Mountain Review: Palisades Tahoe - Olympic Valley (Squaw Valley)
MOUNTAIN SCORE
NOTE: This page only covers Olympic Valley, one of two separate areas in the Palisades Tahoe complex. Also see our Palisades Tahoe - Alpine Meadows review.
CATEGORY BREAKDOWN
See our criteria7
Snow:
5
Resiliency:
7
Size:
8
Terrain Diversity:
10
Challenge:
6
Lifts:
5
Crowd Flow:
7
Facilities:
7
Navigation:
9
Mountain Aesthetic:
GOOD TO KNOW
On-site Lodging: Yes
Apres-ski: Extensive
Pass Affiliation: Ikon Pass
Recommended Ability Level:
+ Pros
Wide variety of demanding expert terrain
Unique topography
Lively base village
Top-notch spring skiing experience
– Cons
Wind exposure, especially on beginner and low-intermediate terrain
Serious congestion issues in some areas
Variable openings for lower-elevation expert terrain
MOUNTAIN STATS
Lifts: 29
Trails: 158
Beginner: 9%
Intermediate: 25%
Advanced/Expert: 66%
VIDEO
Mountain Review
Long known for its legendary high-alpine experience and lively base village, Squaw Valley has been a go-to Lake Tahoe resort for years. The mountain gets a lot of things right, with a wide variety of expert terrain and some of the best spring skiing you’ll find anywhere. However, a few drawbacks result in an experience that may not be right for everyone.
The first thing you’ll notice about Squaw Valley is its unique topography. Striking mountain landscapes encompass the resort, and multiple areas offer attractive Lake Tahoe views. The resort boasts an exceptionally high-alpine footprint, with most terrain either entirely above treeline or sparsely wooded. Only a few lower elevation areas contain truly tree-defined trails. The high-alpine environment affects the experience for all ability levels.
Squaw’s green terrain, both impressive and frustrating, manifests a range of attributes that ultimately result in a less-than-ideal beginner experience. Squaw contains more green trails than some other Lake Tahoe mountains, with the overwhelming majority in the Gold Coast upper mountain area. This area offers some of the best views of any beginner terrain out there, but the slopes are among the most crowded and wind-exposed at the resort, producing complications that those learning may not be prepared for. There aren’t any green trails down to the base from this area, meaning that beginners will need to download the gondola or tram to leave the resort. Squaw also offers a bunny hill near the main base area, but it’s small and far away from the rest of the mountain’s green runs.
Blues at Squaw tend to err on the more difficult side, with ungroomed or fairly steep sections on some. The best intermediate terrain lives at the Shirley Lake area, which holds its snow well and contains multiple blue runs. The below-treeline Squaw Creek area also features a number of uncrowded cruisers with excellent Lake Tahoe views. The easiest intermediate runs exist off Gold Coast, but like the beginner slopes here, they’re subject to congestion and serious wind exposure.
The Gold Coast area also contains the overwhelming majority of Squaw’s terrain park areas. Freestylers will find a range of small to large features, including boxes, rails, jumps, as well as the occasional mini pipe contingent on seasonal snow quality. However, some competing resorts offer bigger and better setups.
What you’ll really want to be if you’re at Squaw is an advanced or expert skier. Don’t be fooled by Squaw’s lack of a double black diamond rating—the resort offers some of the most formidable terrain you’ll find anywhere. In addition to the steep, long mogul and tree runs you might expect, the mountain features extraordinary chutes, cliffs, and couloirs, some of which are so extreme that you’ll leave in a body bag if you send them the wrong way. Squaw doesn’t mark all of these drops, so you should find it imperative to continuously check your surroundings as you’re skiing or riding. Multiple areas across the resort, most notably KT-22, Granite Chief, Headwall, Silverado, and Broken Arrow, contain this truly perilous terrain. Some expert runs require hiking to get to, but they’re typically less tracked and offer fresher snow than directly lift-serviced slopes.
Like most Lake Tahoe resorts, Squaw Valley generally sees strong powder but also experiences somewhat variable conditions. Trails boast fantastic cover in some years but may exhibit bare spots in others. While the resort generally maintains reasonable temperatures, wind exposure is a Squaw trademark—a number of mountain areas are quite susceptible to harsh gusts. Trees in some of the most affected areas have become permanently angled by the wind. Even if it’s sunny outside, be prepared for the wind to blow snow in your face. Wind makes some trails heavily susceptible to icy conditions, and some higher-elevation lifts can see wind holds.
Variable weather tends to affect the resort’s most extreme offerings the most. If you’re buying your tickets far in advance, don’t bet on being able to hit the formidable Silverado and Broken Arrow areas. These slopes, which offer some of the resort’s most extreme lower-elevation runs, need significant snowfall to open up—in especially poor seasons, this terrain doesn’t open at all.
However, the resort tends to stay resilient overall. Avalanche patrol operations have greatly improved in recent years, with lifts opening on time most mornings and once-common delays diminishing. Thanks to snowmaking on a number of trails, the resort features a consistent base and opening date each season.
One area that Squaw really excels in, especially in good seasons, is spring skiing. The resort offers one of the best spring-skiing experiences anywhere, consistently staying open until May, and in the best years, staying open until July. Not all mountain areas stay open this late in the season, but a number of beginner-to-expert terrain options generally remain. If you visit in May or later, you can stop in at the awesome mid-mountain High Camp Lodge hot tub.
Due to the resort’s overall layout, Squaw experiences serious crowd flow issues in certain places. The area immediately surrounding the Gold Coast lodge sees a dangerously varied mix of skiers in a small footprint, as advanced and expert traffic from backside areas funnels into some of the most popular beginner and intermediate terrain. The very long Mountain Run trail, essentially the only way back to the base from most upper mountain areas, becomes so packed with ignorant skiers that it’s arguably dangerous; the resort seems to agree, with signs in the Funitel recommending the run only for experienced skiers and riders.
On busy days, Squaw can experience long lines. The Gold Coast Express and Funitel, which provide access to some of the only beginner and intermediate terrain on the mountain, get crowded, as does the Granite Chief triple, which provides the only access to some of the best wind-sheltered terrain on the mountain. The KT-22 lift, which directly services some of the resort’s most famous expert terrain, sees long waits too—despite the Olympic Lady and Exhibition lifts servicing the same terrain when ridden in tandem, they aren’t operated as often as they should be. Crowds in other places, which either have multiple lifts servicing similar terrain or slow, long lifts, don’t tend to get as bad.
Despite these issues, getting places at Squaw tends to be fairly direct. It takes up to three lifts to get from the main base to the furthest mountain areas, and getting back to the main base area takes at most one or two (depending on whether you’re comfortable skiing Mountain Run). However, intermediate and advanced skiers can access some really great terrain right from the base lifts. While trail maps are posted near most major lifts, not all of them are easily accessible or readable, with some being difficult to find or poorly placed. Fortunately, each lift carries a difficulty rating that generally corresponds to the terrain level it serves, making it easy to plan runs based on your ability.
When it comes to the lifts themselves, Squaw generally boasts modern infrastructure. High-speed lift service holds down most high-alpine areas—only a few lifts serving mainly in a helper capacity or providing expert-only terrain access are slow here. The resort’s most wind-exposed lifts are high-speed, but some of them run slower than you might expect due to the perennial wind conditions. None of Squaw’s chairlifts have bubbles, but the Gold Coast Funitel’s unique dual-cable support system gives that enclosed lift extra wind stability.
The biggest problem with Squaw’s uphill experience comes from the below-treeline Squaw Creek / Red Dog area, where the overall lift setup makes little sense. The only high-speed lift in this area is the Far East Express six-pack, which starts at a parking lot—making it only practical to ride once a day for most people—and only goes up two-thirds of the mountain. Getting to the top of this area requires riding the Squaw Creek or Red Dog chairs, both of which, despite being longer than the Far East Express and starting in much more popular base areas, are slow, fixed grip lifts and take longer to ride than any other lift on the mountain.
While Squaw Valley has a tram, it’s not overly useful as a method of getting up the mountain unless you’re really itching for first tracks in upper mountain areas. The tram follows essentially the same line as the Gold Coast Funitel, and while it ends higher up on the mountain, the wait of up to 10 minutes for a tram car diminishes its practicality. Even when other lifts have sizable lines, the tram may not be worth it.
Squaw only has two mid-mountain lodges, Gold Coast and High Camp, but they’re quite large with a number of dining options. The Gold Coast lodge is centrally located and tends to get crowded on busy days, while the High Camp lodge, located at the top of the tram, is a bit more inconvenient to access from most mountain areas. The resort’s expansive main base area offers an array of facilities with plenty of seating even during peak times, while the Squaw Creek satellite base also offers public dining and bathroom facilities.
It’s worth noting that a Squaw Valley ticket will also get you access to Alpine Meadows, a separate area a few miles down the road. Alpine is somewhat smaller and more local than Squaw, but it boasts similarly formidable terrain; if you’re planning to visit for a few days, you may find it worthwhile to split your time between the two. While Squaw and Alpine are currently completely separate, the resort employs free, relatively frequent shuttles between the main base areas. A gondola connecting the areas is on track for completion some time in the next few seasons.
Lodging
Squaw Valley boasts a number of lodging choices across its main base village. Some of these are effectively ski-in/ski-out while others exist a short walk from the lifts. A number of them feature pools and hot tubs. The only other slopeside lodging option is the upscale Resort at Squaw Creek, located at the satellite Squaw Creek base area. You can find reasonable prices at a number of slopeside options, but calling them cheap would be a stretch.
The best budget options live a few miles away in or near the town of Truckee, but the Squaw Valley access road can experience serious traffic on busy days. Thankfully, free parking exists at a reasonable walking distance from the lifts.
Apres-ski
Squaw Valley is a party town through and through. When you get off the slopes at the main base village, you’ll be treated to excellent happy hour deals across multiple bars, including the expansive outdoor KT Base Bar. The village commonly blasts music through loudspeakers and, on weekends or holidays, features live bands. While you’re on the slopes, you can grab a beer at either of the mid-mountain lodges and soak in the striking views. There aren’t really any night clubs at Squaw, but if you’re doing the mountain right, you shouldn’t feel the need to go to one.
Verdict
So Squaw’s wind and crowd flow problems may turn some off, and the inconsistent snow conditions won’t make this the best place to plan a vacation months in advance. But the resort delivers on some of the most extreme terrain you’ll find in North America at a reasonable driving distance from a number of California and Nevada cities. Apres-ski is top-tier too. Lift tickets aren’t cheap, but for seasoned skiers and boarders, the overall experience here will justify the price.
