With the midterm barrage of stress right around the corner, getting out of town for a day or weekend trip could be the only savior for many a BC student’s sanity. This could mean anything from an orchard bonfire and canal skiing in the outlying country, to Lake Isabella camping and snowboarding at Shirley Meadows. However, for those craving a real getaway, there are some bona-fide opportunities for adventure all within two hours of Kern County.

Mountain High has a reputation among Southern Californians as being the most accessible ski and snowboarding resort in the region. At $48 for an eight-hour pass, it is also relatively inexpensive considering the number of trails and diversity of slopes available. Mountain High is divided into three smaller resorts, with East bearing more of the advanced trails, West having the most diverse trails as well as the Faultline Terrain Park for freestyle snowboarding and skiing, and the brand new North Resort catering to beginners and tubers.

For Central Californians, Mountain High is often dismissed as being too far removed, with many complaints stemming from having to use the oft-crowded Highway 210.

But there is another way, and it will get you there in under 2 hours. It is a simple back route not even mentioned on the mountain’s Web site but discovered by some adventurous Shafter snowboarders late last season.

To get to Mountain High the back way, start out by taking Highway 99 southbound, continuing through the I-5 merge. Follow up the Grapevine and keep your eyes peeled for the Highway 138 exit, which is a little less that five miles past Gormon. Take it east and continue down into Hungry Valley for about 40 miles until you reach Highway 14 and take it southbound. The 14 is a straight shot until you get to Palmdale, where it gets a bit tricky as it weaves through the stoplights in town. Just follow the signs and make your way back on to the 138 east, which continues on from this point.

Take the 138 until you see Largo Vista Road, and take a left on it up the backside of the mountain. It is a small one way road, winding up the backside of the mountain. Don’t you feel like a real adventurer now? Largo Vista will tee off on Big Pines road, where you will take a left. From here on out it is a straight shot and you will soon see the signs for Mountain High and will reach the West resort first. At this point, park, stretch your legs, and get up on that mountain.

If by some bit of cruel irony the Grapevine is snowed out, and you happen know about it before you leave Bakersfield, you can take the 58 east past Tehachapi until it reaches the 14 south, and then follow the same directions as above from there.

And then there are those who prefer sand and sun to powder and slope.

There are two time-honored traditions among the Central California surf community. The first has been the summertime voyages to Central Coast surfing staples such as Pismo Beach or Morro Bay. Second, and almost as old as the first, has been of Central California surfers complaining about the quality of the waves to be found there.

Often these complaints result in an ill-fated battle through traffic and locals to Southern California for a single glassy left-hander off the south side of Huntington pier, or an uncontested barrel at Windansea.

These trips are easily justified in the summer, when Pismo is littered with mushy, sloppy waves and Morro Bay is overrun with hotheaded locals and inexperienced out-of-staters.

And yet Bakersfield is chock full of people perfectly equipped for experiencing a completely new side of the Central Coast, with the help of two things that young folks here have in abundance: four-wheel drive automobiles and boredom.

The Central Coast contains many miles of unexplored coastline with hundreds of empty breaks. The wintertime conditions are breathtakingly cold, but offer some of the cleanest rides this side of Santa Barbara.

With a warm enough wetsuit (at least 4 millimeters of thickness is recommended) and some booties, the chill can be ignored and surfers can enjoy the consistent, occasionally overhead sets, while taking in a pure, unobstructed view of the coastline that southerners only dream about.

Pismo Beach is home to one of the more famous 4-wheel beach areas, toward the south near Oceano, which is a perfect territory for the wayward surfer searching for a their own private break.

Searching for good waves takes time, which can be made up for by circumventing the Paso Robles traffic. One way to do this is by driving straight eastbound on Old River road from the Highway 99 southbound. Once past the I-5, Old River turns into Route 119, and one should continue to take it until it reaches Taft.

At this point, one must make their way to the route 33 south, taking it about 20 miles through winding hills until reaching the split for route 166 north/west. This will eventually spit travelers out just north of Santa Maria, and onto the historic State Highway 101. Follow the 101 about 10 miles north into Pismo, take the Grand Ave exit and follow it all the way until it tees off. Take a left hand turn and drive south, keeping eyes peeled for one of the beach access areas.

From there on out, the only directions left are to stay warm and have fun.