Los Angeles—In what was far and away the most fun and most grueling reporting assignment of my career, I took on a challenge that’s possible in only a few places on Earth: surfing in the ocean and snowboarding in the mountains on the same day.
It’s a good year for the so-called California Double. An uncharacteristically cold and wet Los Angeles winter created plenty of snow in the mountains, and on March 23, I wanted to go for it.
But I also figured (and my editors agreed) that I shouldn’t attempt the adventure for the first time alone; I needed to find a group of experienced thrill seekers.
Lawrence Doherty picked up the phone at the second surf shop I called. The 29-year-old and some friends had attempted the double recently, but car trouble and heavy snow prevented them from getting to the slopes. They planned to try again, he said, and I was welcome to tag along. He also wanted to add a little twist to the double by skateboarding in between the surfing and snowboarding—a sort of “California Triple.”
Twelve days later, I met Lawrence, his two friends Braden Walker, 28, and Daniel Galan, 31, and his sweater-wearing boxer (Rocco) in Malibu.
For the record: Undertaking the California Double is a significant operation. I packed a duffel bag and backpack with everything I thought I’d need for three board sports in one day: beach towels, sunscreen, a change of clothes for after surfing, plus a base layer, thick socks, snow pants, a beanie, gloves, goggles, and a quality winter jacket. I was also flush with snacks, water, and electrolyte drinks for the day.
Lawrence had a spare wetsuit and surfboard I borrowed; I brought my own skateboard, and I rented a snowboard, boots, and helmet at Mountain High, our final destination.
9 a.m: Surfing in Malibu
We began the day a little after 9 a.m. at Westward Beach, just north of Point Dume. We wanted to start earlier, but Lawrence pointed out that the waves weren’t great.
That’s key to any double attempt: Pay attention to surf reports and Surfline camera feeds—or go with someone who does.
“The waves are pretty small everywhere else but we somehow found a little cut here where it looks like it’s working,” he told me, sipping a morning beer.
If you need a jolt to fully wake up, dunking your head in the ocean will do the trick; it was in the low 50s when we waded into the Pacific.
