WHAT'S NEW FOR 2009-2010, SQUAW VALLEY'S 60TH WINTER SEASON
[Squaw Valley USA] August 19, 2009 - In 2009-2010, Squaw Valley is embarking on a season-long celebration to commemorate two milestone anniversaries: the 60th Anniversary of the resort’s founding and the 50th Anniversary of the 1960 Olympics. Squaw Valley opened on Thanksgiving Day, 1949, with a lodge, a rope tow, and a chairlift that was billed the “World’s Largest Double Chairlift.” In spite of a slew of setbacks met in the first decade, resort Founder Alex Cushing surprised millions by securing Squaw Valley as the site for the VIII Olympic Winter Games. In February of 1960, over 800 athletes and 30 national teams competed in the VIII Olympic Winter Games at Squaw Valley.

One of the great moments in California history, the 1960 Games brought international acclaim to the Lake Tahoe region and sparked interest in winter sports and skiing in California. Thus, the 50th Anniversary of the 1960 Olympics has garnered region-wide support for an official Olympic Heritage Celebration, taking place January 8-17, 2010.

In 2009-10, Squaw Valley USA’s 50/60 Anniversary season welcomes new ski and snowboard programs for women, parents and children, a new dining experience on the mountain, the new High Camp Triple Chair Lift, and the addition of new snowmaking guns and a 3 mile pipe line for increased snowmaking capability and efficiency on the mountain.

A complete overhaul of the on-mountain dining experience prompted the recent hiring of a new Executive Chef and the unveiling of new mid-mountain restaurant, The ARC at Gold Coast, and continues with the renovation of a second Gold Coast restaurant scheduled for completion in December 2009. The newest Gold Coast restaurant remodel is part of more than $5 million in resort improvements that took place in summer 2009.

50/60 Anniversary Celebration ~ Season-long, hosted by Jonny Moseley
“Ski-with-Jonny Moseley” Days, JT Holmes Base Jumps out of the Cable Car
The 2009-2010 season is anchored by magnificent events in recognition of the resort’s 60th Anniversary and the 50th Anniversary of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games. The 50/60 celebration kicks-off opening day, Nov 21, 2009, when Squaw Valley pro-skier and base-jumper, JT Holmes, base jumps out of the resort’s legendary Cable Car. With the winter games returning to the West Coast for the first since the 1960 Olympics, Squaw Valley will be the US hub for Olympic activity leading up to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Throughout the season, guests can make turns with Olympic Gold Medalist and Squaw Valley Chief Mountain Host, Jonny Moseley, on “ski-with-Jonny” days.

Olympic Heritage Celebration ~ January 8-17, 2010
No less than 20 events commemorating the 1960 Olympics fill the ten-day Olympic Heritage Celebration, beginning with an Olympic Torch Relay from Sugar Pine Point State Park to Squaw Valley, and an Opening Ceremony complete with fireworks, live music, and a 1960 Olympian Reception. During the ten-day celebration, ski enthusiasts can simulate competing on the original 1960 Olympic Men’s and Women’s Downhill courses with special early access, before the mountain opens to the public. The festivities culminate with a 1960 Olympic Legends Ball at the beautiful Resort at Squaw Creek. Olympic Heritage Celebration events are either free to the public or fundraising events to benefit construction of a new Lake Tahoe ski heritage museum.

US Ski Team & US Snowboarding Olympic Homecoming Celebration ~ March 26 – 28, 2010
USSA is focusing post-Olympic Celebrations on one event, with the objective of hosting all members of the 2010 US Olympic Ski & Snowboard Teams at Squaw Valley USA after the Olympics to celebrate their success and provide an opportunity for the athletes to mingle with media, sponsors, donors and the general public. On the mountain, exciting Halfpipe and Mogul competitions take place during the weekend, as Squaw Valley is also host to the US Freestyle Nationals.

New Menu Offerings, Improved Guest Service Complement Eco-friendly Design
$3 Million Remodel of Mid-Mountain Restaurants
In winter 2009 Squaw Valley USA introduced skiers and riders to a new dimension in food service with the $2 million Gold Coast Mid Mountain restaurant project. The 14,000 square foot space was transformed into an inspiring atmosphere with new food and an entirely new aesthetic. The hiring of a new Executive Chef followed the renovation of The ARC. In summer 2009, another Gold Coast restaurant is undergoing a $1 million renovation. The new restaurant “39° North Latitude” is scheduled to open December 2009.

Located at the top terminal of the Funitel (Squaw Valley’s 28-person cabin gondola), The ARC and 39° North Latitude are constructed from 100% recycled and locally produced sustainable building materials, including:

• 80% reclaimed and recycled wood products
• Water based and low VOC paints and finishes
• Extensive use of bamboo flooring and bamboo wall paneling
• Rubber floors made from 100% recycled rubber tires
• Natural slate and granite countertops and counter fronts
• LED and Compact florescent lighting (CFL's) fixtures, and 20% low voltage halogen lights

Under the direction of new Executive Chef Scott Rutter, The ARC and 39° North Latitude offer fresh and healthy food sensations to complement the natural motif and evocative design of the space.

“With the new Gold Coast restaurants we are creating a new philosophy on eating at a ski resort,” explains Squaw Valley USA Chairman & CEO Nancy Cushing. “The food and environment that guests will experience are an expression of that philosophy and a tremendous change from what was offered in the past.”

New Executive Chef, Scott Rutter
In 2009 Squaw Valley USA announced the hiring of new Executive Chef Scott Rutter, an initiative that coincided with the $3 million remodel of the Gold Coast mid-mountain restaurants and facilities. This new position focuses on introducing new menus and providing high standards of food and beverage quality, service and merchandising.

“In his first months [at Squaw], Scott Rutter has already elevated the food and beverage experience on the mountain,” said Ernst Hager, General Manager of Squaw Valley USA. “His wealth of experience in the food and beverage and hospitality industries made him a wonderful fit for this position.”

Rutter brings 20 years of food and beverage experience. His extensive culinary resume includes The St. Regis, The Ritz Carlton Club, J.W. Marriot, and most recently, Vail Cascade Hotel & Resort where he spent six years as an executive chef. In 2007 Rutter was a guest chef/consultant on Top Chef, Season 3. Scott’s mentors are culinary notables such as German Master Chef Ralph Nau and Master Chef, Jesse Llapitan, the current Executive Chef at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco.

Bringing on Scott Rutter as the new Executive Chef, and The ARC and 39° North Latitude are part of a greater resort initiative to offer outstanding food service on the mountain.

“Here in California, people are accustomed to great food. Now they can find it on the mountain - at Squaw Valley,” says Cushing.

New Restaurants & Bars in Village/Base Area
Twenty-Two Bistro & Bar
Twenty-Two Bistro & Bar basks in the face of Squaw Valley's world-renowned run, KT-22. Located in the heart of the Village, with its namesake KT-22 as the backdrop, the new bistro’s menu is as superb as its setting. “Twenty-Two” serves delectable "New American" cuisine on smaller “social plates,” as well as substantial entrees, and a broad-ranging wine list in both their intimate bar and dining area. Bistro Twenty-Two is a collaboration between restaurateur Ray Villaman and well-known regional chef Billy McCullough. Villaman has more than 200 restaurant openings under his belt, as part of the nationwide United Enterprise Fund, as well as the Tahoe Restaurant Group. McCullough, a longtime Lake Tahoe resident, is chef/owner of the popular restaurant Dragonfly in Truckee, California. Responsible for developing Twenty-Two's distinctive menu, McCullough's interest in the slow food movement and farm-to-table cuisine prevails.

Cornice Cantina – Authentic Mexican
In 2009, Squaw Valley USA welcomed Cornice Cantina to its bevy of base area restaurants. Located in the old Red Dog, the Cornice Cantina serves up authentic Mexican food at a great price! From quesadillas to burritos, nachos and tacos, the Cornice Cantina has it all. The new restaurant is open day and night for takeout or sit-down lunch and dinner, and (of course) margaritas from 11:30 am to midnight.

New and Improved On the Snow
High Camp Chairlift goes from a Double to a Triple Chair
In the years following the 1960 Winter Olympics, Cushing’s resort and the surrounding communities experienced a period of dramatic growth. In 1963 Squaw Valley built its first gondola, and, later, in 1969, installed North America’s largest aerial cable car. In 1985, the resort constructed the first of several state-of-the-art, high-speed, detachable quad chairlifts. Today, Squaw Valley boasts the most advanced lift network in the world with Squaw’s world-famous KT-22 ranking #1 among North American lifts year after year. Squaw Valley’s standard of lift network superiority is evident in its annual improvements. In summer 2009 the old double chair-High Camp Lift was removed to make way for the new High Camp Triple Chairlift.

Over the past seasons, the Monster Park at Riviera has seen a huge expansion. Providing access to the Ford Belmont Park, the Riviera Superpipe, and the numerous jump lines and jib features of the Central Park and High Camp Rail Yard, the High Camp Chair has become the hub for park riders of all tastes and abilities. New for 2009-10, the High Camp Triple Chairlift improves access to the multiple terrain parks and also to the High Camp area’s vast beginner terrain, restaurants, ice skating rink, Lagoon & Spa, and Olympic Museum.

Upgrades to Snowmaking System
Squaw Valley’s snowmaking department spent summer 2009 continuing a multi year vast overhaul of the resort’s existing snowmaking system. Most notable are the addition of a 3 mile pipe line to more efficiently transfer water from storage ponds to the snowmaking building and a new 1200 horsepower air compressor that doubles Squaw Valley’s snowmaking capability.

Women of Winter on Wednesdays – the “real snow wives of Squaw Valley” recharge & unwind
Women of Winter on Wednesdays, a discounted full-day clinic, open to women skiers and snowboarders, focuses on skiing or riding in current conditions and teaching technique needed to tackle varying terrain on the mountain. Off-snow, the women’s specific clinic includes an aprés-ski social element.

Squallywood-the-Book Clinic Parent/Child Combo – Father and son get schooled by Dr. Gaffney
Gaffney’s popular ski-the-book clinic is back this winter, and his Squallywood Clinic series is welcoming a new program designed for parents and children to experience together what it is like to be in a ski movie. They’ll also learn from Gaffney how to tackle the terrain, so famous – someone wrote a book about it (that someone, of course, is Gaffney). This year’s Parent/Child Combo Squallywood Clinics takes place during ski/skate week for California schools, February 20 and February 21, 2009. www.squallywoodthebook.com

Squaw Valley USA is scheduled to open for its 60th winter season on November 21, 2009. The most up-to- operation and event schedules, season pass information and live mountain cams are available on www.squaw.com.