The Santa Monica Mountains are great for hiking. There are several trail guide books available - try the UCLA store (Ackerman), REI or Adventure16 to buy them. You can also check the state park website - http://www.nps.gov/samo. There is a local hiking group: http://www.outdoorsclub.org. You can also try posting to the Sports forum.
If you have any recommended trails please edit the HikingGuide.
If you live in LA you have to go surfing at least once! The easiest way to get started is to befriend someone who surfs and go out with them. True surfers have lots of boards and are normally happy to let you borrow one (briefly). Please edit the SurfingGuide if you know about places to surf, where to rent boards, good websites etc.
Postdocs are considered as staff when it comes to UCLA gym membership. There are several packages available which offer access to different facilities around campus.The Pyramid Pass offers best value and is $175 per year at time of writing. For more information check the official pages:
http://www.recreation.ucla.edu/
Commerical gyms may be more convenient but they are generally more expensive. Some of the (larger, more expensive) apartment buildings have a gym for the use of residents.
There are quite a few tennis courts on campus. To use them you must have an appropriate Recreation Card. Check the facilities pages:
http://www.recreation.ucla.edu/recreate/facilities.aspx
Other tennis courts are scattered around LA. There are courts in Westwood Park behind the Federal Building car park. These are free on weekdays but $8/hour at weekends. You can book in advance.
Stoner Recreation ground has courts that are free all week and are floodlight at night. Find these at Stoner / Nebraska.
You can take very cheap (<$10 per quarter) group tennis lessons through UCLA recreation if you have a Rec. card. All levels from beginning to advanced are covered in weekly sessions.
Badminton courts are setup in the Woodden Center main hall at certain times. Check the recreation pages for times.
There are tables in the Woodden Center. You have to be a member to use them.
The Wooden Center has 2 squash and about 8 racquetball courts. You can hire racquetballs and racquetball racquets at the desk opposite the entrance as you walk in (not on the right). You can book courts but you must do so the day before. They get pretty busy during the quarter. If you want someone to play you can post a message to the sports forum.
Have a look at http://www.californiaskiresorts.com/
The nearest are:
Then there is Mammoth Mountain which is 300 miles away but much bigger: http://www.mammothmountain.com/
* Sportmart * Sportchalet * Doc’s Ski Haus * Big 5 Sporting Goods
You can rent equipment at the resorts for about $25-35 per day.
Group lessons are normally fairly inexpensive and you can sometimes get good deals online. Mammoth has an $80 beginner ticket that includes a 3 hour lesson and rental. You can also get lower lift only passes which are much cheaper than full mountain.
You’ll need a car or a ride to get to most resorts independently. There are also groups like 4 Seasons West Ski Club. They do everything from day trips to local mountains to week long trips in other countries. They are apparently a fun group.
There are beach volleyball courts on Santa Monica and Venice beaches. They are free to use.
There is a rock climbing wall in the Wooden Center.
There are trails in the Santa Monica Mountains that are ok to cycle on. Try these sites for inspiration: