Last week I posted about the opening day for Squaw Valley | Alpine Meadows and this week I can’t stop thinking about getting out onto the runs. One of my favorites is known as The Chief. Granite Chief is a mountain that stands 9010 feet high and is considered the north eastern boundary at Squaw Valley Ski Resort. The top of the chair lift is on the western shoulder of the mountain approximately 600 feet below Granite Chief Peak.
From here skiers have many choices. To the left, heading west is a wide cat track on a declining ridgeline with three different steep groomed runs that lead back down to the chair. Further west you can cross a cornice to the top of a large rock buttress that has several very challenging steep descents through tight chutes, some with trees, and also wide open faces. My favorite in this area is “Corkscrew.”
To the right of the chair is a very large bowl, the top of which is Granite Chief Peak. It is a climb to the top but it is worth it. The views are great and the skiing is fantastic. There are several short steep chutes that open into the bowl for a long fun descent. From the bottom of the bowl there are tree runs and more challenging chutes back to the bottom of the chair lift.
There’s more…further to the left (east) is an area the locals call The Ledges. It is below the eastern ridgeline of the Peak and goes out to the eastern boundary. As you go east you’ll find both gradual and steep slopes through well spaced trees that drop to a flat area and then into steep chutes and very open tree skiing back to the chair. Out by the boundary are the VIP Chutes and Secret Bowl. these are a lot of work to get to but well worth the effort.
Granite Chief usually always has great snow conditions, especially on a Powder Day!
Here’s a video of a powder day on Granite Chief until we can get out there for real…
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