Universal City Outdoor Activities

As a teenager, Scott Petryshyn raced motocross for Team Kawasaki, relying on oil and gasoline to propel him along the track. After studying biology and kinetics in college, Scott needed only to look to the human body for a new source of motion. Since rejoining the racing world as a semipro mountain biker, he's starred as a stuntman for nationwide Subaru and Nissan TV campaigns and channeled his expertise into his shop, Warner Bike, and LA Mountain Bike Tours.

Scott's tours wend through southern California's varied terrain and wild droves of celebrities, skirting past vistas of the Pacific Ocean. Excursions are tailored to every experience level, cruising along flat land and moderate hills for beginners or tackling more advanced inclines, high elevations, and narrow gaps. Scott also captains private lessons in which pupils master everything from handling gears to flying past the moon without getting swept into orbit.:m]]

In 1999, Matt Rosas made a decision. He traded in his corporate career working in marketing for Fortune 500 businesses to share his passion for surfing, which he felt since making his first surfboard in seventh grade. Now the owner and head instructor of the Malibu LongBoards Surf School, Rosas has more than a decade of full-time teaching under his belt. His fellow instructors, Christian Andersen and Jerry Angel, have a combined 45 years of teaching experience between them. Together, they demonstrate how to glide atop waves during private and group standup paddling and surfing lessons. They have teaching permits for Santa Monica, Venice, Marina Del Rey, Los Angeles, Malibu, Ventura, and Santa Barbara, so students can surf the waves and mow the seaweed at an array of beaches. Alternatively, the trio also maintains a fleet of rental boards and the gear to go with them, so surfers can enjoy unassisted sessions on the water.

Hollywoodland Tours escorts guests through Tinseltown's star-studded streets during a trio of informative adventures. Aboard the company's shaded, open-air van, tour takers snap pictures and revel in the close proximity of famous landmarks as knowledgeable guides dish out facts about passing sights. The Beverly Hills Star Home tour showcases the castles of more than 70 celebrities, including Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts, before coasting over to the Sunset Strip, where industry big shots dine, shop, and teach their wax likenesses how to use chopsticks. Patrons can also hitch a ride on the Hollywood tour, which sails past the sites of historical films, television series, and radio studios, while the Hollywood Sign tour grants picturesque photo opportunities and the chance to ask the typically reticent "H" for its autograph.

Star-Surf’s lead instructor passes on more than three decade’s worth of wave riding experience to fledgling surfers through private lessons, group lessons, and surf camps held throughout the year. For each lesson, students are supplied with a soft foam surfboard and a wetsuit if needed, then paired up with a dedicated instructor who tailors the session to the individual, never forcing him or her to hang ten if they’re only comfortable hanging nine. Instruction covers topics important to the surfer just starting out, with an emphasis on safety and proper etiquette as well as the basics of paddling, popping up, and selecting waves.