Let it Snow! It's Showtime in Squaw!

www.BlackhawkLivingCA.com

@BlackhawkLivingCA

By Sonia Lamba, Resident since 2015

It’s a winter wonderland at Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe, one of my family’s favorite destinations, with more than 390” of cumulative snowfall so far this season (at 8000 ft. as of Feb. 10, 2019). “Sierra travel is highly discouraged. Dangerous Avalanche conditions!” is a warning I heard often this winter.

Squaw is one of the most popular ski resorts and a favorite among a majority of the skiers in the Lake Tahoe region due to its hair-raising and challenging steeps, Olympic heritage and wonderful base village (6000 ft.), which is a packed with lots of entertainment, shopping and food all day long. I also look forward to the spectacular winter fireworks in the village that light up the night sky every Saturday during the ski season.

Colorful winter fireworks display at Squaw Village

I myself don’t ski, but embarking on a 10 minute tram ride to High Camp (8,200 ft.) and soaring above the mountainous terrain is both a scary and a thrilling experience for me. High Camp captures a bird’s-eye view of the blue waters of Lake Tahoe soaked in sun, it’s surrounding landscapes, and the beauty of winter snow; definitely a surreal experience for a camera lover like me. There is also an Olympic Museum if one wants to browse through Squaw’s Olympic history when it hosted the Winter Olympics in 1960.

Squaw Village this winter season

Back home, winter storms also brought rare snow to Mt. Diablo that attracted large numbers of excited people to the summit, its highest peak. And as for me, I enjoyed the breathtaking backyard views of snow covered Diablo peaks from the comfort of my home in beautiful Blackhawk.

Gorgeous views of snow covered Mt. Diablo from my backyard