Renaissance Year Two: What’s New for the Winter
2012-13 Ski/Snowboard Season at Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows
Nearly $24 million in improvements including:
snowmaking enhancements; new Big Blue Express six-passenger chairlift and
improved High Camp beginner experience at Squaw; and mile-long terrain park at
Alpine
[Olympic
Valley and Tahoe City, Calif.] August 28, 2012 – Squaw
Valley and Alpine Meadows are proud to announce nearly $24 million in capital
improvements for the 2012-13 winter season. This year’s investment follows the
$15 million in base area and on-mountain improvements from last winter
(2011-12), bringing the total investment to more than $38 million, to date. The
new projects for the upcoming season reflect Squaw
Valley and Alpine
Meadows’ continued dedication to creating a welcoming and extraordinary
experience for guests. New projects for the upcoming ski and snowboard season
include significant snowmaking improvements at both resorts; a new high-speed,
six-passenger chairlift and improved High Camp beginner experience at Squaw; and
a mile-long terrain park at Alpine Meadows.
Click
to view 'What's New for 2012-13' video.
“We are very
excited about the significant investment devoted to capital improvements for the
upcoming season,” said Andy Wirth, president and CEO of Squaw Valley and Alpine
Meadows. “Snowmaking improvements, in particular, for this season and in the
future, will be substantial and will vastly improve the consistency and quality
of our snow surface and afford us an excellent opportunity for top-to-bottom
skiing quite early in the winter season.”
The 2012-13 winter season marks
year two of the Renaissance.
Originally billed as the five-year, $50 million capital improvement plan
bringing dramatic improvements to Squaw Valley alone – the Renaissance will now
total nearly $70 million in improvements to both Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows
by winter 2015-16. Year
one of the Renaissance brought a renovated base village with new
restaurants, bars and fire pits to Squaw Valley, as well as other amenities
including completely revamped terrain parks in partnership with Snow Park
Technologies (SPT), the new SnoVentures™ activity zone with tubing and
mini-snowmobiles, and the world’s first ski-in/ski-out Starbucks.
Fall
2011 saw the merger of Squaw Valley with neighboring Alpine Meadows ski resort –
a truly historic event that allows skiers and riders to experience 6,000 acres,
43 lifts and over 270 trails on one lift ticket or season pass. With the
addition of Alpine Meadows to the Squaw Valley family – the resorts now enter
year two of the Renaissance – a five-year plan now slated to bring nearly $70
million of innovative improvements to both resorts.
What’s
New at Squaw Valley for 2012-13:
New Big Blue
Express, Six-Passenger Chairlift
For the 2012-13 winter season,
Squaw Valley is investing in new chairlifts and lift line improvements to
greatly enhance the beginner experience and the terrain park experience, as well
as to improve the overall flow of the upper mountain.
The resort will
install Big Blue Express, a new, high-speed six-pack chairlift, to replace the
High Camp chairlift. The base terminal of Big Blue Express will start where the
base of the High Camp lift was formerly located and will extend to the top of
the Shirley Lake ridgeline - providing easy access to the Shirley Lake, Solitude
and Granite Chief chairlifts. This new alignment will not only provide quicker
and easier travel to Shirley Lake and beyond, but it will also give skiers and
riders access to beginner and intermediate terrain that was previously
inaccessible via the old High Camp chairlift. The new Park Pulley telecord, a
modern day version of a tow lift, will be also installed to provide easy access
to the Belmont terrain park and to eliminate traversing across the mountaintop
meadow.
The Links double chairlift will be removed and replaced with a
triple chairlift named Mountain Meadow, which will be realigned to bring skiers
and riders up to the ridgeline near the top terminals of the Solitude and
Silverado lifts. The primary purpose of this realignment is to provide a more
suitable and accessible learning area with a better fall line for Squaw’s
beginner skiers and riders.
These lift improvements combined with Squaw’s
$2.6 million snowmaking improvements and grooming initiative will provide more
efficient and convenient travel and flow on the upper mountain - and a better
overall experience for skiers and riders this coming winter
Image of new lift alignments (credit: Squaw Valley): Rendering
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Images of Big Blue Express in progress (credit Matt Palmer):
Image
1 / Image
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Substantially Improved Snowmaking
To ensure
snow surface conditions regardless of Mother Nature’s plans, Squaw Valley will
be investing in the resort’s snowmaking system for the 2012-13 winter season.
Squaw Valley will be pursuing a variety of system-improvements including the
installation of new, high-technology air/water guns, replacement of manual fan
guns with fully automated versions, rebuilding of pumps and compressors, and
installing state-of-the-art monitoring and control equipment. Together, these
improvements will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness throughout the entire
system, from Squaw Creek and Red Dog to Gold Coast and the Mountain Run,
ensuring the best possible snow surface from top-to-bottom.
Olympic Plaza Bar
Squaw Valley’s legendary Olympic
Plaza Bar will be completely remodeled for winter 2012-13 to feature table
service dining for lunch and après ski in an upscale ‘mountain contemporary’
atmosphere. With $300,000 in renovations, the redesigned Olympic Plaza Bar will
pay tribute to the resort’s Olympic heritage with collage murals commemorating
the 1960 Olympics, and the bar’s new comfortable lodge furniture (think rustic
chic) that will be perfect for relaxing after a day on the slopes. Menu items
will include signature flatbread pizzas, artisan meat and cheese platters and
delectable finger foods.
"Before" image of Olympic Plaza Bar
(credit: Matt Palmer): Image
1
One design for 1960 Olympic mural (credit: Squaw Valley):
Image
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New Sports Shop: Parallel Sports
Shop
Located in a prime location just steps away from the slopes,
Squaw Valley will be opening Parallel Sports Shop featuring the latest ski
technology as well as a complete line of outdoor wear and street wear for the
whole family. With over 5,000 square feet of floor space, the new ski shop will
be the place to find the industry’s most coveted brands, including innovative
technical apparel and sophisticated fashion for on and off the mountain. The
shop’s welcoming staff will serve as ambassadors of adventure – ready to share
info on their favorite secret stashes and tips for a great day on the mountain.
The new shop will work in conjunction with the resort’s demo program –
meaning skiers can try as many demo skis as they like and deduct the rental cost
off of a brand new pair of skis in the retail store. Trying as many skis as
possible couldn’t be easier with Squaw’s two demo centers – one located on top
of the mountain, and the other at a ski-up location in The Village.
Image of new sports shop in progress (credit: Matt Palmer): Image
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New Snowboard Shop: The Ledge Board
Shop
Designed with riders in mind, Squaw Valley’s new snowboard shop
will be filled with a cool vibe and welcoming staff ready to talk about the
latest technology and snowboard fashion.
From the latest snowboards to
street wear, this store will be stocked with all the essentials from both big
names and niche brands. The new shop is just over 2,000 square feet and will be
located in the heart of The Village at Squaw Valley.
Image of new
snowboard shop in progress (credit: Matt Palmer): Image
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Squaw Now a Burton Learn to Ride (LTR)
Center
Squaw Valley is partnering with Burton and their acclaimed
Learn to Ride (LTR) program for winter 2012-13. Burton’s LTR program is designed
to make learning to snowboard fun and easy by combining proven teaching
methodologies with beginner-specific equipment. As part of the LTR program,
Squaw will be offering specially designed equipment for beginner snowboarders
(both kids and adults). Burton’s LTR catch-free technology helps establish
control and confidence which ultimately leads to linking turns faster. LTR
boards feature a softer flex, radical sidecut and forgiving edge bevel, all of
which are designed to reduce the likelihood of catching an edge. Along the same
lines, LTR boots and bindings are extremely comfortable with softer flexing,
allowing the rider to more easily guide the board into a turn. Already a staple
of Squaw’s Snowboard School, Burton’s LTR teaching methodologies help new riders
to learn to make and connect their turns faster – making for a great first time
experience on the hill.
What’s New at Alpine Meadows for
2012-13:
Improved, More Efficient Snowmaking
New snowmaking upgrades will significantly improve efficiency,
making it possible to generate more snow faster – delivering better surface
conditions earlier in the season. As a result, park features will be created and
additional terrain will become accessible sooner. Upgrades will include
computer-driven automation to control the snowmaking operation. The automated
system monitors a range of data (e.g. temperature, humidity, flow, etc.) making
it possible to configure the operation of specific snowmaking units based on
conditions in that area. This greatly improves snowmaking efficiency, resulting
in a larger quantity of higher quality snow in a shorter period of time.
Images of snowmaking improvements (credit: Alpine Meadows): Image
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Tahoe’s Only Mile-Long Terrain Park
With
the recent partnership between Alpine Meadows and Snow Park Technologies (SPT),
skiers and riders can look forward to continued terrain park improvements and an
enhanced park experience throughout the winter season. Snow Park Technologies is
renowned in the terrain park business with 15 years of experience designing
parks for major resorts and events nationwide including the Dew Tour and Winter
X Games.
One of the most exciting changes to the terrain park experience
is the expansion of the medium and large park. The combined parks, from Terry’s
Return to Dancefloor, will offer an entire mile-long park run making it the
longest terrain park run in the Tahoe region. Also brand new this year, there
will be a beginner progression park on Subway where lessons will be available.
Guests eating out on the sundeck can enjoy the view of skiers and riders testing
out their skills at a new base area jib arena. New jibs will be added this
season, including four new beginner boxes, two intermediate boxes and four new
snowmaking pipe jibs, increasing the park's fleet to more than 60 jib
features.
Image of jib features at Alpine Meadows (credit:
Tom Zikas): Image
1
Burton Adult Learn to Ride (LTR)
Center
Like Squaw Valley, Alpine is also partnering with Burton and
their acclaimed Learn to Ride (LTR) program for winter 2012-13. As part of the
LTR program, Alpine will be offering specially designed equipment for adult
beginner snowboarders.
Redesigned Ticket Office to Improve Guest
Experience
The ticket office has been reconfigured, complete with an
improved look and streamlined customer experience by providing a centralized
place for guest information and products. The ticket office will have seven
windows, including an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible level
window, enhancing the efficiency of ticket operation and improving the customer
experience by providing one-stop shopping for a variety of Alpine’s services and
packages including tickets, passes, and lessons.
About Squaw
Valley
Host of the 1960 Winter Olympics, Squaw
Valley is internationally renowned for legendary terrain that spans 3,600
skiable acres, six peaks and 30 chairlifts, and ranges from an expansive
mountaintop beginner area to unrivaled expert steeps, trees and bowls. Off the
mountain, families relax in The Village at Squaw Valley around the cozy fire
pits or enjoy a host of restaurants, bars, boutiques and art galleries. Guests
can stay in one of The Village at Squaw Valley’s one, two or three bedroom
suites, each with a fireplace, kitchen and balcony, for the ultimate slopeside
lodging experience.
About Alpine Meadows
Alpine
Meadows’ seven powder bowls, summit-to-base groomed slopes, and authentic
hospitality are among the many attributes that have made the resort a favorite
of the local community and visitors alike. Alpine
Meadows offers skiers and riders access to more than 100 trails across 2,400
skiable acres serviced by 13 lifts. With its high annual snowfall of 450 inches,
the resort boasts one of Tahoe’s longest skiing and boarding
seasons.
Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows joined forces in November 2011,
bringing the two ski resorts under common ownership. Skiers and riders can
access 6,000 skiable acres, 43 lifts and 270+ trails at Squaw and Alpine Meadows
on one lift ticket or season pass.
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