Winter in Los Angeles is a strange thing if you have grown up with “real winter” elsewhere. Where are the leaves changing colors, the bare winter branches...the snow? We experience everything from heat waves to perfect beach days, but no "real winter weather.” In spite of that pesky sun, there are still plenty of ways to enjoy winter activities in and around Los Angeles.

For one thing, we have quite a few decent ski resorts: There’s Wrightwood (Mountain High Resort), Big Bear (Bear Mountain Ski Resort), and Mount Pinos (for cross-country skiing), Snow Valley, Mount Baldy, and Mammoth. But just like everything else in Los Angeles, it will require a freeway drive. If the weather is not cold enough for real snow, they will pump in a steady supply of the man-made variety to enjoy the slopes.

There are plenty of places to ice skate as well. There is a rink at Pershing Square in Downtown LA, just blocks from our Central Library, LA Live, The Queen Mary, Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, ICE at Santa Monica, and The Lakes at Thousand Oaks.

There’s also “holiday snow” to give the appearance of a cozy winter night, without the actual cold or snow. Plenty of places have “holiday snow” such as The Grove, Universal Studios, and of course Disneyland. And what is fake snow made of? Would it surprise you to know that everyone has their own super secret blend to make the white stuff? Not only are the formulas secret, but the devices used to pump them out are proprietary too. From what I gathered, it involves water and some sort of surfactant (the stuff in soap to make it foam). All are purportedly non-toxic and claim to not leave a residue on your clothes or person. I wouldn’t attempt eating it though.

Another way to enjoy winter is to sign up for our Winter Reading Challenge! The challenge begins on December 13 and goes through January 13.

Header Image: Sean Bean as Eddard Stark, HBO and Warner Bros. Television Distribution