Stateside competition: Sand, ski and sunshine

Welcome to the first Visit USA Association Insider Agent
column, exclusive to Travel Weekly. Each month, we’ll provide
you with tips to help sell the US, together with some great
giveaways. Our fabulous first prize is a Virgin Holidays skiing
week for two to Mammoth, California.

Why ski in California?
Like the rest of North America, California’s resorts
offer huge benefits over Europe. Not having to speak a foreign
language is very important when you are learning, and the ski
instructors are unfailingly friendly and polite. More advanced
skiers can benefit from the efficient mountain ‘hosts’
who advise on where the best snow can be found. Best of all, lift
queues are virtually non-existent and the runs seem almost empty
compared with Europe.

Accommodation is comfortable and spacious and restaurants are
reasonably priced – especially with the current exchange
rate. At Lake Tahoe visitors can spend their après ski time in
the casinos. The ski season tends to be longer too, with high-tech
snow making and grooming equipment keeping the slopes in good
condition.

Where?
The main California ski areas popular with Brits are:

• Lake Tahoe and its Nevada resorts – four hours’
  drive from San Francisco or one hour from Reno.
• Mammoth Lakes in the Eastern Sierra – five hours’
  drive from Los Angeles or three from Reno.
• Southern California’s San Gabriel and San Bernadino
  Mountains – two hours’ drive from Los Angeles or
  an hour from San Francisco.
• Central Sierra – three hours’ drive from San
  Francisco.

When?
Snow usually starts to fall during November in California,
so operator programmes start from December 1, ensuring good snow
cover before visitors arrive.

The season can run until May during a good year, but generally
most operators’ programmes finish in April.