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One Mom's Take: Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows is a Skiers Paradise

February 9, 2019

I want you to stop what you’re doing and listen. Listen to the sounds around you. My guess is you hear a lot of noise in the background. Kids. Pets. Traffic. Maybe a TV or radio. Have you ever stopped and been able to listen to silence? True silence is hard to come by and I recently discovered it at the top of Alpine Meadows, CA with Lake Tahoe in front of me and the ski slopes behind me. For the first time in a very long time, I heard the silence.





Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows is located in Northern California right next to the gorgeous Lake Tahoe. Because Squaw and Alpine are so close together you get 2 ski mountains for the price of one with a convenient shuttle between the two. After I spent a few days exploring the mountains skiing I learned that Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows is no ordinary ski resort. It’s a destination that will far surpass your ski/snowboard expectations. And in the humble opinion of this east coast skier,  it is definitely worth the trip! 


The Village at Squaw Valley

The Village at Squaw Valley as everything you could possibly need for your ski adventure. You’ll find everything from cozy slope-side lodging to restaurants to retails shops to equipment rentals and access to activities for the whole family (snow tubing!), and did I mention there are 8 hot tubs? 8!





As parents, we get how important where you stay is when traveling. I am all about rooms with a kitchen. It gets expensive eating out every meal so you arrive at the Village I recommend heading to Alice’s Mountain Market to stock up on groceries and snacks. Of course, you do need to try some of the local restaurants in the Village because after a long day on the slopes you may not want to cook. The Village is full of delicious options perfect for your apres ski appetite with pizza, sushi and everything in between. I recommend the nachos at Rocker, the seafood scones at PlumpJack Cafe and the Almond Spice Latte at Coffeebar. Best cup of coffee I’ve ever had.

The atmosphere in the Village is super laid back and casual. You’ll see a lot of dogs and people milling about in their apres-ski attire. There are lots of spots to take your ski boots off and rest your feet after a day of skiing or exploring and plenty of spots for the kiddos to run off some of their boundless energy and play some games like giant chess and checkers.  





The Mountains

As soon as you pull up to the Village at Squaw Valley those mountains looming in front of you will start calling your name. This is the reason you are here, after all. Yes, the Village is great and all, but the mountains. Oh, the mountains. For first-timers, whether first time skier or first time to Squaw Valley it can be a little intimidating. The mountain is massive! I had to ask several locals what the Funitel was and then how to pronounce it. 

Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows understands that it can be intimidating and they do a great job of welcoming skiers/borders of all ages and abilities. And, if in doubt just like when I’m riding the subway in NYC, if you don’t know how to get somewhere you just ask and you’ll get pointed in the right direction. Skiers/borders are pretty friendly, happy and approachable, I mean how can you not be with these views surrounding you?






There are a million reasons to love Squaw and here are my top two. First, I love that the beginner slopes are located at the top of the mountain. Not the bottom near the parking lot. It's hard enough to be a beginner skier or border and when you only see the bottom of the mountain it doesn't help. At Squaw, many of the easiest slopes are located near High Camp in the area called Big Blue which you can ride the Aerial Tram to get to and get the absolute BEST views. Trust me, you will experience a thrill being at 8200 feet, you'll hear the silence and you'll feel like you are a real skier who can tackle anything!

My other favorite and unexpected thing at Squaw is at the top of the Funitel. There you will find the world’s only ski-thru Starbucks. And yes, it is as cool as it sounds!






The Ski Instructors

If it’s your first time skiing/boarding or your first time in this area you should take a lesson. If you’ve skied before I still recommend it if for nothing else then the instructors will help you navigate the terrain. Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows instructors are the best of the best and I promise you’ll get a lot more out of it then you may think. 

I’ve taken ski lessons before and I always thought they were ok. I didn’t realize that “ok” wasn’t actually ok until I spent 3 days with Pat Northrop

Let me take a moment and tell you about Pat because she taught me more in 3 days on the slopes than I had learned in a lifetime of skiing. First, she was Jonny Moseley’s first ski instructor when he was 5 years old. I really could stop right there. Jonny Moseley. But there is so much more to Pat’s teaching style than just master ski technique. Pat is the one who made me stop and listen to silence. And she also instilled in me the need to stop over-thinking and go with the flow. This is so important in skiing. Just like you drive a car without thinking, you should ski in the same manner. Eyes ahead, looking around you but letting yourself go with the flow.  Pat’s lessons definitely transcend the ski slopes and have stuck with me in more ways than she’ll ever know.







A trip to Squaw Alpine is more than an ordinary ski trip. It’s an experience that will make you want to come back time and time again. You’ll find yourself stopping every so often to listen to the silence. You’ll catch yourself looking ahead and trying to get out of your own head to go with the flow. You’ll be Googling travel deals so you can get back there. Soon. And you’ll see yourself wanting to share your photo album with everyone you know wanting to relive every second.

To learn more about Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows and see what fun events they have coming up you can visit their website here

I also recommend downloading their app so you can check out the webcams and see what's happening and a small warning that this will likely lead to serious FOMO. 

Now, go find your winter family fun and hit the slopes. Preferably at Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows.






I received lodging, lift tickets, lessons and rentals during my stay at Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows. All opinions are my own.