An ActionPacked Escape

Whatever your winter personality, there’s a snow-capped mountain waiting for you.

BY ANN MARIE BROWN

above the snowy treetops. Nine consecutive cables take you progressively higher and faster—up to 35 miles per hour. Revel in post-zipline elation with a pizza break at Saucy Mama’s, then take a swooping bobsled ride on the Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain. You control your own sled as you zoom down the snow-covered track’s banked turns. Go as fast as you like, or hit the brakes to make the ride last longer.

- DAY1

Shred The Slopes

Wake up early and get to Big Bear Mountain Resort as soon as the chairlifts start turning. With one lift ticket, you can ski or ride two hills: Snow Summit lures snow lovers with long groomer runs and Saturday nighttime skiing. Bear Mountain offers freestyle fans more than 150 features, multiple terrain parks, and a massive inground superpipe. Choose your slope style, channel your inner Lindsey Vonn or Shaun White, then carve turns until your quads beg for mercy. After finishing your last run, high-five with your ski partners and close out the day sipping beverages and reliving the day’s triumphs at Laybacks Bar

Ready for dinner? Warm up your belly with a half-pound burger at Wyatt’s Grill & Saloon, a buzzing spot decked out in Old West décor. If you still have energy to burn, Wyatt’s offers line dancing on Wednesdays and live music on weekends.

- DAY2

HIGH-ALTITUDE ADVENTURE

Jump-start the day with eggs and waffles at Teddy Bear Restaurant, a Big Bear landmark since 1944, then show up for your reservation slot at Action Tours. On the three-hour zipline tour, a chilly winter day becomes an adrenaline-soaked odyssey. First, your guide drives you to the starting line, then clips you into a harness to soar

When darkness falls, go nighttime glow tubing at Big Bear Snow Play. Careen down the hill in an inner tube amid the enchanting glow of colored lights. Whoop and holler as you slide, then ride the Magic Carpet back uphill and repeat. It’s been an exhilarating day, so clink a toast to your adventures with a house margarita or splash of mezcal at Hacienda Grill, plus hearty burritos, fajitas, and more.

- DAY3

LAID-BACK SNOW DAZE

Have a mountain-sized breakfast at Grizzly Manor Cafe, where the blueberry pancakes are bigger than the plates. Then rent a pair of snowshoes at Goldsmiths Sports and go exploring. No experience? No worries. If you can walk, you can snowshoe anywhere there’s a few inches of snow. Or go on a guided Action Tours snowshoe trek and learn how to identify wildlife prints in the snow. Cap off your getaway with cocktails and apps at Big Bear Bar & Grill and start planning your next weekend in Big Bear.

Flower Power

Book a guided hike at Pebble Plain Ecological Reserve to see dazzling, hypnotic carpets of yellow, purple, and red flowers.