This photograph is from January 15th, 2022 and was captured at Palisades Tahoe, CA. It’s a photograph of the Gold Coast Express chairlift on a sunny day, with the iconic Palisades cliffs towering in the background.

Met some friends vacationing in California for a ski weekend in Tahoe. The conditions were clear and fast, and we spent most of our time lapping the upper mountain. You can’t really ski or board here without noticing the history the place has, from the old Olympic stuff to the more recent name change. It’s an interesting story and an interesting part of the culture.

Some notes on the resort’s history:

• The resort used to be called Squaw Valley. In 2020, its leadership announced that research showed the word ‘squaw’ is a deeply offensive slur against Indigenous women. After consulting with the local Washoe Tribe, they decided a new name was needed.

• In 2021, they officially changed the name to Palisades Tahoe. The ‘Palisades’ part comes from the massive granite cliffs you see in this photo.

• There was a lot of discussion around it. Many people were attached to the old name because of the 70-year history and its connection to the 1960 Olympics. In the end, the resort decided to move forward with a name that honored the area's geography.

• The Gold Coast lift itself is a huge part of the resort's history. When it was upgraded to one of the first high-speed quads, it changed how people could access the mountain. It's still the main artery that gets you up to some of the unique terrain.

It's nice to see a place with a lot of history try something new.