We Asked What Squaw Valley’s New Name Should Be. Here’s What You Said.

Squaw Valley Resort has a monumental task of coming up with a new name, following their announcement that they would change it to remove the “racial and sexist” word “squaw.” The historic resort was home to the 1960 Olympics and is now one of the most world-renown ski destinations in the country. This new name will be heard far and wide.

There have been many ideas floating in the atmosphere speculating what the new name should be. Should the resort return to its Olympic heritage? Should it give naming rights to the Washoe Tribe, which has lived in the area for thousands of years and played a key role in the resort ditching its old name? Should the resort carve out a new name moving forward, celebrating its modern-day skiing culture?

These are the questions we posed last month, giving some ideas (provided by the enthusiastic people on Reddit) and asking our audience to vote on what they thought should be the new name of the famed Squaw Valley. Here’s what you said:

1. Let the Washoe Tribe Choose the Name (45.7% of the vote)

It’s no surprise that this option won the vote considering there’s an online petition urging the resort to let the Washoe Tribe head the name change. At 45 percent of the vote, it seems like most of the public believe this is the route the resort should take.

It’s unknown what the Washoe would name the resort, and if they’re currently being involved in the process. But a decision to allow them to rename one of the most popular ski resorts in the Tahoe region would be a major victory for Native American groups. Here’s an excerpt from the online petition outlining the argument:

“The local ski resort, “Squaw”, is stolen land from the Washoe tribe and the name is a derogatory term towards Indigenous women,” read the petition. “In the amount of time I have spent working with the Washoe women I have learned how offensive and violent this word is which is why I refer to it in quotes. The Washoe tribe is standing up to change the name of their Sacred land and they should be the ones to rename it. Help amplify their voice and give them the right to rename their own land.”

2. Olympic Valley (33.3% of the vote)

This was the heavy favorite heading into the vote and may still favored by the resort as it heads towards making the official name change in the 2021 offseason. As the host of the 1960 Olympics, much of Squaw’s marketing includes its Olympic heritage, so it only makes sense to lean in on that moving forward. This was the top choice from Reddit users.

3. Alpine Valley (10.5% of the votes)

In the spring of 2017, Squaw Valley made the groundbreaking announcement that it had purchased the neighboring Alpine Meadows ski resort, with plans to connect the two with a massive gondola. Today, the two resorts sit separately, just a short drive away on Highway 89. In years to come, the resorts will become connected and the ownership group may choose to create one massive resort.

This might be the most seamless way to change names and to brand the combined ski resorts in the coming years as construction on the connecting gondola is set to begin soon. It would also give some credence to the small but amazing ski resort Alpine Meadows, which is adored by locals.

4. McConkey’s Gnar Valley (4% of the vote)

We included this option as more of a joke, so it’s quite surprising that it received 4 percent of the votes. That being said, anyone who’s a fan of Shane McConkey was probably quick to vote for this name.

McConkey was a professional skier and BASE jumper whose shenanigans became that of legend in the Squaw Valley area. Since his tragic death while performing a ski-BASE jump in Italy, he has since been celebrated heavily in the region. This name would be a fun call to the extreme sports community, but is a long shot for a family-friendly resort like Squaw.

5. Granite Chief Resort (3.5% of the vote)

It’s actually quite surprising that Granite Chief came in last in our vote, considering the nearby wilderness and peak already bears its name, along with numerous nearby businesses in the Truckee and Tahoe City areas. Apparently it’s not sexy enough, which is unfortunately something that has to be heavily considered by the Squaw executives. This name has officially become the long shot.

Here is the full voting breakdown:

Active NorCal

Telling the Stories of Northern California

26 Comments

  1. Fantastic website you have here but I was wondering if
    you knew of any discussion boards that cover the same topics discussed here?
    I’d really love to be a part of community where I
    can get opinions from other experienced people that
    share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.
    Thanks!

  2. You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this
    matter to be really something which I think I would never understand.
    It seems too complex and very broad for me. I’m looking forward for
    your next post, I’ll try to get the hang of
    it!

  3. Hmm is anyone else encountering problems with the pictures on this blog loading?
    I’m trying to figure out if its a problem on my end or if it’s the blog.
    Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

  4. I’m not sure where you’re getting your info, but
    good topic. I needs to spend some time learning much more
    or understanding more. Thanks for excellent
    information I was looking for this information for my mission.

  5. It covers aall critical aspects of retail such as VLTs,
    slot machines, iTVMs, cash management, alarms, notifications, contactless gaming, and so forth.

  6. Madison Square Garden’s license to operate a sports
    arena in New York City expires in July, and Mr.
    Dolan is searching for city officials to renew it permanently — a matter of intense debate.

  7. You’re so interesting! I don’t believe I have read a
    single thing like that before. So good to find somebody with unique
    thoughts on this subject matter. Really.. thanks for starting this up.
    This web site is something that is required on the web, someone
    with a little originality!

  8. I loved as much as you will receive carried out right here.
    The sketch is tasteful, your authored material stylish.
    nonetheless, you command get got an impatience over that you wish be delivering the following.
    unwell unquestionably come more formerly again as exactly the same nearly very often inside case you shield this increase.

  9. Hello there! This blog post couldn’t be written any better!
    Going through this article reminds me of my previous roommate!
    He continually kept preaching about this. I am going to forward this article
    to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thanks for
    sharing!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back to top button