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Kelly
from california
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Apr 8, 2008 |
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Overall Rating: 2.4   |
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This is our first time at Squaw-two adults, two small kids. This is where both our children received their first ski lesson and I was totally impressed by George who taught my 7 year old. He was so full of praise that I could see she was having fun and learning. My three year old had a great time with Pia who was so gentle and kind and gave great instruction. We have spent a heck of a lot of money and part of me wonders if it would have been cheaper to fly to Whistler Canada and gone skiing there! We stayed at the condos at Squaw Village and at $315.00 a night, I just felt it wasn't worth the price. Everything is so cramped together. There are not any amenities (bring shampoo and conditioner and lotion!)It would have been nice to have washer/dryers in each room like Whistler. I get the feeling these condos were built in quantity and not quality. The people that work here at the condo were very nice and helpful-from the maintenance dept to the front desk. The service wasn't very good when dealing with some of the ski rental locations. A few arrogant cocky "couldn't be bothered" attitudes. The guy that owns the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream store needs to find some happiness in his life... really really grumpy! All in all, I will spend my money in another ski place next time because of the money and what you get for it. I prefer quality over quantity.
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Craig Bailey
from Reno, Nevada
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Dec 26, 2007 |
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| Overall Rating: 5.0 |
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I took my first ski lesson at Squaw Valley 7 years ago. It was a typical beginners lesson but I had the thrill of having it on the upper part of the mountain to enjoy the "mountain experience" of being high up in the mountains instead of being down by the road or the parking lot.
The wide open terrain at Squaw is awesome. It is a place for "real skiers". I don't care about things that people complain about such as if the lift operator smiled at them or where they can get a beer afterward. I go to Squaw to ski and at the end of the day I can only thank god for the gift of life and how inspiring it is to be on Squaws upper ridges with views of lake tahoe.
I always go to Squaw mid-week so crowds are minimal. Yes it gets packed on weekends and holidays but it is a big place and with the great lift system it can absorbe all the people. My favorite part of Squaw is Shirly Lake and Granite Chief which are in the back part of Squaw very much hidden from the front side. Forget the groomed runs with silly names on them, go to Squaw and pick your place. So if you want steep, you are in heaven. The KT-22 lift is world famous and it's reputation is well deserved. You can spend all day on this one lift even before heading to the upper mountain. Make sure though that you are comfortable on blacks before heading up as this is no place to practice. It is the boss of Lake Tahoe.
I could go on for hours about this place but you'll never know until you go there. I go hiking there in the summer and my friends always ask where the ski slopes are an I chuckle and say everywhere. If you can handle it then you can go there.
It is great living in an area where I can do every day what some people can only do on their vacation. For all you good skiers out there go to Squaw and find out just how good you really are.
GOOD LUCK..........
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john
from Florida
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Mar 7, 2007 |
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| Overall Rating: 3.6 |
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This review is only for nigth riding since that the only thing I did. For 20 dollars you get to ride from 4pm to 9:30 pm but take into considareation that it was only one trail, the trail is claimed to be 3.2 miles but it seems much shorter. There are plenty of things to do up in the top. And some restaurants and bar aswell, The crowds are non existent at night, but you can only ride the tram to the top, we never had to wait for it, it leaves every 15 minutes. The only problem that I really saw was that you can get easily bored with only on trail even if its long, oh I forgot the park its also open, and there is also a bunny slope up in the top for those who want to learn with no crowds at all, that would actually be a good time to learn. Conditions were ok a little to loose granular to the icy side but still it was nice. I guess for the price is a nice thing to do.
P.S. the only reason I did it was because we had only 3 days of ridding and my plane landed late so I still wanted to get some ridding done that day.
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Safa
from San Francisco
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Mar 25, 2006 |
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| Overall Rating: 1.4 |
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This trip would have, should have been great. Especially at $660 per night for a two room condo with a kitchen. This was not a great experience. The skiing was great, lessons great, but this is the worst problem I have ever had at a hotel. The staff is difficult to understand, there are no signs anywhere, registration was hard to find, my window was broken and never fixed after I complained twice, and the room was never serviced in the THREE days I stayed with my family of eight. Even after repeated phone calls, no house keeping. There are no cots available, and only two small beds. The sofa bed is extremely uncomfortable and I will never return to this hotel - even with the convenience.
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Dan
from Lockport, IL
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Feb 21, 2006 |
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| Overall Rating: 4.2 |
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HUGE. SV is a very large resort. Make sure you grab a trail map (Lift map) We hit SV on a Monday and there was little to no crowds. Didn't wait in line for a lift ticket, no lift lines, lifts moved fast. Lots of wide open runs. Great blues and nice selection of Diamonds. Tons of long blue runs, something like 3 miles long. Lots and lots of activities at the base and on the mountain. We didn't feel bad leaving the beginners, beacuse they could ski up-top and get into the Gold Coast and High Camp to grab lunch and beers with us. Like Heavenly, someone has to pay for all those lifts, runs and activities, so Lift tickets are a little higher than some other resorts. I believe it was around $65 each. That $65 does go along way. I felt bad stopping for beer, because I wanted to see the resort and take the whole thing in. Nice views. Service was fast and everyone seemed to enjoy working at Squaw. Being so larger and having tons of activities at mid/top mountain you could always find a seat. The conditions were a little icy. It was spring like skiing on Feb. 13th. We landed at SMF on Friday and it was 79 @ 3:30pm It's hard to fault a resort for warm temps. If they could control the weather, I'm sure we'd be skiing 365. They did a nice job of grooming. SV is on my list again for the next Tahoe trip
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Rod
from Tampa Bay, Florida
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Dec 17, 2005 |
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| Overall Rating: 4.4 |
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I learned to ski at Squaw in 1979 and, after a group class, took my "lessons" (and spills) by following hot-doggers all over the mountain. Now, 26 years later, I'm preparing to go back for perhaps the twentieth time (in Spring, when conditions in the Sierra are, for me, the best).
Squaw is big, but just as in large cities, one learns the "neighborhood" where they're most comfortable. I prefer Siberia, but spend nearly as much time in Solitude, or over in Shirley Lake. Except for Broken Arrow, I've skied most runs, even once --but only once!-- tackling KT-22. I call Headwall "The Great Eliminator;" friends still joke about the great garage sales I've had trying to master that piece of trickery!
Every mountain has its own "attitude," and Squaw's no exception. With lots of San Francisco day-trippers ("I'm from the Bay Area," they proclaim as if by rote), there's a panache carried by those that ski it frequently. Like surfers who claim ownership to a certain local break, regulars at Squaw tend to act very proprietarial about "their" mountain. Still, if you can ski well, and if you avoid attempting to ski runs that are far beyond your abilities --as it is with regulars at most ski areas-- they're an accomodating bunch. Tip: Leave the Rolex and metro-sexual lifestyle for your next trip to Aspen.
Squaw has a good ski school, especially for kids, and there are programs a'plenty that'll allow the parents to get off on their own.
Food is passable, but expensive. Me, I pack a lunch and sit on the deck at Gold Coast (mid-mountain, with great views and abundant sunshine). Maybe I buy a hot chocolate or a cup of coffee.
I've never had trouble with any of the employees, and think that those that do are people with too-high expectations of what on-mountain service is all about. They're lift attendants, for crying out loud, not valets! If you expect more, give Beaver Creek a try.
Equipment purchases, rentals, and tune-ups, can be found at a half-dozen locations at the base of the mountain and throughout Olympic Valley. My personal favorite is Granite Chief Ski Shop, just north of Red Dog. Consistently voted one of "America's best ski shops," it's the home of Gunner Wolf, without doubt the best bootfitter in the Sierras. There's an old saying that "You don't buy skis at the beach, or surfboards in the mountains," so if you're looking for ski stuff, this is the place to go. (Go ahead and tell them that Rod reccommended them. It won't hurt, trust me.)
Apres ski at the base of the mountain is good, but if you're driving Hiway 89 to either Truckee or Tahoe City, take it easy; the CHP is everywhere! The bar at The River Ranch (east of Squaw on Hiway 89 at the entrance to Alpine Meadows) sits directly on the Truckee River and can be a very mellow place to unwind. Ditto either Jakes-On-The-Lake in Tahoe City, or Sunnyside a few miles south of the "Y" bridge. For "local" flavor, I suggest Pete 'N Peters: Great pizza, pool tables, and a wonderful crowd of colorful characters.
Earlier, I mentioned Springtime as the best time to visit Squaw. While January can be --as Warren Miller once said-- "like tearing up $20 bills in a cold shower," March and April bring out the best of what California skiing is all about. Sure there can be a bit of windslab and the snow is often "Sierra cement," but by midday the snow's the famous "Spring corn" that's so much fun. (Those seeking dry, fluffy powder are best-advised to head to Alta.)
Bottom line? Squaw's my kind of neighborhood.
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Bill
from CA
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Nov 12, 2005 |
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| Overall Rating: 4.4 |
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I went last year for the first time. It is the best. it's not my normal place to go because of the drive but I will go atleast a few times a season now as a treat. it cost more but worth every penny.
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Matt
from Minneapolis, Minnesota
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Nov 3, 2005 |
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| Overall Rating: 3.6 |
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Squaw is one of the finest ski areas I've ever visited. The terrain was amazing, and KT-22's steeps were as epic as I've read about. I loved the variety of terrain, especially the Mountain Run, which was fun to take back to the base. I stayed in the Village, and the Plumpjack was a great hotel. The only complaint that I have is that it was pretty expensive, and lift lines were enormous when I was there (over President's Day).
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Meltz
from Bay Area, California
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Nov 3, 2005 |
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| Overall Rating: 3.4 |
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Good terrain. Workers tend to be a little unfriendly...maybe they think we should feel blessed just to be on their mountain. Good prices for kids. Can be very crowded, but they can deal with crowds better then most Tahoe resorts. Great village with great food...much better than most Tahoe resorts as well. Lift tickets a bit too pricey, but it's worth it sometimes...the resort would probably be much more crowded if the prices came down.
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Vic Cooper
from Los Angeles
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Oct 27, 2005 |
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| Overall Rating: 3.8 |
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Squaw has world class expert terrain ... some of the best I have skied anywhere ... and plenty of it. KT-22 is awesome, as is the entire Granite Chief area ... and if that is not enough for you, there are always the Palisades.
But Squaw is seriously lacking in two important respects.
First, elevation. The base area is only at 6,200 feet. Legendary KT-22 only 8200, and even the highest point, Granite Chief, is 9,050. That may sound more than high enough, but unfortunately, what that means is that the snow at Squaw isn't as light as it could otherwise be, and even good snow can be ruined by rain. By comparison, the Main Lodge at Mammoth Mountain is at nearly 9000 feet.
It's not that Squaw has crummy snow ... it can have GREAT snow. It's just that the snow/rain issue can be iffy. Nothing ruins good snow faster than rain.
The second serious flaw is in the amount of beginning and intermediate terrain. Frankly, there isn't much. Squaw is really a playground for advanced/expert skiers ... if the "terrain" grade above referred only to advanced/expert terrain, Squaw would get 5+ stars. But intermediate and beginner skiers will find the terrain limited. One nice thing though ... many of the intermediate/beginning runs are up in the middle of the mountain, not the base area. That provides great views and better snow than would otherwise be the case.
The base area is nice. Lots of places to eat, shop, and hang out. And hey ... this is Lake Tahoe ... if you're willing to drive, there is no end to the nightlife and extracurricular activities you can partake in.
Make no mistake about it ... Squaw is a great resort. If you're an advanced/expert skier, it is not to be missed. Just keep your eye on the snow level of any approaching storms, and plan accordingly. And heck, if your group would like more intermediate terrain, there are a wealth of nearby resorts that can accomodate you, particularly Alpine Meadows ... right there in the next canyon.
