Alpine Meadows is a ski resort in the western United States, located in Alpine Meadows, California. Near the northwest shore of Lake Tahoe, it offers 2,400 acres (9.7Â km2) of skiable terrain, 13 different lifts, and a vertical drop of 1,802 feet (549Â m).
Alpine Meadows is well known for the quality and variety of its terrain, ranging from beginner to advanced trails with convenient access to seven open bowls, chutes, steeps, groomed runs and six terrain parks. With 402 inches of annual snowfall, Alpine Meadows often has the longest snow season among the Lake Tahoe ski resorts.
JMA Ventures, owner of the Homewood Mountain Resort on the west shore of Lake Tahoe, purchased Alpine Meadows from Powdr Corporation in July 2007. In 2011, Alpine Meadows merged with the well-known neighboring ski resort and 1960 Olympic site, Squaw Valley. Ownership transferred largely to the umbrella company Squaw Valley Ski Holdings, LLC. Today, the two resorts operate as one with a single-season pass and a connecting shuttle for visitors, the Squaw/Alpine Express, though each retains its distinct identity.
History
Alpine Meadows opened 56 years ago in 1961. John Riley developed it initially as the Ward Peak Ski Resort, and had a vision to develop the terrain into a ski resort as an alternative to Squaw Valley. With the help of Peter Klaussen and a number of families who pooled resources to develop the area, Alpine Meadows was founded in 1958 and opened in 1961. The idea for the resort was to focus more on the pleasure of skiing than business profit. It was thought that the idea for the resort came about after the resort’s founders visited Squaw Valley during the 1960 Olympics and noticed the potential of the adjacent terrain. Alpine Meadows opened for the 1961â€"62 season with three lifts.
The resort made headlines 35Â years ago in 1982 after an early spring avalanche hit its base area in the late afternoon of March 31 and killed six.
Philanthropy and environmental activities
Alpine Meadows is heavily involved with the North Lake Tahoe/Truckee community. It supports a variety of non-profit organizations with the goal of contributing positively to the local community, particularly through education and environmental protection programs.
The resort partners with the Disabled Sports USA Far West’s Program Center â€" DSUSA helps make skiing or snowboarding possible for anyone with physical, cognitive, or development disabilities.
Alpine Meadows is an advocate of environmental protection. It engages in projects supporting biodiesel fuel use, has implemented summer native-plant vegetation projects, and has incorporated many recycling programs into its operations. Alpine Meadows, along with Squaw Valley, supports the Truckee River Watershed Council, the Tahoe Fund and Friends of Squaw Creek as part of the company’s community giving through charitable donations or active participation.
Lifts
Movie location
Alpine Meadows was featured as the location of the fictional "Alpine College" in the movie Wild Wild Winter. Portions of the movie, including all exterior sequences, were filmed at the resort. The 1966 Universal Pictures comedy was directed by Lennie Weinrib and starred Gary Clarke and Chris Noel.
Jamaican ski team
Alpine Meadows is a partnership inspired by Errol Kerr, a resident of Truckee who has U.S. and Jamaican citizenship. Kerr represented Jamaica in the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Squaw Valley merger and gondola controversies
In September 2011, Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley Ski Resort merged under common management led by Squaw Valley’s parent company, KSL Capital Partners, LLC. Alpine Meadows’ parent, JMA Ventures, owns a smaller part. The new umbrella entity over both resorts will be known as Squaw Valley Ski Holdings, LLC. Squaw Valley Ski Holdings seeks to connect the two resorts with a “Base-to-Base†gondola. It has been discussed in the media that the new company will seek to eventually combine the two resorts into one mega-resort through an agreement with a local property owner, Troy Caldwell, who owns the land connecting Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley - White Wolf Mountain. If connected via White Wolf, the combined ski area would be the second-largest resort in North America, behind Whistler Blackcomb. Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley offers visitors 6,000 skiable acres, eight peaks, 44 lifts, and over 270 trails. Resort owners need permission from local land managers, including both Placer County and the Tahoe National Forest which are currently studying the proposed project’s environmental impacts. A number of conservation organizations, including Sierra Watch and the Sierra Club, consider the proposed gondola a threat to Granite Chief Wilderness.
References
External links
- Official website
- Alpine Meadows GPS/Mapping data and photographs at Trailspotting
