Squaw Valley Ski Resort
Encyclopedia
Squaw Valley Ski Resort in Olympic Valley
, California
, is one of the largest ski areas in the United States, and was the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics
. It is the second-largest ski area at Lake Tahoe
(after Heavenly
), with 33 chairlift
s, and has the only funitel
lift in the U.S. The resort attracts approximately 600,000 skiers a year.
Located in the Sierra Nevada, with a base of 6200 feet (1,889.8 m) and spread across 6 peaks and 4000 acres (1,618.7 ha) the resort tops out at 9050 feet (2,758.4 m) above sea level at Granite Chief
. The area receives heavy maritime snowfall, frequently receiving 40 ft (12.2 m) or more in a winter.
A scenic aerial tramway
carries visitors to 8200 ft (2,499.4 m) to High Camp, el. 8,200'. The cars are attached to a fixed point on a cable loop. When one car is at the top of the mountain, the other car is at the bottom.
Squaw Valley is home to several annual summer events. The July Wanderlust Festival brings in accomplished yoga teachers as well as many well-known musical performers. In August, the Squaw Valley writer's conference attracts authors from all over the world. Many summer camps operate out of the Valley.
By 1942 Wayne Poulsen, a former star skier from the University of Nevada, had acquired 2000 acres (809.4 ha) in present-day Olympic Valley, California
, from the Southern Pacific Railroad
. In 1946, Poulsen met Alex Cushing, a Harvard University-trained lawyer, with the political connections and access to capital that would make the resort a success. Shortly before opening in 1949, Poulsen and Cushing had a disagreement over the future of the resort. Cushing ended up controlling the Squaw Valley Ski Corporation that brought the 1960 Winter Olympics
to Squaw Valley and transformed Lake Tahoe
with his vision for the mountain and innovations in the ski industry. Until his death, Cushing was the founder and chairman of Ski Corporation, the parent company of the Squaw Valley resort.
Cushing modeled Squaw Valley after Europe
an resorts by putting pools and lodging on the mountain instead of at the base, and by bringing the latest lift technology to the United States
.
Though the 1960 Olympics had practically been promised to Innsbruck
, Austria
, Cushing went to Paris
in 1955 with a scale model of his proposed Olympic site and persuaded the International Olympic Committee
to choose Squaw Valley. It was the first Winter Olympics to be televised live and attracted millions of viewers. The 1960 Winter Games provided a significant boost in visibility that signaled that American skiing had risen to the level expected of European resorts, hosting the alpine skiing
events during those games.
At the end of the decade, Squaw Valley hosted the World Cup
1969 tour
with four alpine ski races, slalom
and giant slalom
for both men and women.
and Squaw Valley Ski Resort
merged ownership. The two resorts will retain their distinct identities but unite under common management dominated by Squaw’s Valley’s parent company, KSL Capital Partners LLC. Alpine Meadow’s parent, JMA Ventures, will own a smaller part. The new umbrella entity over both resorts will be known as Squaw Valley Ski Holdings LLC. It has been discussed in the media that the new company Squaw Valley Ski Holdings LLC, will seek to eventually combine the two resorts into one mega resort through an agreement with a ski resort located on the mountain connecting Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley, called White Wolf Mountain
.This proposed combination is supported by White Wolf Mountain owner Troy Caldwell. If connected via White Wolf, the combined ski area would be the second largest resort in North America, only slightly smaller than Whistler Blackcomb.
Squaw Valley, California (Ski Area Valley)
Olympic Valley in the U.S. state of California is an unincorporated community located in Placer County northwest of Tahoe City along Highway 89 on the banks of the Truckee River near Lake Tahoe. It is the home of the Squaw Valley Ski Resort, the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, is one of the largest ski areas in the United States, and was the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics
1960 Winter Olympics
The 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event held between February 18 and 28, 1960 in Squaw Valley, California, United States. In 1955 at the 50th IOC meeting, the organizing committee made the surprise choice to award Squaw Valley as...
. It is the second-largest ski area at Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
(after Heavenly
Heavenly Ski Resort
Heavenly Mountain Resort is a ski resort located on the California-Nevada border in South Lake Tahoe. It has 97 runs and 30 lifts that are spread between California and Nevada and four base facilities...
), with 33 chairlift
Chairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
s, and has the only funitel
Funitel
A funitel is a type of aerial lift, generally used to transport skiers. The name funitel is a portmanteau between the French words funiculaire and telepherique. Funitels have not only been used as a means to transport skiers; there is one used to transport finished cars between different areas of...
lift in the U.S. The resort attracts approximately 600,000 skiers a year.
Located in the Sierra Nevada, with a base of 6200 feet (1,889.8 m) and spread across 6 peaks and 4000 acres (1,618.7 ha) the resort tops out at 9050 feet (2,758.4 m) above sea level at Granite Chief
Granite Chief
Granite Chief is a mountain located in the Sierra Nevada near Lake Tahoe. The mountain rises to an elevation of and receives consistent heavy snowfall during the winter months....
. The area receives heavy maritime snowfall, frequently receiving 40 ft (12.2 m) or more in a winter.
A scenic aerial tramway
Aerial tramway
An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...
carries visitors to 8200 ft (2,499.4 m) to High Camp, el. 8,200'. The cars are attached to a fixed point on a cable loop. When one car is at the top of the mountain, the other car is at the bottom.
Squaw Valley is home to several annual summer events. The July Wanderlust Festival brings in accomplished yoga teachers as well as many well-known musical performers. In August, the Squaw Valley writer's conference attracts authors from all over the world. Many summer camps operate out of the Valley.
History
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, from the Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
. In 1946, Poulsen met Alex Cushing, a Harvard University-trained lawyer, with the political connections and access to capital that would make the resort a success. Shortly before opening in 1949, Poulsen and Cushing had a disagreement over the future of the resort. Cushing ended up controlling the Squaw Valley Ski Corporation that brought the 1960 Winter Olympics
1960 Winter Olympics
The 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event held between February 18 and 28, 1960 in Squaw Valley, California, United States. In 1955 at the 50th IOC meeting, the organizing committee made the surprise choice to award Squaw Valley as...
to Squaw Valley and transformed Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
with his vision for the mountain and innovations in the ski industry. Until his death, Cushing was the founder and chairman of Ski Corporation, the parent company of the Squaw Valley resort.
Cushing modeled Squaw Valley after Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an resorts by putting pools and lodging on the mountain instead of at the base, and by bringing the latest lift technology to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Though the 1960 Olympics had practically been promised to Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Cushing went to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1955 with a scale model of his proposed Olympic site and persuaded the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
to choose Squaw Valley. It was the first Winter Olympics to be televised live and attracted millions of viewers. The 1960 Winter Games provided a significant boost in visibility that signaled that American skiing had risen to the level expected of European resorts, hosting the alpine skiing
Alpine skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympics consisted of six events, held in Squaw Valley, California, U.S.A., from February 20–26, 1960.These were the last Olympics with times recorded in tenths of a second; times in 1964 were recorded in hundredths....
events during those games.
At the end of the decade, Squaw Valley hosted the World Cup
Alpine skiing World Cup
The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France and the USA...
1969 tour
1969 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The third World Cup season began in December 1968 and concluded in March 1969. Karl Schranz of Austria won the first of two consecutive overall titles...
with four alpine ski races, slalom
Slalom skiing
Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...
and giant slalom
Giant Slalom skiing
Giant slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles spaced at a greater distance to each other than in slalom but less than in super G....
for both men and women.
Merger with Alpine Meadows
In September 2011, Alpine Meadows ski resort located at Alpine Meadows, CaliforniaAlpine Meadows, California
Alpine Meadows is an unincorporated community in Placer County, California. The community is located on Bear Creek, west of Tahoe City, at an elevation of .-Community:...
and Squaw Valley Ski Resort
Squaw Valley Ski Resort
Squaw Valley Ski Resort in Olympic Valley, California, is one of the largest ski areas in the United States, and was the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. It is the second-largest ski area at Lake Tahoe , with 33 chairlifts, and has the only funitel lift in the U.S...
merged ownership. The two resorts will retain their distinct identities but unite under common management dominated by Squaw’s Valley’s parent company, KSL Capital Partners LLC. Alpine Meadow’s parent, JMA Ventures, will own a smaller part. The new umbrella entity over both resorts will be known as Squaw Valley Ski Holdings LLC. It has been discussed in the media that the new company Squaw Valley Ski Holdings LLC, will seek to eventually combine the two resorts into one mega resort through an agreement with a ski resort located on the mountain connecting Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley, called White Wolf Mountain
White Wolf Mountain
White Wolf Mountain is a 460 acre Ski resort located in the Lake Tahoe area, California. The resort is often discussed relating to the the ongoing merger between Squaw Valley Ski Resort and Alpine Meadows, California, and the interest in using White Wolf Mountain's interconnected property to create...
.This proposed combination is supported by White Wolf Mountain owner Troy Caldwell. If connected via White Wolf, the combined ski area would be the second largest resort in North America, only slightly smaller than Whistler Blackcomb.
External links
- Squaw.com - official site
- SnowGuide.org - Squaw Valley
- 3dSkiMaps.com - Squaw Valley Ski Resort
- Squaw Valley Snow Forecast - Squaw Valley Snow Forecast
- skiresorts-test.com - Squaw Valley on skiresorts-test.com