At the peak of its game while hosting the Olympics 40 years ago, Tahoe's legend undergoes a facelift to attract the next generation of winter Olympians.

We had already skied and snowboarded the entire day – from about 10 am to 4pm. After we grabbed some dinner in our rental mountain home, I collapsed into a comfortable chair, ready to rest my weary legs. But my energizer bunny of a teen-age son and his friend were ready for more. And at Squaw Valley USA near Lake Tahoe, your ski day can last 12 hours – from 9am to 9pm – on the same lift ticket.

I hoisted myself out of the chair and we headed back to the bottom of the massive cable car that would take us up to “High Camp,” a mid-mountain center for all kinds of fun. But that night we weren’t interested in ice skating at the High Camp’s Olympic-size rink or visiting the Olympic Museum. Instead, we wanted to thrash our thighs on the 3.2-mile night-lit run down the mountain back to the village base.

It took about 15 minutes, and after we met again at the bottom, we all agreed that it was one of those rare magical experiences, the way we rhythmically rambled down the mountain with wisps of snow trailing off our skis and boards catching the light like vapor trails. The moon shone above, and the crowds from earlier in the day must have been soaking in hot tubs or enjoying drinks by the fire, while we marveled at our luck to be in such a beautiful setting on a crisp winter night.

The illuminated ski trail meanders down the side of a smooth intermediate-level mountain. It’s wide and well groomed, and the slopes are brightened by a special flood light system that uses color-corrected bulbs to create clear visibility, and enough power to make it easy to see every bump and nuance so we could safely pick up some speed. After a couple of runs, I thought that the guys might want to head over to the night-lit half-pipe and terrain park, but they couldn’t get enough of silently sweeping down the shadowed mountain in their own private world.

Squaw Valley has been a major player in the ski scene ever since it hosted the 1960 Winter Olympic games. Families from the San Francisco Bay Area and central California have enjoyed the resort for decades, but now that a sophisticated base development has brought in more lodging, shops and restaurants, increasing numbers of guests are arriving from around the United States, Latin America, Europe and Australia. And families have always flocked to Squaw, thanks to its low priced lift tickets for children 12 and under and excellent ski school and on-mountain experience.

The Layout & Fine Terrain

Squaw Valley is a behemoth of a mountain and has a total of 4,000 skiable acres, placing it among the biggest resorts in North America. The majority of lifts start at the top of High Camp, and skiers get there on a Funitel-style 15-person tram or the larger and slightly claustrophobic cable car. Lodging is found at the base of the mountain in a charming ski village with condos, shops and restaurants developed by Intrawest, the company that developed Whistler/Blackcomb in Canada. Another large resort, The Resort at Squaw Creek, is at the opposite end of the valley and is connected to the ski lifts by its own chair lift. Throughout the valley area are private rental homes and a few other hotels and condo complexes.

Squaw Valley’s slopes offer plenty of choices for experts as well as an excellent selection of beginner and intermediate slopes. The gentle beginner slopes are extensive and smooth, giving first timers a chance to really practice what they’ve learned. Because there are several long beginners’ chairlifts, the traffic jams that can plague beginners’ runs at other resorts aren’t much of a problem here.

The expert terrain is legendary, with the run called KT-22 leading the pack of steeps and bumps. Some say the run got its name from the wife of its designer, who took 22 kick turns to get down its sheer face. It’s definitely for the intrepid, adrenaline-charged only. Snowboarders can choose from three terrain parks, including one for beginners and smaller kids, and another with a 550-foot “superpipe” with 17-foot walls. And, intermediate skiers have endless choices around the mountain, including a backside that has three chairlifts and lots of interesting trails.

Childcare, From Threes to Snowsports For Teens

Squaw Valley does not have a daycare for babies and toddlers. The ski school program begins at age 3, so if you are visiting with a baby or toddler, you’ll need to bring a babysitter or hire a private sitter. None of the lodging resorts have in-house childcare for this age group, but they often can supply a list of private sitters.

When the children’s ski school facility was built, the staff visited other children’s centers around the country to copy the best ideas in the business. They created a convenient, warm and welcoming children’s facility with the equipment rental shop on the premises. Parents can even buy their own lift tickets when they sign their children up for lessons, so they don’t have to wait in any other lines. A number of short-term parking spaces right out front have been created to make it easy for parents to unload and register their kids without having to walk too far.

The ski school program begins at age 3, and children are separated into groups by age, with 3-4 year olds and 4-6 year olds getting grouped together. The program is meant to introduce children to skiing and also includes snow activities and various indoor activities.

Children ages 5 to 12 can take snowboard or ski lessons and are grouped by ability and age when possible. Beginners start their learning right behind the childcare center on two easy runs. As they progress, they move up the mountain to the excellent beginners slopes higher up. Reservations are recommended, especially for peak holiday periods and weekends.

Few ski resorts can rival Squaw Valley’s appeal for teens, thanks to the night skiing, night-lit terrain park, and Olympic-size ice skating rink and an indoor climbing wall. Lift-served tubing is open during the day at High Camp. If you stay in any of the base village’s condos or hotels, your teenagers can head out whenever they please and ski and snowboard until late into the evening.

Activities off the Slopes

Non-skiing family members can purchase a ticket to ride the tram to High Camp to enjoy its Olympic museum, Olympic-size ice-skating rink, restaurants and lift-served snow tubing park. Views of the high Sierras and Lake Tahoe are off many of the decks. A swimming pool and hot tubs are open at High Camp in the spring.

Cross country skiing and snowshoeing are available at the Nordic center located at the Resort at Squaw Creek. Several day spas including one at the Resort at Squaw Creek and another at The Village at Squaw Valley offer all kinds of treatments, facials, massages, etc. There is a charming candle-making shop in the Village where guests can make their own scented candles in a variety of shapes and colors. Whenever I’ve walked by, the place is filled with little girls and their mothers enjoying making their own creations together.

The Resort at Squaw Creek also has a Mountain Buddies daycare/day camp for 4-12 year olds that operates during the day and into the evening as late as 11pm, and it also has snowshoeing, dog sledding, horse drawn sleigh rides, snow sledding, and a small ice skating rink. Squaw Valley is on the California side of Lake Tahoe, which means there is no gambling, but those guests who enjoy playing the slots, or blackjack and roulette, head to Stateline, Nevada, about 35 minutes away, or Reno, Nevada, about 45 minutes' drive away.

Details, Details

Squaw Vacations (800/403-0206 or www.squawvacations.com) is a one-stop shopping point for all kinds of accommodations in the valley. They handle The Village at Squaw Valley, the ski-in-and out base development right at the bottom of the lifts, as well as The Resort at Squaw Creek a little further out but connected to the resort by its own chairlift. Both have special family amenities. Another resort right at the ski area base, The Squaw Valley Lodge, also has condos that accommodate families very comfortably. There are many private homes in Squaw Valley in a huge variety of price ranges. Some are in walking distance of the slopes, but most are a very short drive away.

Low-priced condos can be rented in nearby Tahoe City or Truckee, but you’ll need to drive about 20 minutes to get to the resort, and early morning and late afternoon traffic can get a bit backed up on weekends and holidays.

Lift ticket prices vary by age, but are always reasonable and family-welcoming with discounts by age, for both kids 12 and under and for Juniors ages 13-15.

You can visit the Squaw Valley website or get general information at 530/583-6985, or snow conditions at 530/583-6955. The toll free line 800/403-0206 is for lodging and vacation packages information.