K2 is the run where Squallywood made it’s reputation but it was the Palisades that cemented it, a zone of cliffs peppered with thin couloirs of snow — where Tahoe’s air force showed off for the camera and bragging rights in the bar that night. Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows are now renamed – Palisades Tahoe. Goodbye Squaw Valley. Goodbye Alpine Meadows. I remember you when… It was not so long ago, and yet before long it will seem so long ago. Long live Alpine Meadows. Long live Squaw Valley.
September 13, 2021: “Today, Palisades Tahoe introduced its new name and logo that honor the resort’s history as a land of legends—home to freeskiing pioneers, Winter Olympians and cultural icons across more than seven decades of ski history.”
“It is inspiring that after seven decades, a company as storied as this resort can still reflect and adjust when it is the necessary and right thing to do,” said Dee Byrne the new President and COO of Palisades Tahoe. “This name change reflects who we are as a ski resort and community—we have a reputation for being progressive and boundary-breaking and those values go beyond the snow for us.
Members of the Washoe tribe confirmed the term “squaw” is widely considered a racist and sexist slur against Indigenous women.
Beyond the name change, Palisades Tahoe give the Washoe Tribe a platform to educate the public about their culture and the valleys’ origins as the ancestral land of the Washoe Tribe. There will be an exhibit at High Camp, complete with tribal artifacts showing the historic Washoe culture. They are also exploring making skiing more accessible to Washoe Tribe members.
The resort will begin rebranding immediately, but expect the full changeover to be a multi-year process. Palisades Tahoe also plans new names for the Squaw One and Squaw Creek chairlifts, to be selected with input by the Washoe Tribe and the public. The Washoe Tribe is working to rename Squaw Peak and Squaw Creek on local maps too.
Palisades Tahoe Press Release
© 2021