Diversions : Chill Out : Here Are 10 Cool Ways to Celebrate Winter Even When It’s Balmy in Los Angeles

Even if you can’t go to Vermont this winter, it’s possible to bring the spirit of the season to Southern California. Sure, you can always drive to the Angeles Forest or mountain ski resorts, but that involves snow chains and traffic jams.

Instead, when the thermometer dips to a blistery below-70, here are 10 ways to experience winter close to home.

Ski School Without Frostbite

“You don’t have to deal with lift lines, moguls, ice patches or other skiers,” says Glenn McLaughlin, manager of the motorized ski deck at Ski and Sports West in Granada Hills. The deck’s 30-foot-wide carpeted conveyor belt makes a continuous upward circle, so skiers get an “endless” downhill run.

Because the friction generated by the deck would melt the base of normal equipment, indoor skiers are fitted with specially laminated skis. And unlike mountain skiing, where the instructor schusses down the hill and leaves you to follow or freeze, here your teacher stays a comforting 2 feet away.

Private one-hour lessons run $40; semi-private lessons, $25. (818) 363-5056. 11118 Balboa Blvd., Granada Hills.

Winter at the Zoo

“When the rest of the country is having snow storms and blizzards, we give our polar bears cold showers,” says Mike Dee, curator of mammals at the Los Angeles Zoo. Frequent dips have helped siblings Polaris and Aegena adjust to life in Southern California for 25 years. Nearby, a new addition is being celebrated: A pure white gray seal calf born at Christmas.

In the North American area, visitors can also admire pairs of white snowy owls from the Arctic Circle and weasly wolverines. And don’t miss the beautiful snow leopards, with salt and pepper coats and tails as long as their bodies. The three, whose great-grandparents hailed from the Himalayas, make their home in the air-conditioned China Pavilion.

Snow on the Silver Screen

To learn more about these cold weather animals, journey north with Jason Robards and Jimmy Stewart on National Geographic’s video series, “Polar Bear Alert” and “Yukon Passages.”

In addition, a flurry of videos offers a snowy experience in the warmth of your living room. Classics include Bing Crosby’s “Holiday on Ice” and “White Christmas” and Jimmy Stewart’s “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Don’t forget the avalanche in “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” or the childhood snow scene from “Citizen Kane.” And then there’s “Ice Station Zebra,” “The Iceman Cometh,” “The Man Who Skied Down Everest,” “Silverado,” “Man From Snowy River” and “White Fang.”

Stoke the Fire

“Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful. . . .” As the song says, there’s nothing like curling up beside a warm fire to evoke the feeling of winter. For extra ambience, try piling a large stack of pressed logs by the fireplace. Or buy a set of Real-Fyre ceramic logs with realistic bark texture and coloring in twisted pine or white birch.

Those without a fireplace need not be left out in the cold. The “Environmental Fireplace” video features a log that goes from a roaring blaze, complete with pops and crackles, to a quieter fire. The manufacturer promises to save trees and get sparks flying (figuratively speaking). Available for $9.95 from (800) CRACKLE.

Hearty Appetites

With the logs burning, it’s the perfect time to pop corn over the open hearth or stage an old-fashioned taffy pull. In her 1936 cookbook, Fannie Farmer advises taffy makers to wait until the molasses, sugar and butter mixture is cool enough to handle; then “pull until porous and light colored, using tops of fingers.” For potable ways to keep the chill away, try making eggnog sprinkled with nutmeg, hot buttered rum or warm wassail with cinnamon and clove-spiced cider.

Winter Olympics

Surrounded by popcorn and nog, you’re ready to sit back and enjoy the XVI Winter Olympic Games from France. The competitions, held Feb. 8-23, will be televised from 11 resorts in the Alps.

In addition to the Alpine skiing, look for new freestyle events like the mogul race. Here, skiers must simultaneously race down giant snow bumps while executing turns and gymnastic-type aerials. For more thrills, watch as two- and four-member bobsled teams blast through hairpin curves at 100 m.p.h. For the first time, women will compete for medals in the biathlon, a sport combining cross-country skiing and rifle sharpshooting.

Kristi Yamaguchi, Look Out!

After watching the Olympic skating, chances are you’ll want to hit the rink yourself. According to the Ice Skating Institute of America, this sport attracted about 30 million people last year. There are lots of places to practice your stoking (that’s long gliding movement) and swizzling (that’s in-and-out motion with both feet):

*Culver Ice Rink, 4545 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City. (213) 398-5719.

* Ice Capades Chalet-Laurel Plaza, 6100 Laurel Canyon Blvd., North Hollywood. (818) 985-5555.

* Iceland, 8041 Jackson St., Paramount. (213) 633-1171.

* Iceland, 14318 Calvert St., Van Nuys. (818) 785-2171.

* Olympic Ice Arena, 23770 S. Western Ave.; Harbor City, (213) 325-4474.

* Pasadena Ice Skating Center, 300 E. Green St., Pasadena (818) 578-0800.

* Pickwick Ice Skating Arena, 1001 Riverside Drive, Burbank, (818) 846-0032.

Ice Hockey

If Olympic hockey lacks the brawling you’re looking for, consider an NHL game. Although professional hockey players are eligible to compete in the Olympics, most--like Kings superstar center Wayne Gretsky and right wing Jari Kurri, reunited this year after winning five Stanley Cups for the Edmonton Oilers--are in the middle of the league season. Can the Kings bring the championship to Los Angeles? For ticket information for February and March home games, call (213) 480-3232.

Winter Woolies

Even when the only chill in the air is from an open freezer door, dressing for winter creates a certain mood. The easiest way is through the mail. Lands’ End encourages shoppers to “make a date with Mother Nature” and take their outerwear, of course, like a squall jacket or a down vest. L. L. Bean’s winter catalogue includes the classic Penobscot parka, chamois shirts and insulated Woodsman Boots. And for the smaller set, Hanna Andersson offers a colorful assortment of children’s caps, mittens and scarfs from Sweden. Lands’ End: (800) 356-4444. L. L. Bean: (800) 221-4221. Hanna Andersson: (800) 222-0544.

Starry Nights

With winter wardrobe in place, you’re set for an evening of star gazing. The Griffith Park Observatory’s rooftop telescope is open free of charge every night, except Monday, from 7 to 9:45 p.m. “It’s live, it’s not a videotape,” says program supervisor John Mosley. “People get to look through the telescope and talk to an astronomer.”

Each evening, the telescope is pointed at the best views in the winter sky. And although the display is dependent on the weather, you’re likely to see star clusters like the Seven Sisters, the moon and Jupiter, which appears as a little white ball circled by cloud baths and four star-like moons.

But don’t wait too long. You only have until March 20 at 12:48 a.m. That’s the exact moment when the sun crosses the Equator and we officially say goodby to winter.