Recently, Squaw has been getting a lot of criticism here, there, and everywhere. New owners, new territory, new structure, new customers, new management, new vibe. Yet, there is one thing that will never change here: the mountain.
This mountain is why we make long pilgrimages here and never mind the cost. Why we come here for a ski vacation and never go home. Why we grow up here and never leave. Why we escape the real world here and never dream of going back.
People may discuss and argue all they want about why this place is special. It’s simple, cliche, and makes you feel unoriginal every time you say it, but you can’t help explaining why you’re here without this one word: terrain.
It’s the terrain of Squaw that makes us come back day after day, year after year, generation after generation. No matter how good you are, no matter how many days you have here, there is still a line that haunts you during big Sierra storms. “Is that line gonna fill in right tomorrow?” “Am I ready to hit it?”
The terrain at Squaw has everything. Although our terrain may be short, it’s convoluted, dynamic, technical, steep, intimidating, and fun. All of these things make Squaw the ultimate place to train for and become proficient in the Earth’s best terrain.
Add the fact that we average 450 inches of snow (and regularly go way above that mark as it 2010/11 when we recieved 810 inches of snow) and the equation becomes simple.
Impressive Terrain + Deep Snow = Why Squaw Valley is Great
There are so many topics to discuss around Squaw that it could literally fill an encyclopedia, but the fact remains that this place is World Class simply via what the mountain itself has to offer.
The ownership, the ticket sales, the local vibe, the tourists, the restaurants, the lifts, the changes, and the recent acquisitions, all seem distant and fleeting on a bluebird, 3 foot powder with friends at Squaw.