Squaw Valley, CA Conditions Report: Fresh Snow and New Terrain

Shirley Chutes got tracked out — Skiers weren’t holding back on the Shirley Chutes – PC: Tanner Blake

Squaw Valley 11/30 Conditions

The skiing at Squaw Valley was really, really good on Friday. The recent storm finally came through and dumped on the mountain, and Squaw was able to open up Red Dog, Squaw Creek, and Shirley Lake chairlifts, along with Mountain Run halfway through the day.

Headwall and mountain run are looking nice and filled in — The view of Headwall from the Funitel – PC: Tanner Blake

I headed straight up the Funitel to Shirley Lake. Despite arriving about 15-30 minutes after opening, I was able to find a fresh line right under chairline, and the snow was great – definitely deep enough to not hit dirt. I only found a few rocks and small trees under the powder, but that was when I was dipping into the trees on the sides of runs.

Fresh tracks on Shirley Chairline — Plenty of fresh tracks to go around – PC: Tanner Blake

Every chair ride was enjoyable, as skiers were showing off on the Shirley Chutes. Despite some sketchy looking landings, people were pointing it down the chutes and hucking it off of every cliff they could get to, and it was super fun to watch. Within hours, nearly every possible line was tracked out.

Shirley Chutes on a pow day — Every line that could’ve been sent on Shirley Chutes was sent – PC: Tanner Blake

At noon, just as Shirley was becoming skied-out, ski patrol opened up Mountain Run. The snow wasn’t quite as light as the snow on Shirley, but it was still a killer three mile powder run.