Squaw Valley Ski Resort announced a new moniker Monday: Palisades Tahoe. The change follows decades of requests from local tribes and advocacy groups to remove the word “squaw,” a derogatory term for Indigenous women, from its name. 

In 2020, the resort made a commitment to changing the name, initiating an “in-depth research and discovery process that would be the first step in informing the new name.” Over 3,000 survey responses were collected and numerous focus groups were held with a variety of community members including residents, long-time pass holders, athletes, employees and members of the local Washoe Tribe to determine the best way to move forward. Palisades Tahoe is the culmination of those efforts.

The change brings the two areas formerly known as Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows together under one name that “captures and honors two of the resort’s most legendary arenas, one on the Olympic Valley side and one on the Alpine Meadows side, where granite walls rise all around and where generations of freeskiers made their mark.”

The company also announced that it has taken steps beyond the change of name to build a greater partnership with the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California to educate guests about Washoe culture. This partnership includes the recently launched Washoe Cultural Tour series, which “offers guests a view of the mountains through the eyes of the Washoe people,” and an on-mountain exhibit highlighting the Washoe way of life. The release also notes that efforts are underway to make skiing and snowboarding more accessible to Washoe Tribe members. We were unable to obtain specifics about this program at the time of this writing, but will provide updates as we receive them.

World famous as the host location of the 1960 Winter Olympics, Palisades Tahoe is admired as a North American freeride paradise. In the spring of 2021, SLUSH revived the infamous World Quarterpipe Championships at Palisades Tahoe.

Read the full press release here.

Find additional information here.