Squaw Valley

October 14, 20062 min read

Number 05

Squaw Valley has been called a lot of things. Epic. Rugged. Legendary. Be- Believe the hype; Squaw is all that and more. The Palisades, the Fingers, the Headwall, Silverado and Granite Chief are all among the best inbounds terrain on the continent. Squaw"™s hometown crew is legendary, including Ingrid Backstrom, Scott Gaffney, Michelle Parker, and the late Shane McConkey, to name a few. And that doesn"™t include the dozens of amazing skiers who you have never heard of.

When it dumps in the Sierras, the scene is as intense as Squaw"™s terrain. Squaw"™s extensive "” and fast "” lift system accesses all the storied terrain, so if you want fresh tracks, get yourself up early (like 4 a.m.early) and line up at KT-22. At the end of a very longday, grab an aprÃ¨s beer and slice at the Chamois with generations the locals or grab an early dinner at Mamasake sushi.

Squaw isn"™t known for its pipe and park prowess, but it does have a pretty damn good terrain park. Squaw has hosted the 48Straight and Ski Tour halfpipe events, and a string of spring fi lm shoots last season give Squaw decent street cred. Ultimately, Squaw is a big-mountain skier"™s paradise, and a must-ski for generations of shredders: from the 1960 Olympics to Hot Dog, from Plake and Schmidt to Kreitler and McConkeyto tomorrow"™s legends like Backstrom and Parker.