Palisades Tahoe: the back story

About Palisades Tahoe: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Ski Resorts Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Alex Cushing came west in 1946, broke his ankle skiing at Sugar Bowl, and less than three years later opened his own ski area in a high valley above Lake Tahoe. In 1960 the valley hosted the Olympic Winter Games; in 2011 it joined its neighbour Alpine Meadows; and since 2022 a gondola links the two.

A broken ankle

In 1946 Alex Cushing came west to ski the Sierra Nevada and broke his ankle at Sugar Bowl. A young man told him about a high, snowy valley nearby. On 24 November 1949, less than three years after that first visit, Cushing opened his ski area there, with what was then the longest double chairlift in the world and two rope tows.

The Olympic Winter Games

The bid for the 1960 Olympic Winter Games began as a publicity effort and ended with the Games coming to the valley, bringing commerce and infrastructure to the whole Lake Tahoe area. The women's giant slalom ran on what is now the Red Dog venue, and the men's course came down the Nose of KT-22. The Olympic Museum at High Camp tells the story.

The valley will always be the home of the 1960 Olympic Winter Games.

The Aerial Tram

Garaventa began surveying for a cable car in 1966, and after two years of building, the Aerial Tram opened on Christmas Day 1968, at the time the largest tramway in the world. It still rises about 2,000 vertical feet from the Village to High Camp at 8,200 feet, where the Terrace looks out over Lake Tahoe.

Alpine Meadows

Next door, Alpine Meadows opened on 28 December 1961, opened its slopes to snowboarders in 1997, and in November 2011 joined its neighbour under one owner, with 6,000 skiable acres on a single ticket. On 17 December 2022 the Base to Base Gondola opened: 2.4 miles and about 16 minutes from the Village to Alpine Lodge.

A new name

In 2021 the resort took the name Palisades Tahoe, after deciding that its former name was a slur towards Indigenous women. The change followed months of community discussion and the start of a relationship with the Washoe Tribe, whose story is told in a display at the resort. The valley, the resort says, will always be the home of the 1960 Olympic Winter Games.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Palisades Tahoe: the back story before you go.