Home > Gripped Outdoors

California Ski Resort Changes Racist Name

The name of the over-70-year-old resort will now be Palisades Tahoe

One of California’s most popular ski resorts is changing its name to remove the misogynistic and racist name it’s had since 1949. The resort worked with local Indigenous groups during the process. The resort, known as Squaw Valley will be called Palisades Tahoe, the business announced on Monday.

“More than one year ago, we came to the conclusion that it was time to change our name. The reasons were clear – the old name was derogatory and offensive,” the resort said in a statement. “It did not stand for who we are or what we represent. And we could not in good conscience continue to use it.”

The resort hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics, and Indigenous nations have long asked for a name change.

“We have been in the area for thousands of years. Olympic Valley is within the ancestral homeland of the Washoe people. The word itself is a constant reminder of the unjust treatment of the Native people, of the Washoe people,” Darrel Cruz, with Washoe Tribe Historic Preservation Office, said in a statement provided by the resort. “It’s a constant reminder of those time periods when it was not good for us. It’s a term that was inflicted upon us by somebody else, and we don’t agree with it.”

The announcement of a name change came in August 2020, after months of protests against racism and white supremacy in the U.S.A. The protests led many countries to reconsider the names of cities, schools and parks, including Canada where a number of mountain names have been changed.

Palisades Tahoe

Check out the latest buyer's guide:

The Best Climbing Gear According to Our Editors – March

Every month we're bringing you our favourite gear so you can complete your climbing kit with the latest and best stuff out there