Snow Summit is one of the most popular and best
snowboard/ski areas near
Los Angeles. It is in the
San Bernadino Mountains near the town of
Big Bear Lake. The base is at around 6,500 feet.
Snow Summit is probably the best place to snowboard in the LA area. The area doesn't get very much natural snow but they make a lot of snow on cold nights. The terrain is mostly easy and intermediate - there are some harder runs but they often aren't open because of lack of snow. The 'black diamond' runs here aren't as difficult as the ones in Tahoe. Lift tickets were around 39 dollars... but last time i was there it was 50 - a bit much to pay for such lousy snow. It certainly isnt Tahoe or Mammoth but its only 2 1/2 hours from LA and one of the only places around you and snowboard in a t shirt and shorts a lot of the time.
Update: As of december 2002, Snow Summit and Bear Mountain ski resorts have merged to form 'Big Bear Mountain' resort. Both hills are still in use, and the terrain park has been almost entirely relocated to the bear mountain area.