(NORTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nevada) ' Today's ski resorts are grand and expansive with miles of trails mazing through the Sierra Nevada, but as majestic as these mountains now are, they all started out as the dream of a dedicated skier or traveler. Today a handful of those resorts still cling to their small-time roots.

Each resort had humble beginnings, even the world-renowned Squaw Valley USA. While the mountain hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics (surprisingly beating out internationally-regarded European resorts), it had opened only 11 years earlier in 1949 with one chairlift, a rope tow and a lodge. It was Alex Cushing traveling from the East Coast who stumbled upon Squaw Valley after cutting his slope-time short with a broken ankle. He headed home but soon returned with a powerful dream, $400,000 of his own money and a few investors. Less than three years after his first visit, he opened the Squaw Valley Development Company in 1949 with the world�s largest double chairlift.

Cushing contributed more than his fair share of elbow grease and spent countless hours working on the mountain along with a crew of dedicated workers. He recruited his loyal employees and created a second �Squaw Valley Family� which he credited with making his dreams come true.
�You can see traces of Alex everywhere on the mountain,� Savannah Cowley, a spokesperson for Squaw Valley USA, said. �There�s a consistency of where the lifts are placed and how the mountain is laid out. He was very involved in every aspect of its evolution.�

Cushing was still chairman and CEO of the Squaw Valley Ski Corporation until he passed away in 2006 at age 92. His wife Nancy Wendt Cushing is now at the helm and remains very involved in operations.

Donner Ski Ranch in Truckee continues to be an intimate, family-run resort. The 460-acre ski area was purchased by Marshall and Janet Tuttle three years ago, and though the couple owns two lodging properties in North Lake Tahoe and a furniture business in the Bay Area, the two are immersed in the day-to-day operations of the cozy ski hill.

While Marshall is an experienced skier who frequented Donner Ski Ranch as a child, Janet just recently began learning after they purchased the resort.

�We both spend as much time here as possible,� Janet Tuttle said. �Marshall�s been very involved in upgrading the lifts and if the conditions look good, I�ll grab my skis and hit the slopes.�

Prior to the Tuttles� purchase, the resort had been managed and family-run by the Sayler Family for nearly 40 years. And while many die-hard skiers and boarders may have never skied or heard of Donner Ski Ranch, it was the first mountain in California to allow snowboarding.

�It really is a spectacular place,� Janet Tuttle said. �A lot of the other resorts are like Disneyland, and we can�t compete with that, but we�re a friendly, low-key place with terrain for everyone and rarely any lift lines. And when we get powder, our powder lasts for days.�

Another out-of-the-way quaint resort is Granlibakken Conference Center and Lodge outside Tahoe City on the West Shore. The property is home to a small ski hill, which was once called Olympic Hill and at one time was one of the most popular winter sites on the West Coast. The hill is now ideal for beginning through intermediate skiers. Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are also available on the 74-wooded acres, which encompasses the resort.

The property is currently owned and operated by the Parson Family (husband and wife Bill and Norma have owned the management company since 1978 while Bill�s nephew Ron is the general manager). The trio is actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the property, which now includes lodging facilities, conference center and recreational amenities.

North Lake Tahoe is a 45-minute drive from the Reno Tahoe International Airport, two hours from Sacramento International Airport and just over three hours from San Francisco International Airport. For lodging reservations, recreation and event details, call North Lake Tahoe at 1-877-949-3296 or visit www.GoTahoeNorth.com. Visitor information centers are located at 380 North Lake Boulevard in Tahoe City and 969 Tahoe Boulevard in Incline Village. The North Lake Tahoe Visitors Bureaus, Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitors Bureau and the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, work together to promote North Lake Tahoe as a premier, year-round destination.

###

Media Contact:
Pettit Gilwee
530-583-2138
Pettit@gilweepr.com