Big Bear Fun

 

Christmas morning B woke up asking if it was snowing.  He seemed pretty disgruntled at the 75 degree holiday weather, “but on tv, it snows on Christmas.”  It’s pretty much sunny and warm year round in Los Angeles.  I figured the holidays would be a great time for the boys to have their first snow and ski experience.

We loaded up and hit the road for a popular Los Angeles getaway, Big Bear.  The two hour drive wasn’t bad at all.  We waited until the 3rd week of our school break to visit.  It turned out to be the perfect time.  Big Bear is really crowded from Christmas to New Years.  Having the area to ourselves with the locals made for an extremely pleasant experience.

Snow tubing was a breeze! The crowd was thin and the snow was just enough for the boys to enjoy.  The magic carpet ride (a moving escalator) to the top was just as fun as the tubing.  We hit Big Bear Snow Play.  Parking is free but make sure you bring cash for the $25 admission fee.  Kids 6 and under are free.

Next up was skiing and snowboarding at Snow Summit.  B had a ball at Little Bear ski school while Mo spent the day shredding the slopes with snowboarding lessons.  Again, the lack of a crowd made the rentals painless and the lines for snow activities moved with ease.

My favorite part of the experience was family bonding at the cabin.  I found the perfect place on VRBO.  We were conveniently located off the main strip in Big Bear and a minute from The Village Shops and Snow Summit.  The boys loved the mountain life and ran amuck in our huge yard.  It was so fun to unwind at night with 3 fireplaces, movie night, and a large game room.  Our cabin was fully stocked with all the essentials you needed from towels, pots/pans, and DVDs.  The playground around the corned sealed the deal.  The boys wanted to move in permanently.

Big Bear Lake was absolutely gorgeous.  We enjoyed an afternoon outdoors with a picnic, walk, and feeding the ducks.  It’s so scenic to see the snow on the mountains with the blue water.

There’s something so refreshing about the clean mountain air.  It was a nice getaway from the LA smog and big city fumes.  The snow is nothing like the East Coast stuff but it was enough for the boys to have a great “winter experience”.  Best of all, when our trip was done, 75 degree temps were waiting in Los Angeles to thaw us out!