- Alpine World Cup ski racing returns to Squaw Valley for the first time in nearly 50 years
- $3.6 million in capital improvements to the guest experience
- New Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows App is first ski resort app with one-touch “group” creation and tracking to simplify the experience of skiing with friends and family
- Squaw Valley transforms for the holiday season with new events December 17-31
[Olympic Valley, Calif] Following the longest ski season in a decade with over 41 feet of cumulative snowfall and designation as 2016 Best Ski Resort in North America by USA Today and 10Best Readers’ Choice, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows is ramping up for winter 2016-17 with significant improvements to the guest experience. Alpine World Cup ski racing will return to Squaw Valley for the first time since 1969, reigniting the resort’s Olympic and World Cup legacy. $3.6 million in capital improvements to the guest experience takes shape in a new app with one-of-a-kind features, investments in snowmaking, grooming and avalanche mitigation technologies, holiday events programming, and new Tram Ticket Center. The resort will become even more accessible via Reno-Tahoe International Airport with three new nonstop flights, and sustainability remains paramount with new initiatives including carpool parking and composting.
2017 Audi FIS Ski World Cup at Squaw Valley
On March 9-12, 2017, Alpine World Cup ski racing will return to Squaw Valley for the first time in nearly 50 years, sited on the legendary Red Dog run that hosted the 1969 World Cup and 1960 Olympics. The Audi FIS Ski World Cup at Squaw Valley marks the return of World Cup ski racing to California for the first time in 19 years, and adds to a total of 16 World Cup events scheduled to take place in the U.S. for the 2016-17 race season, the second highest ever. Olympic champions like Mikaela Shiffrin and Squaw Valley’s own Julia Mancuso will compete in a women’s giant slalom on Friday, March 10 and a women’s slalom on Saturday, March 11. The March 9-12 schedule of events features concerts, fireworks and parties. Visit WorldCupSquaw.com for information.
Four New Gazex Avalanche Mitigation Systems
In 2015, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows was the first Tahoe area resort to install a Gazex Inertia Exploder—a remotely controlled avalanche mitigation system that uses propane gas and oxygen to create a concussive blast, triggering controlled avalanches before they can become a hazard. With a $1.2 million investment for the 2016-17 season, four new major Gazex installations have been added: two at Squaw Valley located at Gold Coast Ridge and Mainline Pocket and two at Alpine Meadows located at South Peril and High Yellow. In addition to Ski Patrol efforts, the Gazex Inertia Exploders may decrease delays in lift start times, and increase the efficiency of Ski Patrol in opening the ski areas.
Snowmaking Enhancements
Following the earliest opening in over a decade in the 2015-16 season, largely thanks to early season snowmaking efforts, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows has invested over $1 million in snowmaking enhancements for the upcoming season. At Alpine Meadows, improvements to snowmaking infrastructure on Kangaroo Run will benefit guests and ski racers who frequently utilize the run for training. At Squaw Valley, investments include three new SMI fan guns, 12 HKD low energy guns, replacement of air and water pipelines and upgrades to 102 automatic snowmaking hydrants, allowing the system to go online at high speeds. These enhancements reduce the communication time from the hydrant to the snowmaking pump house from minutes to seconds. Not only will these improvements allow the resort to make snow more quickly and efficiently, they increase the ability to operate more snow guns simultaneously and produce more high quality snow.
Upgraded Grooming and Snow Removal Fleets
Two new PistenBully 600 Winch Cats designed for grooming steep slopes will join Squaw Valley’s grooming fleet this season. These powerhouse machines allow for maximum ground coverage and high angle grooming while providing fuel savings over current machines. A PistenBully 100 and a PistenBully ParkPro will join the fleet at Alpine Meadows, with the ParkPro dedicated to precision shaping in the terrain parks, marking a total of $1.4 million invested in quality snow surfaces across the resort. An additional $1.5 million in snow removal equipment will improve ease and timeliness of access to both Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows on big snow days.
New Squaw Valley | Alpine Meadows App
Developed by the creators of the SkiLynx app, featured as “Best New Ski App” in WIRED Magazine, TechCrunch, Outside Online and Tom’s Guide, the new Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows app will offer real-time lift, trail and snow data for iPhone and Android along with unique new features including:
- The first of its kind in a ski resort app, one-touch easy “group” creation allows users to stay automatically connected with friends and family on the hill, sharing location and messaging throughout their day at the resort. Real-time tracking shows the exact location of everyone in the group on the resort map, including exact position on lifts and runs, allowing guests to navigate the mountain seamlessly.
- Location-aware “Smart Messages” auto-populate user’s location into messages for easy communication with friends and family.
- Performance dashboard with daily and season-long data including trails and lifts skied, vertical climb, miles covered, hours skied, average and maximum speeds, and the difficulty of trails skied. Users will also receive an email recapping their day’s performance data.
- Chairlift wait times allow users to plan their runs and navigate the mountain efficiently.
- Users can pre-purchase lift tickets directly from the mobile app, adding convenience to the purchase process.
- Navigation off of the slopes is also easy with maps of The Village at Squaw Valley® to point out key locations in relation to the user.
- Summer 2017 features will include hiking maps, group features, and performance tracking of distance hiked, pace, locations visited and elevation gain.
- The app is optimized for smartwatches including Apple Watch, Android Wear and Pebble for iOS and Android.
Holiday Season 2016 at Squaw Valley
In true Olympic style, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows will be igniting the holiday spirit with a torch! Kicking off a new roster of ongoing holiday activities is a complete transformation of The Village at Squaw Valley® into an “Olde World Christmas” with storefronts decorated with vignettes from Christmases past. Opening Ceremonies will include a torch light parade on Exhibition Trail, fire dancers, a 25-foot-tall Singing Christmas Tree, and illuminated ice sculptures in the Ice Garden at Olympic Village Lodge. A full schedule December 17 – 31 will include both free and ticketed events such as holiday parties, horse drawn sleigh rides, storytelling with Santa and farm to table dinners with Olympians and legends. Entertainment will include performances by the Utah Ballroom Dance Company, Truckee Dance Factory, Silver Dollar Chorus, the Reno Jazz Orchestra, and TOCCATA – Tahoe Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, all culminating on New Year’s Eve with the Squaw Valley Prom presented by the High Fives Foundation. Long-beloved events will continue to light up the season, such as skiing with Olympian Jonny Moseley at both Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows.
Expanded Ticketing Services
To improve the guest experience, two ticket service areas will be expanded for the 2016-17 season, handling all lift access products including tickets, pack products and season passes. A new permanent ticket center in the Aerial Tram lobby—built in the summer 2016—will be open with eight fixed locations to increase ease and convenience of the purchase process. In addition, two portable ticket stations will be added to The Mountain Stream ticketing location next to Uncorked Wine Bar, open on peak days and weekends, offering a total of seven ticketing stations conveniently located for guests arriving through the eastern end of The Village at Squaw Valley®.
The Mountain CollectiveTM Adds Telluride and Revelstoke to its Roster for 2016-17 Season
The Mountain Collective™ has expanded its access to world-class ski and snowboarding destinations with the addition of two iconic ski resorts in North America. Telluride Ski Resort and Revelstoke Mountain Resort join the Mountain Collective alliance for the 2016-17 season as the pass continues to grow its impressive roster spanning fourteen destinations across four countries. The Mountain Collective pass is now on sale for a limited time at $409 USD. Pricing for kids age 12 and under is $99 for the 2016-17 season, making the Mountain Collective™ Pass an affordable option for families.
New Food & Beverage Leaders to Offer Refreshed Dining Experiences
Newly appointed Food & Beverage Director Steve Moberly and Executive Chef Tiffany Swan will lead the Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows Food & Beverage team with refreshed dining options and experiences for the 2016-17 winter season. A full lineup of events includes an expanded Moonlit Snowshoe Tour & Dinner series at the mid-mountain Chalet at Alpine Meadows, Farm to Table Dinner + Movie series at Olympic Valley Lodge and the ever-popular holiday dinners on Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day. In addition, menus across the resort will be reinvigorated with more fresh and healthy options, including items locally sourced from the Tahoe Food Hub and more grab-and-go offerings to help guests get back out for more laps on the mountain.
New Nonstop Flight Services to Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows via Reno-Tahoe International Airport
Several new nonstop flight service routes have been announced for the upcoming year, offering more guests the opportunity to fly nonstop to Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows.
JetBlue Airlines’ new daily nonstop service from Long Beach to Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows via Reno-Tahoe International Airport launched August 5, 2016, offering one-way flights at a $59 inaugural fare through March 24, 2017.
Delta Airlines announced a new nonstop service between Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Reno-Tahoe International Airport, offering passengers connection opportunities from 90 destinations across the entire Eastern U.S. & Canada, Caribbean, Central America, South America, Africa and Europe. The flight will operate three times a week from December 19, 2016 until January 3, 2017 and will be adjusted to weekly, Saturday only service from January 7, 2017 until March 26, 2017.
Southwest Airlines announced new nonstop service between Dallas Love Field and Reno-Tahoe International Airport. Beginning January 6, 2017 the flight will operate once a week until March 7, 2017.
Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows Partners with China’s Genting Secret Garden Resort
The 2016-17 ski and ride season marks the beginning of a strategic alliance with China’s Genting Secret Garden Resort, future host of the snowboarding and freestyle events for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The partnership with Genting Secret Garden Resort includes privileges for season pass holders, including five free days of skiing and exclusive discounts at the other resort, offering the opportunity to ski and ride at two Olympic host resorts.
HEAD to Squaw Video Contest
Warren Miller Entertainment’s HEAD to Squaw Video Contest for the best user-generated athlete and cinematographer videos will announce two winners on September 5, 2016. The first prize winner’s video will be shown at all National Film Tour Screenings of the 2016 Warren Miller film and the winner will be brought on a film shoot at Squaw Valley, either as an athlete or a cinematographer, for Warren Miller Entertainment’s 68th film. The first prize winner will also receive eight tickets to the National Film Tour Screening in 2016 and a full setup from HEAD including skis, boots and bindings. Following three rounds of fan voting, the winners will be selected from the top four videos by a panel of judges including Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows athletes Jonny Moseley, Jeremy Jones and JT Holmes.
Toyota Mirai
Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows will be utilizing a 2016 Toyota Mirai, the 2016 World Green Car of the Year, as its company vehicle this season. Toyota, the official vehicle of Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, is driving the charge towards a more sustainable future with the hydrogen powered Mirai. The first of its kind based in the Lake Tahoe region, the Mirai has a range of over 300 miles per tank, a refueling time of under five minutes, and emissions that consist of only water vapor. With the assistance of The California Fuel Cell Partnership—a collaboration of organizations including auto manufacturers, energy providers, government agencies and fuel cell technology companies that work together to promote the commercialization of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles—a new hydrogen refuel station has been built in nearby Truckee, CA. The acquisition of the 2016 Toyota Mirai represents the next step in the resort’s commitment to being early adopters of sustainable technologies.
Composting Program
Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows has started composting all food scraps and organic waste generated at the resort to divert from landfills. This program falls in line with the new law, AB 1826, and supports California’s statewide goal to recycle more and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Each year, California disposes of approximately 30 million tons of waste in landfills, 30% of which could be used for compost or mulch. To help support this greenhouse gas emission reduction program, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows has installed composting containers at all dining facilities for sorting food scraps and compostable paper products.
POW Parking: Free Premium Parking for Carpools
In April 2016, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows partnered with Protect Our Winters (POW) to offer free premium parking to guests who carpool to the resort with four or more passengers in the vehicle. Protect Our Winters, founded by professional snowboarder and Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows athlete Jeremy Jones, is a non-profit whose mission is to engage and mobilize the winter sports community to lead the fight against climate change. The POW Parking program aligns with the resort’s mission to reduce its carbon footprint, raise awareness about how transportation contributes to climate change, and promote carpooling and efficient transportation within the region.
Drink Mtn Tap / Eco-Responsible Food & Beverage Stations
In the 2015-16 season, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows became the first domestic ski resort to discontinue the sale of disposable water bottles with the implementation of Drink Mtn Tap, a program focused on reducing single-use water bottle usage. The resort installed over 20 water refill stations across both Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows during last year’s season and will continue to offer visitors reusable water bottles for purchase at the same price point as disposable bottles. Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows plans to install an additional five water stations, with locations to be determined.
Another focus for the 2016-17 season is the removal of single-use serving items. Single-use items will be replaced with reusable cups, dishes and silverware to further reduce waste and involve guests in the resort’s commitment to sustainability and reducing waste resort-wide.
Mountain Concierge
Opened in March 2016, Mountain Concierge at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport serves as a convenient location for Reno locals and arriving visitors to plan their visit to Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows. The location offers direct-to-lift ticket sales, reservation booking for lessons, activities and rentals, as well as helpful resort information and a welcoming lounge for guests. Mountain Concierge will continue to offer the Fly & Ski Free deal during the 2016-17 season: guests arriving via commercial airlines can present their same-day boarding pass with a matching photo ID to receive a complimentary lift ticket. Mountain Concierge also carries Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows branded merchandise and a selection of products designed and locally made in the Tahoe Region.
For more information about Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, to purchase a season pass or to make lodging reservations, visit www.squawalpine.com.
About Squaw Valley | Alpine Meadows
Voted 2016 ‘Best Ski Resort’ in North America by USA Today and 10Best Readers’ Choice, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows is an internationally renowned mountain resort in North Lake Tahoe that spans over 6,000 skiable acres. The resort features slopeside lodging at The Village at Squaw Valley®, which bustles year round with nonstop events and nearly 60 bars, restaurants and boutiques. With an annual average of 450 inches of snowfall and 300 sunny days, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows is known as the spring skiing capital as it provides one of the longest ski and snowboard seasons in Lake Tahoe. Over 65 percent beginner and intermediate terrain and 14 easy-to-navigate mountain zones welcome skiers and riders of all ability levels. Visit squawalpine.com or call 1.800.403.0206 to learn more.
