On Saturday, Dec 3rd, 2022, I was picking up three Palisades SX/BX Cross Team kids to take them home. It was now windy and raining hard, making ankle deep slush in the parking lot. I had waited there for several hours with a smaller child and had accidentally left my headlights on.

When we were ready to go, the car would not start. I asked about 10 people if they had jumper cables but surprisingly, only one skier had them. Unfortunately, they did not work. Some nice person had notified Bob at Palisades and he and his team came quickly to the rescue! With their charger, they got my car going in an instant.

Bob’s team was quick, efficient and friendly. What a relief ! Thank you again, Bob, Steve and Connor! Because of you, all five of us got home safely!
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The Squaw Valley side of Palisades resort felt huge. The Olympic signage everywhere helps give it a pretty epic feel, but the moment you hop on the tram and start crossing the mountain tops the place just feels massive. A nice and short 45 min drive from Reno makes getting to Palisades really convenient as well. We ended up getting a pretty sick house for 10 guys on the Alpine Meadows side and it was super convenient to get to both resorts.
I had to give Palisades a solid 4/5 for snow quality but for weird reasons for me. At the end of a terribly dry period we were lucky to at least get super warm temps the first 3 days so we had some pretty awesome slushy conditions top to bottom starting at like 10am. I ride a Capita Slush Slasher so those conditions were all time for me.
Crowds weren’t awful for us actually. We were smart enough to be skiing mostly all weekdays aside from the last day and honestly the lines were never bad anywhere. By the end of the trip we had ridden almost every lift at Palisades. To me the lifts were of high quality, being able to take either the tram or the funitel and still make It up to high camp was awesome. Then you had a bunch of 6 person express chairs to ride to the better terrain all over the place. Theres still some slower 3 person chairs but you can avoid them if you want.
The Piste trails were a ton of fun. Lots of good blues and steep groomed blacks all across the mountain but the major lure here is the off-piste terrain. I mean there’s a whole movie based on the squallywood chutes, cliffs and couloirs the you can find just all over the mountain. I myself had a pretty icy run down National that ill never forget. One thing for me was especially from high camp there wasn’t much tree skiing anywhere which is a favorite activity of mine.
As far as child friendliness id say Palisades is absolutely child friendly. The greens up at high camp were perfect for the beginners in our group to learn and practice on and theyre very close to some easier blue which were great when they got more ambitious. Also they were close to the terrain park so it was fun for them to be able to ride over to there and do some easy laps and hang with us while we hit some features. Lastly it was neat because thanks to the layout of the mountain even the beginners are able to take the tram or funitel up, which they’ll need to do, which is different from many resorts where the tram takes you to the peak and is usually only blues or blacks down from there.
We hardly every partake in actual nightlife, however the apres ski scene was awesome especially since the weather was in the mid 40’s and sunny most days. Also the close proximity to Tahoe city and Truckee give you extra options for bars and dining. All in all I think Palisades snuck into my favorite Lake Tahoe area resort after having ridden Heavenly, Kirkwood, and Northstar. And I would absolutely go back, although hopefully when theres one of their infamous 6+ foot storms rolling through. And finally I also highly recommend it to others due to all the activities and easiness of access to everything in the area paired with great terrain for everyone in your party.
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Avoid Palisades Tahoe. Second trip this year and nothing but wind holds again. Drove over to Northstar to avoid wind holds. Going to Copper Colorado next year. No decent spring resort in Tahoe. Maybe Mammoth?
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I admit I should have looked harder at the web cams etc., and cancelled my trip. But they claim a 10” base and a quick look says “opens at 9:00 am”. I figured I’d get a couple simple runs up high. But no… base is 0”. It’s bare dirt as far as you can see. Nothing open, not restaurants, not even the tram. Lol, Mammoth only claims 8”, but I actually had fun there a couple days ago.

C’mon, squaw/palisades… you need a BIG, BOLD header on your front page telling folks how it is.
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Whoever chose the new name should of had the people choose. It sounds like a hotel in Reno. I will never remember it. Why not something simple & appropriate? Olympic Valley or Snow Peaks are much more viable. I’ll always call it Squaw Valley until you change the name again. I understand the need for a change but get real. This one stinks. I drive by every time I visit my daughter in Tahoma. Very sad choice.
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Squaw is still my number 1 ski area in the US - unbeatable expert terrain from every lift, epic vistas, old growth trees that tower hundreds of feet in the air, covered by moss. It's beautiful as heck. I agree that upgrading slow and old lifts would improve the intermediate experience especially. I have not experienced terrain closures as others have expressed. If anything, they open shady and scary terrain under any conditions with minimal signage, which is fine by me. The vast majority of locals are super friendly, but yes there are aggressive skiers here, especially on powder days, and it can be quite pricey. That said, you can always get around crowds here, even on weekends. Don't like people? Hike up to Granite, Broken Arrow, or the Palisades. Squaw deserves 5 stars for tree skiing, but most of the entrances to the woods are not obvious. You almost never have to ski Mountain Run if you can avoid it... go down Olympic or Sunnyside or avoid it all by hitting Broken. This place is designed for locals to get around rich Bay Area folks who like to chill with their kids on blue squares, so if you just study the map a little and explore you can have it all.
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Squaw is arguably the home of extreme skiing and has great infrastructure, beautiful views of the lake, and great skiing but comes with massive weekend crowds and big price tags.
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This place has gone downhill since the Alterra folks purchased the resort along with Alpine Meadows next door. The Management clearly has a profits before powder mentality. Terrain closures are widespread for no apparent reason other than to save a buck. Consequently, the skiing suffers. Expect crowded lifts and trails, while you salivate over the terrain you can see; but not ski because it is closed. Management lies constantly about closures, snowfall totals(sorry Squaw, you do not receive more snowfall than Kirkwood and Sugar Bowl despite your inflated snowfall reports. I have skied Tahoe my entire life. I know what I am talking about), conditions etc. Don't believe a word they say. Also, Traffic is nightmarish getting in and out of Squaw. Parking is poor too. A significant portion of the parking lot was taken to build their village. Expect to drive an hour from nearby Truckee or Tahoe City and park a loooong way from the lifts. As of 2017-2018 there was no public transportation in and out of Squaw. Your visit to Tahoe will be better if you avoid this place. Sugar Bowl, Mount Rose, Heavenly and Kirkwood all have better skiing than Squaw these days. Would love management to come to their senses and improve things. That doesn't seem to be in the cards. I am enjoying my Epic Pass, with the occasional day at Sugar Bowl just fine.
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I have had a love hate relationship with this mountain my entire life. I learned to ski at Squaw starting at the age of two.
First the good. The terrain here is second to none. Squaw has everything blue cruisers, Beginner terrain, Cliffs, chutes, alpine bowls, thirty-foot plus drops, runs with over a thousand-foot drop of consistent 40-degree plus terrain. The lift system is decent; but overrated. There are plenty of slow lifts; and lots of terrain serviced only by slow lifts. The village is a pretty cool place for Apres; but it doesn't compare to Heavenly, Park City or other ski Meccas.
The Bad. Squaw was poorly run when Alex Cushing ran the place. Staff was extremely rude back in the day. The new owners have upped the niceness factor; however they close terrain at the drop of a hat. Those runs that you came to ski may not be open. Alterra appears to keep terrain closed to save a buck. Consequently, Skiing at Squaw is often crowded and dangerous. It is very disappointing to be stuck on groomer terrain, when the off-piste you came to ski is closed for no reason other than profits before powder.
The weather can be bad at Squaw. The wide-open valley becomes a wind tunnel if there is any wind; and the upper mountain will close. I only go to squaw on sunny wind-free days(I learned that lesson too many times here). There are plenty of bluebird days at Squaw, fortunately. Plan your day here wisely with regards to weather. Nearby Northstar, Sugar Bowl and Alpine Meadows(If Alterra opens it up), are more protected and therefore better options if there is wind.
Contrary to popular opinion this is not a great beginner/family mountain(remember, I learned to ski here). Because the resort is so large and wide-open it is easy to lose your friend/family while skiing down. In the days before cell phones, I skied alone a lot at Squaw due to losing my companions and never seeing them again until the end of the day.
The local ski bums and Bay Area Weekend Warriors are RUDE! I ride at Squaw with the expectation that people will be rude to me.
Powder does not last past 10:00 a.m. on a powder day at Squaw(How about that Powderhounds?). Every local and ski bum seems to gravitate towards Squaw on a powder day. The rudeness and jockeying for position at the lifts intensifies greatly at Squaw on a powder day.
This place is crowded! Weekends are overrun with folks from the Bay Area. Because of Squaw's high profile, it sees a good share of weekday traffic as well. You will never have this mountain to yourself.
Why do I keep coming back? Simple, the terrain can't be beat.
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Squaw is the best mountain in California. The problem is that on a powder day, you’ll be competing with 2000 of the rudest most aggressive skiers on the planet for those freshies and it all gets skied out by noon. It is expensive, crowded on weekends, and getting out of the parking lot after 4 pm is an absolute nightmare. Still love this mountain though. If you catch it on the right day, you can really have some fun.
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