Los Angeles, the Golden State’s largest city, isn’t all lights-camera-action. And nor is it sunshine-all-the-time.

After our flight to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) – a film-bingeing transatlantic flight if ever there was one – we are greeted with driving rain that proves that, even when it comes to the weather, the US revels in being OTT.

Taking the saying to heart that there is no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing, ponchos are adorned for an escapist day out at Universal Studios, home to a film-inspired theme park and the studios where many of the blockbusters are shot.

Universal makes for a fun way to escape the worst that mother nature has to throw at you, especially if travelling as a family. For those wanting more of an adult-style escape, there are a slew of cocktail bars waiting to be discovered among LA’s skyscrapers.

In better weather, the Walk of Fame pavement stars along Hollywood Boulevard offer a guide to the rich and famous who have graced the city on California’s southern coast. A quick car ride out to the hills provides opportunities for a few selfies with arguably LA’s biggest export – the Hollywood sign. It is doubtful that hike guides will ever bore of telling shocked tourists that it was Mr Playboy himself, Hugh Hefner, who helped restore the dilapidated lettering in the 1970s.


Skiing

First, we are off for a very different style of escapade some 300 miles away. Cruising east and inland, as Beverly Hills disappears behind us, the minivan carrying our group goes through what can only best be described as John Wayne country as we head on a five-hour journey to Mammoth Lakes where the powdery slopes await.

It is certainly true that Mammoth is not the closest place to LA for skiing – the San Gabriel Mountains are about 90 minutes away and another half-an-hour on is Big Bear Lake – but it is quite possibly the finest.

Not only is it one of California’s largest ski resorts, boasting 175 pistes and 25 lifts across 3,500 acres of skiable terrain, its high altitude helps it to revel in regular snow dumps, making the slopes luscious and gleaming.

Credits: PA; Author: PA;

There are hair-raising black diamond slopes by the plenty towards Mammoth’s peaks for the extreme thrill seekers but, for everyone else, there is an array of weaving green and blue runs that offer the prospect for speed along with serene moments to soak in the stunning view of the range.


Beaches

This is where the trip gets fancy. As if by magic, we are back in LA, landing in the titchy airport of Hawthorne Municipal Airport thanks to a one-hour flight on a 30-passenger Dornier 328 jet via Advanced Airlines. It is the perfect short-cut for those with time pressures, with the added bonus of a free shuttle to LAX for those transferring to long-haul flights.

I mentioned those Pacific Coast beaches. Well now we are heading to one, this time swapping the snow for the watery surf at Huntington Beach, less than an hour from Hawthorne.

Huntington has far more to offer than just surfing. Its nine-mile sandy stretch of beach and jutting pier attracts yoga classes, sun-seekers out on rental bikes and hordes of tourists hungry for fish tacos and a mai tai at Duke’s restaurant.

Credits: PA; Author: PA;

But Huntington’s Surf City nickname — it is home to the US Open of Surfing — comes from it being one of the most reliable spots in southern California for waves, drawing surfers out early each morning to catch the choppy morning swash.

For total newbies, surfing tuition is available via a few spots on the beach. It is worth taking the time to research which classes maximise the time in the water before shelling out. Even for beginners who don’t manage to stand up on their surfboard, feeling the sheer power of the waves as you go through the motions will be enough to induce an adrenaline rush.

Not many destinations can brag about offering the chance to pack both a wetsuit and salopettes for a trip, but California ticks both boxes, with plenty of others in between.

And for those wanting the double whammy, locals swear an early morning surf, followed by a quick flight inland to Mammoth can result in the completion of a few afternoon slope runs all in a single day.