about a state that you’re so used to seeing on screen and I was sure the kids would feel the same allure.
Soon a family road trip from San Francisco through California’s epic Sierra Nevada mountains to Los Angeles was in the planning for the Easter holidays. What warm-blooded teenager could resist the Golden State, the spiritual home of teenagedom, celebrity, action sports and iPhones?
Stop one: San Francisco
Our journey began in San Francisco. One of the world’s iconic cities, it is overflowing with life. A melting pot of Pacific culture it has that rare gift of being almost completely walkable – a rare gift for an American city – incredible food (have crab if you’re there in spring) and some of the best tourist experiences; Alcatraz has a podcast-style audio tour narrated by guards and inmates. We opted for a guided e-bike tour of the Golden Gate Bridge – a big tick off the bucket list.
To try and make the most of the mountains we were frugal with our accommodation choices throughout the 16-day trip, but I don’t mind splashing for a short city break. It was worth it at the Palace Hotel for our first two nights stateside, which put us in the heart of the city and set the tone for the kids.
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Stop two: Boreal, Woodward Tahoe and Truckee
To begin the next stage of our journey we required a set of wheels. We chose not to hire a car while in the city – the risk of car crimes is high and the metropolis has excellent public transport – and picked up our truck as we left. We drove away in comfort and the kids in disbelief that you could have a fridge in the car.
A three-hour drive from San Francisco, Boreal is the most profitable ski resort in California. Small, it opens first, closes last and is the size of 10 indoor snow domes. But as a warm-up for the legs and fast fun laps it was the perfect first stop. The snow was only half the draw though – Woodward Tahoe was the main attraction here. A vast action sports training facility at the foot of the mountain, it offers trampolines, foam pits, skate ramps and parkour.
We spent just two days in the resort, but we found our spring groove perfectly with long breakfasts, 10am starts on the mountain as the snow softened and afternoons spent at the Woodward until the kids collapsed.
We stayed in Truckee, a small railroad town nestled into the top of the Sierras. Trains shake and honk their way through the town regularly, even through the night. This means there is no, what locals call “Aspen effect” – in reference to the sterilising impact of mega-wealth on resorts. It’s a ski town without the pomp and high prices, with the bonus of being just 10 minutes’ drive from North Lake Tahoe’s top resorts; Northstar, Palisades and Boreal. There’s a rugged, unapologetic charm to Truckee that set the bar for the rest of our journey.
Stop three: Sierra-at-Tahoe
Our next stop proved to be the entire family’s holiday highlight. There were lots of reasons to love Sierra-at-Tahoe at the southern end of the lake; the lack of crowds, a resort that had something for all of us, but more than anything it was the sense of family community the resort has created. That is down to one giant man, John Rice – 6ft4 with kind eyes and a handshake that instantly makes you feel safe, his philosophy of people before profits radiates across the mountain.
It’s a relatively small ski area with only 48 runs, but because of its bigger, flashier, more convenient neighbours – Heavenly and Kirkwood – it just doesn’t get the crowds.
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The enjoyment in Sierra-at-Tahoe was fuelled by the best accommodation choice of the trip. Camp Richardson sits on the lake shore just North of South Lake Tahoe. It was small and basic, but just metres from the water and the kids listened agape to the wildlife briefing we received at check-in. The prospect of having bears and coyotes sniffing around our cabin and no phone reception saw playing cards, evening walks and swimming become part of a blissful routine for our three nights on the lake shore.
Stop four: Mammoth Mountain
In over 30 years of working and travelling in the mountains, I have never seen the snow accumulation we found at Mammoth Mountain. Leaving Sierra and heading three hours further south, we drove under walls of overhanging snow, watching crews excavating three-story houses like archaeologists. Mammoth collected 90 feet (26 metres) of snow at the top of the mountain and while we were excited to witness this record-smashing snowfall, when we arrived in town we realised that locals were traumatised by living in a place that had very nearly drowned.
The effort of near-constant digging to keep the basic services functioning had taken a heavy toll. Living in a giant snow maze meant that even the locals were using Google Maps to get around, a couple of houses had spontaneously combusted after external propane tanks had ruptured and every day would reveal new cars, houses and businesses that had been crushed by the sheer weight of snow.
![Ed Leigh and family Mamouth Mountain](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/travel/2023/12/14/TELEMMGLPICT000359854366_17025517956540_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bqo9kljeXAg2amMs7JYnsBjhD-pJQUiO0r3TxuD8Gp7X8.jpeg?imwidth=350)
Luckily we arrived with the sun and warmer temperatures and the promise of melting lifted spirits. Mammoth’s legendary terrain parks were in prime condition and we spent days exploring all of the hidden corners of the mountain in the idyllic lower glades.
Mammoth is an amazing mountain, it is close to Europe in terms of size and scale and is also very high – the town sits at 2,400m, the peak at 3,300m. We spent six perfect days here through the middle of the trip and it was a great way to slow down and get settled.
Stop five: Big Bear and Snow Summit
On the final leg of our journey we were all feeling the pace (strict distancing rules were enforced between the siblings to prevent squabbling), but our visit coincided with closing day at Big Bear and the mayhem fuelled our final days.
After five hours on the road, we discovered SoCal on snow. Two and half hours from Los Angeles and three from San Diego, the twin resorts of Bear Mountain and Snow Summit are unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. Bear is a punk resort, operating almost like it’s run by kids – with staff wearing flannel shirts and mesh back caps, the entire lower part of the mountain is a terrain park with cars and containers buried in the snow. I did a quick count and the ratio of snowboarders to skiers was 9:1. It was wild and as a snowboarder I’d love to say it was nirvana, but I’d be lying. It was chaos, wonderful, but chaos.
The following morning we went to Snow Summit and got the opposite. On an end-of-season weekday, we had the place to ourselves. Oscar had been trying to land 720’s on his snowboard the entire trip and with perfect slushy jumps and empty slopes he had the ideal environment. He got it on his second try and it meant the world to him.
Stop six: Santa Monica
The drive down from Big Bear to the coast was stunning and illustrated just how diverse America is both culturally and geographically. Picking up Route 66 and snaking into the throbbing heart of Los Angeles felt like a different planet to the vast expanse of the Sierras we’d left behind.
The kids were overwhelmed with excitement; the landmarks, icons, street signs, Hollywood and the Walk of Fame. But most of all it was the food and the incredible choice you have in a city like this. We are a family of glutards (all Gluten Free) so are used to compromising, but in California every meal was a revelation.
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Most importantly for us, Santa Monica is the epicentre of action sports culture in the US and the effect California had first on surfing and then skateboarding cannot be understated. Although this coastal suburb has moved on from the pioneering days of the Z-Boys, you can still feel their influence – Venice skatepark is like a skateboarding zoo, where tourists flock to watch the local wildlife. Oscar and I took a couple of laps, but the sensation of being watched so intently was unnerving and we didn’t last long.
The old Zephyr Surfboards store, now the Dogtown Coffee cafe is a listed building and The Pierside hotel where we stayed has a seven-storey high Shepard Fairey (Giant Obey) Mural. If you were born in the 70’s and 80’s the cultural folklore exported around the world from this tiny beach town is intoxicating.
The verdict
We squeezed 16 days out of the Easter holidays to complete our trip, but it was worth it. It gave us all an entirely new experience; a snow and city break. For the kids, it offered a chance to experience first-hand a place they had only previously seen on screen. Most importantly though it did what all great holidays should and brought us all together. When it comes to teenagers that is something you can’t put a price on.
How to do it
Where to stay
Rooms at Palace Hotel, San Francisco cost from £226 ($282) per night; Rooms at the Truckee Hotel cost from £63 ($79) per night; cabins at Camp Richardson in South Lake Tahoe cost from £100 ($125) per night; two-night stays at Snowcreek Resort in Mammoth cost from £424 ($530); rooms at The Pierside is at the heart of Santa Monica cost from £230 ($287) per night.
The American Road Trip Company run a California Ski and Sun itinerary starting at £1,699 per person for 14 nights. It includes three days in Las Vegas, with options to customise the destinations and dates.
![Mammoth USA](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/travel/2023/12/14/TELEMMGLPICT000359968062_17025517441180_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf_4Xpit_DMGvdp2n7FDd82k.jpeg?imwidth=350)
How to get there
Multi-city fares are available from British Airways. Prices start for London to San Francisco; Los Angeles to London, cost from £567, departing March 16 2024.
How to get around
Car hire is available through Hertz on departure from San Francisco. We originally booked a mid-size SUV for £601, for two weeks, but that wasn’t big enough for all our gear. For £300 we upgraded to a Ford F150 pickup truck, which was 30 per cent cheaper than a large SUV.
Ed Leigh and his family were guests of Visit California. For more information, visit visitcalifornia.com