Far West Skier's Guide 2013-2014 - (Page 55)
High Hopes Exist for an Olympic & Far West Ski
History Museum In Squaw Valley
by Eddy Starr Ancinas
A founding member of the Squaw Valley Ski Museum Foundation
From the Gold Rush miners speeding down
the mountain at 80 miles an hour, to an Olympics
known to athletes the world over as the best ever, to
the Sierra-bred Olympians - still speeding down the
mountain at 80 miles an hour (albeit, on shorter
skis) - Squaw Valley, the Lake Tahoe Region and all
of the northern Sierra Nevada have unique stories
to tell of ski pioneers, entrepreneurs and the region's
amazing athletes.
With that in mind, a group of local skiers and
ski-history buffs founded the Squaw Valley Ski Museum Foundation in 2008 -- determined to tell the
incredible story of the VIII Winter Games and the
150-year history of winter sports in the Sierra Nevada.
The Board envisioned a world class museum
of local, regional and international interest, with interactive exhibits, multi-media, archival preservation,
oral histories and on-going programs for all ages. It
would be housed in a building of architectural and
environmental significance, with galleries dedicated
to the 1960 Olympics as well as Far West ski history,
plus a small theater, classroom, library, archive room
and a museum shop.
A Far West Region Hall of Fame would permanently honor ski champions from northern
Sierra ski teams, along with the visionaries and local
legends that make up the colorful ski community.
Early on, the Board recognized the importance
of location. With funds from the North Lake Tahoe
Resort Association and expertise from museum
planners, architects and a local engineering firm, the
Board studied the pros and cons of "up valley" (in
the ski area), mid valley (with view to the mountain)
or at the entrance to the valley (high visibility on
main highway). The final conclusion was that the
Squaw Valley Park at the entrance to the valley provided the best location for an iconic building to
house a Hall of Fame, a Visitor's Center, the collection from the Auburn Ski Club's Western SkiSport
Museum on Donner Summit at Boreal Mountain
Resort, and all the Olympic artifacts lying in garages,
closets and cabins throughout the area. In fact, the
Ski Museum Foundation is now in a race to collect,
preserve and exhibit hidden private collections before they are gone. Realizing that this collection
would represent not only the Squaw Valley
Olympics, but the history of skiing from all Far West
ski areas, the museum board determined that the
museum needs to be an independent historical institution located outside of a ski area with year around
access to all visitors to the North Lake Tahoe Area.
After a master plan of a museum located in
This is the cover page from the proposal
Squaw Valley Ski Museum Foundation has
before Placer County. It contains the revised
concept of all the work the committee has
completed. photo provided by Bill Clark
the park was presented to the community, the Board
learned that some Squaw Valley residents had concerns about a museum in the park. A community
site committee was formed, including the leader of
the opposition. After nine meetings held over twelve
months, wherein the pros and cons of all locations
were thoroughly examined, a final vote was taken.
The result: 9 to 1 in favor of the park.
In December, 2010, the Squaw Valley Museum
Board partnered with the North Lake Tahoe Resort
Association to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the
1960 Olympics at an Olympic Gala held at the Resort
at Squaw Creek. When the MC asked the Olympians
among the 600 guests to stand, an impressive number
of past and present Olympians stood to a thunderous
applause.
This show of enthusiasm for Squaw's Olympic
history was further demonstrated by the interest
shown by the many visitors who visited a temporary
museum in the Squaw Valley Village, managed by the
Squaw Valley Museum volunteers during the winter
of 2010-2011.
As interest in a Squaw Valley Olympic Museum grew beyond our local area and included skiers
from all over California, Nevada and even foreign visitors, the Board continued with public outreach to
Squaw Valley residents and members of the greater
community. Although the Board promised not to "interfere with any of the present or planned activities
and recreation in the park" (i.e. soccer, Pickle Ball and
a tot lot), the county supervisor joined the small
number of Squaw Valley dissidents, who continued
to resist the possibility of an Olympic Museum in the
park.
Thoughts returned to the site across the road
from the Tower of Nations site. Although previously
eliminated for its unsightly development, electrical
wires, awkward easements and the fact that the
property is owned by the Poulsen family; the Board
agreed to re-investigate. A year later, having established that the land was not for sale, the overhead
transmission lines could not be moved, easements
across county land could not be changed; the Board
hired a project manager and consulting firm to help
them move on to secure the only viable location
for the museum they had worked four years to establish (the park).
With a revised concept, a much smaller footprint on the land and a new design by San Francisco
architect, Peter Pfau; the Museum Board, with the
help of their consultants, prepared a booklet with a
revised Museum concept describing the history of
their project and the proposed new concept. Bill
Clark, president of the Squaw Valley Museum Board,
met county officials and supervisors, with the ultimate goal of presenting the plan at the Board of Supervisors Meeting in Tahoe City on July 23, 2013.
However, just before that much anticipated
event, the county CEO called the Museum Board to
a meeting to consider, once again, the Poulsen property across the road. He announced the county's desire to work with the Poulsen family on creating a
Master Plan that could include a viable site for the
museum. The Board agreed to wait six months (January 2014), with periodic updates.
Meanwhile, the Lake Placid Olympic Museum
welcomes 35,000 visitors a year. The Alf Engen Museum and the George Eccles 2002 Olympic Winter
Games Exhibits in Park City reported 160,000 in
2008. An economic impact study conducted by the
North Lake Tahoe Resort Association in 2008 projected 80,000 visitors to the Squaw Valley museum
the first year, 100,000 the second year.
Will the story of the 1960 Olympics be told and
displayed in one place for all the world to see? Will
knowledge of our western winter sports history be
made known to curious visitors, locals, students and
historians? Will past, present and future athletes
have a special place that recognizes their accomplishments? Hopefully, these questions will be answered
when Placer County either approves the park site or
L
makes the other side of the road a viable option. L
Far West Skier's Guide 2O13 - 2O14
55
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Far West Skier's Guide 2013-2014
Far West Skier's Guide 2013-2014
Index
Board of Directors, Trustees
President’s Message: FWSA is on the Move!
FWSA Committee Chairmen and Other Representatives
FWSA Presidents Gather at 2013 Convention
Council Information
FWSA Council Services Supports Clubs
National Ski Council Federation Brings Councils & Clubs Together Nationwide
FWSA Membership: Through Clubs or Direct
FWSA Direct Member Application Form
Order Form / Far West Skier’s Guide
FWSA Communications
Ski Season - 2014
FWSA Travel Program
FWRA Board of Directors
FWRA League Race Chairs
Why Do We Race?
FWRA Race Schedule
The FWSA Athletic Scholarship Program Helps Junior Racers
Pursue Your Passions Through the FWSF
Hope on the Slopes Events
Winter Trails Day
FWSA 81st Annual Convention - Mountain Magic Moments - Recap
FWSA 2013 Convention Sponsors
FWSA Industry Award Winners
Convention Door Prize Donors & Milestones
2013 FWSA Councils’ Man & Woman of the Year
Silent Auction & Travel Expo Participants - 2013
2013 FWSA Convention Award Recipients
Snowsports Celebrities Entertain & Inform
Candace Cable, Keynote Speaker
FWSA Safety Person of the Year
FWSA Western Ski Heritage Award
FWSA Snowsports Builder Awards
FWSA Ski Clubs & Councils Continue Generous Charity Support
FWSA 82nd Annual Convention - Volcanic Paradise - Bend, Oregon
FWSA 83rd Annual Convention - Salute to San Diego
Twelve Resorts / One Pass
Public Affairs - 2013 Update
The Road to Sochi
Lodging Options
Regional Ski Shows
High Hopes Exist for an Olympic & Far West History Museum in Squaw Valley
Zermatt: Where Legends Meet!
Has Technology Made Skiing Safer?
How Well Do You Know Your Resorts?
A Visit to the 2013- 2014 Digital Edition Only Insert
FWSA Council & Club Information
Far West Skier's Guide 2013-2014
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com