Olympic Valley & Alpine Meadows: Tales from Two Valleys (Sports)

Formerly published as Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows. This updated edition includes revised material.

Since the 1930s, two valleys nestled amid California’s High Sierra peaks have enraptured explorers, skiers and winter sport enthusiasts worldwide.

Olympic Valley made a name for itself as the host of the 1960 Winter Olympics. Meanwhile, just over a high ridge, Alpine Meadows was developed by devoted local skiers and Bay Area families. In spite of avalanches, fires, floods, public opinion and the whims of mountain weather, determined entrepreneurs Wayne Poulsen, John Reily and Alex Cushing persevered to lay the foundation for two ski resorts, now known collectively as Palisades Tahoe.

In this updated edition, local award-winning author and ski historian Eddy Ancinas shares tales of the colorful characters whose exploits and imagination contributed to the unique history of these two valleys. 

Eddy Starr Ancinas is an award-winning freelance writer and author located in North Lake Tahoe. She received the SKADE Award from the International Ski History Association for Outstanding Book on Regional Ski History. She has also been a contributor to Skiing Heritage magazine and has published an article on the 1960 Olympics for The Atlantic. Eddy was a guide for the International Olympic Committee in Squaw Valley at the 1960 Olympics, where she met her husband, a member of the Argentine Olympic Team. They raised their family in Alpine Meadows. Eddy is vice president of the board of directors of the future Sierra Nevada Olympic Wintersports (SNOW) Museum.