California Ski Safari

Enviable sunshine, laidback culture and spectacular desert scenery: skiing in California is truly unique. Make the most of unlimited skiing on the Ikon Base Pass by staying in North Lake Tahoe's Palisades Tahoe before a scenic drive to Mammoth Mountain. You can even spend a day or two at the undiscovered gem of June Mountain which also features on your pass.

Palisades Tahoe is one of North America's largest ski resorts with the Palisades and Alpine now connected by the state-of-the-art Base to Base Gondola, providing 6,000 acres of iconic terrain. There are runs for all abilities, but upper intermediate to advanced skiers will get the most out of these mountains.

High up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, with unique views out over the desert below, Mammoth Mountain lives up to its name with big terrain and bigger snowfall. It's not unusual to see more than 10 metres of snowfall in a single season. If you're not after steep and deep thrills, from Mammoth it's just a 20-30 minute drive to June Mountain, where you'll find uncrowded and more beginner-friendly terrain.

It's easy to sandwich the skiing with two slices of culture. Flying into San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz are obvious reasons to stay a night or two, and we can’t recommend Chinatown enough - it’s the largest one outside Asia. Self-driving your way south through California, you could finish your adventure either with Los Angeles’ city beaches and the Hollywood Hills or with the glitzy shows and 24-hour casinos in Las Vegas.