The Squaw Valley, USA Thread

[thetrailboss]

Well, since Trekchick, Philpug, and I have been highjacking the "have you bought your pass for the 2011-2012 season" thread with talk about Squaw Valley, USA, I figured I would start this thread. Yes I know that Squaw Valley is in California and that it is not in the Northeast, but there have been a few other folks who have been to Squaw Valley and talked about it (other than me). So here's one spot for the topic and folks can hit "search" to find it later.

Feel free to talk about Tahoe, KT-22, High Camp, Granite Chief, the 1960 Olympics, Siberia, Shirley Lake, Snow King, and all things Squaw!

:beer:

 

[Trekchick]

If it doesn't disrupt the other thread, feel free to move my posts about their expansion plans to this thread.

FWIW, I'd be happy to show any AZ'er who cares to visit Tahoe around my home mountain(s)

 

[thetrailboss]

2011 and 2012-2013 Lift Replacements/Changes

Thanks to Trekchick, we saw the proposed lift removals for Squaw for the next two years. For anyone who has not been there, when you look at the map you get dizzy seeing all the lifts:

It is hard to believe that there was only one lift at Squaw in 1949. Since then there have been waves of lift installs, once around the Olympics in 1960, more later in the 1970's and 1980's. And then some catch up in the 2000's with the install of the Funitel and several Six-packs.

When we were there in February/March 2010 all you could see were lifts everywhere, with many duplicates. A lot of Yan fixed grips. A look at the High Camp/Gold Coast Basin area shows that there are WAY too many lifts.

So seeing that some of them are being removed probably makes sense, given the fact that they now have several high capacity lifts on-line or coming online.

As to lifts that are being removed:

* Newport: it never ran the week we were there and it seemed to be overshadowed by Siberia and Headwall. It was short and not much used. I agree that she should be yanked.

* Mainline: Ditto. With Gold Coast Six Pack there is more than enough capacity right now.

So those lifts are going to be removed this summer (assuming that the snow melts out).

As for 2012-2013:

* East Broadway: did run the week we were there and was used. Looks like they are going to remove it and consolidate between the Gold Coast and new High Camp lift.

* High Camp Lift: the plan shows that the lift is going to be removed and replaced by a lift that extends below High Camp.

* Links: removed and replaced.

* Bailey's Beach: removed and replaced by a "Transport Tow."

* The Pulse: removed! When we were there they were only running Gold Coast and not High Camp. So I don't know what the point of the lift was......

*Granite Chief: this is the one that the blogsophere is scratching their heads on. The existing triple was said to be slow, but adequate. It is going to be replaced by a HSQ. This remote lift will require some extensive helicopter work and some major excavation for many of the towers (some will be reused and left alone) and the terminals. For more: click here

The map:

I don't know if Squaw One has been renovated or replaced. That lift was a first generation HSQ and was looking old, but was not operating when we were there.

And WTF is up with Silverado? It did not spin AT ALL the week we were there and meant that we could not check out that pod of terrain. That pissed me off. Most of the other areas were accessible by the lifts that were running, but it seemed that Squaw was doing an ASC move of "money holds" with the lifts. If you look at the project map, it is not noted in the plans but is marked by a "-------" line. Has it been removed?

Other thoughts?

 

[thetrailboss]

Did you guys also check out the night skiing at all?

 

[Trekchick]

We didn't get out to night ski because that was going on during the most chaotic part of our season at the shop and we were usually working late. Besides, we had such an amazing powder season, we usually got out for first chair and fresh tracks.

Lots of great F-ing days this year
First Chair
Fresh Tracks
Free refills
Friends
Fun!

 

[thetrailboss]

The night skiing didn't look too great IMHO. The run from Gold Coast down to the base was boooorrrriiiiinnnngggg. And the High Camp area was pretty flat. I wished that they did the night skiing off of Snow King with Red Dog or Squaw Creek as the lifts. I know that most of their clientele like the tram and all, but I'd prefer having better terrain for night skiing myself.

 

[Geoff]

I've written here a few times that I took a hard look at moving to Tahoe back in 1999-2000. I have a whole bunch of ex-Killington friends who either live there or are Bay Area every-weekenders with cabins.

I'm OK with winter skiing but spring skiing really is my thing. Squaw, with all the elevations and exposures and their extended season, has some of the best in the world. When you're skiing with regulars, they know how to follow the sun around. I remember riding up the Granite Chief lift with my friend Dan. At the top, there's this sign that says "Smoothie Open". "What's that?" We do a lengthy traverse to looker's right and hit a gate that's open into the trees. A thousand+ feet of unskied medium-pitch corn snow that hadn't been skied. I also have pleasant memories of skiing super-soft steep corn bumps on "the nose" to looker's left of Granite Chief. You'd ski 20 turns, stop, and the corn snow would be hissing and slowly oozing down your line like lava. Another close ex-Killington friend Debbie always described Squaw as "a mini-Whistler". You don't get the 5,000 feet of vertical but you get endless pockets of fun & challenging terrain.

In the end, I decided that I didn't want to try telecommuting out of Tahoe. Anything I'd tried to line up required that I be down in Silicon Valley frequently and I decided that I couldn't take that drive.

 

[thetrailboss]

I've written here a few times that I took a hard look at moving to Tahoe back in 1999-2000. I have a whole bunch of ex-Killington friends who either live there or are Bay Area every-weekenders with cabins.

I'm OK with winter skiing but spring skiing really is my thing. Squaw, with all the elevations and exposures and their extended season, has some of the best in the world. When you're skiing with regulars, they know how to follow the sun around. I remember riding up the Granite Chief lift with my friend Dan. At the top, there's this sign that says "Smoothie Open". "What's that?" We do a lengthy traverse to looker's right and hit a gate that's open into the trees. A thousand+ feet of unskied medium-pitch corn snow that hadn't been skied. I also have pleasant memories of skiing super-soft steep corn bumps on "the nose" to looker's left of Granite Chief. You'd ski 20 turns, stop, and the corn snow would be hissing and slowly oozing down your line like lava. Another close ex-Killington friend Debbie always described Squaw as "a mini-Whistler". You don't get the 5,000 feet of vertical but you get endless pockets of fun & challenging terrain.

In the end, I decided that I didn't want to try telecommuting out of Tahoe. Anything I'd tried to line up required that I be down in Silicon Valley frequently and I decided that I couldn't take that drive.

Similar story here with the thoughts of moving there. Tahoe was our first vaca out west ever and it opened our eyes. That area is beautiful and life was so chill. The Lake is amazing. We considered moving there for my wife's residency, but that would have meant Reno (there is nothing for residency in Truckee). My wife considered it for maybe four of the five days we were there. The last night we stayed at the Atlantis Hotel and Casino in Reno and we really did not like the vibe at all. A giant strip mall, casinos, etc. Plus the crime rate and economy was not good. Well, we can always visit Tahoe now that we are much closer.

 

[Philpug]

No where in that expansion does it mention the addition of Alpine Meadows (and White Wolf)? Hmmmm

 

[jimmywilson69]

Squaw is on my list of places to do for sure. I've always found it interesting that they rated the lift and terrain it supplies instead of individual trails. Looks like a great places to ski!

 

[wa-loaf]

I've been to Tahoe 3 times. Never made it to Squaw. I think another trip is in order ...

 

[thetrailboss]

No where in that expansion does it mention the addition of Alpine Meadows (and White Wolf)? Hmmmm

Are you talking about the "private" chairlift on the backside of KT-22?

 

[thetrailboss]

Squaw is on my list of places to do for sure. I've always found it interesting that they rated the lift and terrain it supplies instead of individual trails. Looks like a great places to ski!

It is a cool place to visit. The rating system is a bit deceiving in that some areas have easier or harder stuff. So consider the marking to mean the average I guess. There is some gnarly stuff off of Red Dog and Squaw Creek Lifts on Snow King that folks overlook. I think anyone coming from the east will notice that the terrain is steeper and the snow is deeper than anything they have seen.

 

[Geoff]

Similar story here with the thoughts of moving there. Tahoe was our first vaca out west ever and it opened our eyes. That area is beautiful and life was so chill. The Lake is amazing. We considered moving there for my wife's residency, but that would have meant Reno (there is nothing for residency in Truckee). My wife considered it for maybe four of the five days we were there. The last night we stayed at the Atlantis Hotel and Casino in Reno and we really did not like the vibe at all. A giant strip mall, casinos, etc. Plus the crime rate and economy was not good. Well, we can always visit Tahoe now that we are much closer.

I'd gotten as far as looking at houses. This was before the price runup and I could have paid cash for a 'cabin' in the Alpine Meadows access road. At the peak 5 years ago, those were getting flipped for $1 million as teardowns. I really like the vibe of Tahoe City. The 1% property tax rate locked in for life was rather appealing and offset the stiff California state income tax. In the end, the fact that I'd be driving down to the San Jose mess just about every week scared me off. San Francisco is nice as a place to visit or as a place to live if you're a trustafarian but East Bay and Silicon Valley are a part of the world I loathe.

 

[Philpug]

Are you talking about the "private" chairlift on the backside of KT-22?

White Wolf is the "private chair". For those not up to what I am referring to. KSL who owns Squaw, is purchasing Alpine MEadows. "White Wolf" is private land in between the two areas and has a "yet to run" lift that could connect the two areas. I am sure that KSL will have that land under it's umbrella shortly. If (and when) this happens, this will make SquawWolfPine about 6800 acres of skiing, the largest ski area in the U.S., Vail is about 6300 acres. Coincidently KSL is based out of Vail but no affiliation to the resort. Vail is the other major player in the Tahoe region with their ownership of NorthStar and Heavenly.

 

[snoseek]

Squaw kicks ass! All of Tahoe is really an incredible place. Last time I was there was three summers ago, hiking extensively for a few weeks and camping at fallen leaf lake. It was nice to see the area in summer and at that point I realized why so many people decide to call that area home, its year round awesomeness!. Mt rose looked like it would be a fun area as did sugar bowl.

 

[thetrailboss]

White Wolf is the "private chair". For those not up to what I am referring to. KSL who owns Squaw, is purchasing Alpine MEadows. "White Wolf" is private land in between the two areas and has a "yet to run" lift that could connect the two areas. I am sure that KSL will have that land under it's umbrella shortly. If (and when) this happens, this will make SquawWolfPine about 6800 acres of skiing, the largest ski area in the U.S., Vail is about 6300 acres. Coincidently KSL is based out of Vail but no affiliation to the resort. Vail is the other major player in the Tahoe region with their ownership of NorthStar and Heavenly.

Holy sh*t! Are they also buying Homewood? If they did, then they could extend their resort all the way to the Lake. I thought that AM was planning on connecting Homewood to AM. I think they ran into some opposition and a bad market.

 

[Philpug]

Holy sh*t! Are they also buying Homewood? If they did, then they could extend their resort all the way to the Lake. I thought that AM was planning on connecting Homewood to AM. I think they ran into some opposition and a bad market.

That was my first thought, how cool would it to be to ski from Granite Chief all the way to the lake. That would have also given them well over the 7500 acres that that Whistler is, making it the largest resort in North America. From what I understand, AM and HW are about 5 miles apart, a bit too far to connect. I am sure KSL will have "first right of refusal" if Homewood hits the market.

 

[thetrailboss]

Yeah that would be sick.

 

[thetrailboss]

OK, this thread needs some Squaw stoke:

The man who started Squaw, Alex Cushing:

KT-22!

The aforementioned "White Wolf" chair:

Mo' KT-22!

HEADWALL!