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"A bluebird day on KT-22—“The Mothership”—puts me right into the heart of modern American ski history at a resort born of the 1960 Winter Games, where Women’s Downhill, Moseley’s, and the hike-to McConkey’s honor legends while serving up some of the gnarliest expert terrain anywhere. Even the mellow line, The Saddle, is a tricky black that demands a pep talk, yet the scale and variety are immense, especially since the Base-to-Base Gondola truly linked the former Alpine Meadows; that side turns the volume down with fewer people, shorter lines, big vistas on the Sherwood run, and a different, cocoa-sipping vibe. Mid-mountain, I meet my husband at The Chalet for bratwurst, beer, and an enormous, freshly baked pretzel, then look beyond skiing to the resort’s year-round shift—Tahoe Live, new bike trails, and a via ferrata—made alongside real stewardship moves like a parking-reservation system and expanded free shuttles that have removed 53,000 cars from area roads and kept 626 tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere since 2022; after a long fight, a scaled-back village plan now adds employee housing and nixes an indoor water park. I also love the outdoor Ice Bar by Sherwood and the aerial tram to High Camp for epic lake views and the 1960s Olympic Museum." - Rebecca Misner
6,000 acres of terrain, Olympic history, dining and year-round activities
1960 Olympic Vly Rd, Olympic Valley, CA 96146 Get directions