If skimpy bikinis and fast-food picnics aren't to your taste, the northern end of Santa Monica Bay is a welcome sanctuary from LA's babewatch scene. Beach-lovers can indulge in coastal hikes, tide-pool gazing, swimming, surfing, diving, fishing and (clothing optional) sunbathing. Rock climbers test themselves on the cliffs at Point Dume, while Escondido Beach has the best diving in the bay.

There's a whale-watching platform at nearby Westward Beach and a nature trail that leads to Zuma Beach County Park, a couple of miles to the north. Zuma is the largest and sandiest of LA's county-owned beaches, with rough surf and plenty of oily hardbodies.

LA's southern beaches include Manhattan Beach, jampacked on summer days with surfers, volleyball players and the American-as-apple-pie local residents - it's arguably the nearest thing you'll find to the 'California Dream'. Just south of Manhattan Beach, Redondo is one of LA's more intriguing beaches. At its northern end is King Harbor, a small-boat marina and fishermen's haven. Huntington Beach, just southeast of Long Beach and northwest of Newport, is favorite of the surfer set.

If you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times: LA is a city where you can surf at the beach in the morning and ski in the snowfields in the afternoon - as long as you get up early and have a warm wetsuit. The main area for downhill skiing is Big Bear in the San Bernardino Mountains, a 90-minute drive east of LA. The season lasts from mid-December until March or April and, contrary to the cliché, the skiing is generally only good in the morning. Groomed runs and moguls are excellent, but don't expect much powder. The best part about Big Bear is the weather - sunshine 90% of the time and T-shirt temperatures in spring.

Shopping, star-spotting and rollercoaster screaming are LA's prime activities, but if you're keen for something a little more outdoorsy, LA has plenty to offer. Urban hiking is your best bet, but if you need to get space and a bit of greenery, LA's surrounding mountains are good day-hike destinations. Try the rugged Santa Monica Mountains or the Topanga State Park, both inland from Malibu, or Griffith Park, a few miles northwest of downtown.

Although smoggy LA is not particularly inviting to cyclists, the county has more than 200 miles (320km) of bike trails. Best of the bunch is the South Bay Bicycle Trail, stretching 20 miles (35km) from Santa Monica to Torrance Beach.

Prefer sitting on your butt and watching other people exert themselves? The LA Dodgers baseball team plays from April to October at Dodger Stadium, just north of downtown. To check out basketball greats the LA Lakers, head to the Great Western Forum in Inglewood on the southern fringe of downtown during the winter months. UCLA's college basketball team, the Bruins, is one of the best in the country and well worth a look.