Fire & Ice Poster

The Squaw Valley Ski Resort in Olympic Valley, California, is one of the largest and most high-concept 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), boasting highly-advanced chairlifts (High speed quads and High speed six packs), as well as the only Funitel in the United States. Because of the resort's popularity, the entire community of Olympic Valley is commonly referred to as "Squaw Valley." The resort attracts 600,000 skiers a year. Its usual run for skiing is from mid-November to late May. Perched atop the Sierra Nevada, with a base of 6,200 feet (1,890 m) and spread across 6 peaks and 4,000 acres (16 km²), Squaw tops out at 9,050 feet (2,760 m) above sea level at Granite Chief. With bountiful maritime snowfall--often receiving 40 or more feet (12 m) in a winter, amounting to snowpack depths of 200 inches (5,100 mm)--and steep, granite-laden terrain, Squaw Valley is a mecca for Big Mountain, or steep, skiing. Legendary cliff and chute-infested areas like The Palisades or The Fingers have been featured in many ski films, and have likewise attracted a melange of professional and pro-calibre skiers including Shane McConkey, CR Johnson, Ingrid Backstrom, JT Holmes and Scot Schmidt.