Olympic ski destinations: Squaw Valley, California

The turnoff from Highway 89 into Squaw Valley is marked by two large towers capped by Olympic rings. They are flanked by the U.S. and California flags, and at the base of each stands a flame. The Truckee River rushes along the road.

There is enough room on the side of the road to pull over and snap a picture of these relics of the games and grab a soft drink from a 7-Eleven, the only chain store for several miles.

A two-lane road carries you up through the canyon past tudor-style condominiums, Queen of the Snows Church and a fire station. A-framed cabins and luxury mansions are tucked into the northern side of the valley. On the southern side, across a field that bursts with wildflowers in the summer, sits the upscale Resort at Squaw Creek.

The chairlifts — there are now 33 of them — come into focus as you get deeper in the canyon. Then a massive parking lot signals you’ve reached the Village at Squaw Valley, nestled at the base of the slopes and made to look like it came right out of the Alps.

The Village is constructed as a pedestrian shopping mall with stores, restaurants and lodging. Bands play outside in the summer and large fire pits draw friends and family in the winter. It is the focal point of the apres ski life in Squaw Valley.

Dentists Ian Vanzyl and Ewa Konopka regularly make the nearly four-hour drive from their home in Lake County.

“I’ve skied all over Europe,” said Vanzyl while walking around the village with his wife on a recent sunny, but chilly Saturday. “Squaw is the most efficient mountain. Your value for vertical feet for dollar is probably the best anywhere in the world. It’s just amazing terrain.”

The terrain is considered among the most challenging in the Sierra Nevada, attracting risk takers who hurl themselves off of cliffs to the delight of chairlift observers. But 70 percent of the runs are for beginner or intermediate skiers, and many of the mountain’s attractions don’t even require strapping on skis or a snowboard.

A gondola whisks visitors up the side of the mountain in eight minutes. The thrilling ride brings you to 8,200 feet to high camp, where, come spring, skiers and snowboarders can trade their bibs for bathing suits and take a dip in an outdoor pool that stays open through the summertime. Tennis courts, bars and restaurants are also at this base with stunning views of Lake Tahoe.

“Most mountains, the beginners are relegated off to the side down at the base and they don’t enjoy the magnificence of skiing,” Cushing said. “That’s a big part of skiing — being able to enter the alpine environment.”
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If You Go…

SQUAW VALLEY, CALIF.: http://www.squaw.com/ or 800-403-0206. Hosted the Winter Olympics in 1960.