SnowFest and Such at Squaw

The annual party that is SnowFest has arrived once more. Beginning last Friday, revving up all week, and culminating this upcoming weekend is some serious fun in the snow and sun.

Parades and charades, DJ tunes from the KT sundeck to Truckee, costumed people in dance, ice sculptures crafted and melted, ski comps, eating contests, art shows, government organized snowball fights, polar plunges, and the anointing of local teenage Snow Queens!

All these activities and energy add up to a darn fun time in up here in the densest population of ski resorts in the Americas. There are thirteen of ‘em dotted around the lake last time I checked, with Squaw leading the way like a Golden Aged Athens, our Acropolis the Palisades, our mythic founders the Poulsen’s, our patron Goddess not Athena but PJ Bar regular and overall wonderful woman, the charmer of the 1984 critically acclaimed film Hot Dog, the Movie, Miss Debbie Dutton. (The awesome ski flick comedy was shot entirely on location here at Squaw Valley USA during the backdrop of 1983’s SnowFest! -- and is a great pre-ski weekend rental at your local video store!)

Another fascination about that movie is the astonishing amount of snow – ten foot snow drifts outside Le Chamois and the Olympic House, cornices the size of school busses on Granite Chief serving as starting line for the Chinese Downhill and all the marbles. Check out the winter of ’83 on the snow record almanac and you’ll see the staggering stats. Eighty Three’s spike on the graph resembles something Gordon Gecko would invest in.

As does this year. The winter of 2010-2011 is shaping up to be one of the most extreme winters on record with November, December, February – and if predictions hold – March to be in the top percentile of snowfall classes. And even June-uary gave us great corn-cycle, spring-skiing conditions while providing much needed rest for worn out snow shoveling muscles.

In short, the mountain is in apex form right now, another huge storm is on the way, and we will again be skiing into late May. Come experience the Fun!, get some great exercise, take in the mountain grandeur, let us style you out in the Café Dining room.