Palisades Tahoe, CA, Celebrates the 2022 Winter Olympics with Watch Parties, App Challenges and Signature Cocktails

Palisades Tahoe athletes represent more than a third of this year’s Olympic U.S. Alpine Ski Team 

As the host of the 1960 Winter Olympics and the home to dozens of Olympians since Palisades Tahoe will continue to honor its Olympic legacy during the 2022 Winter Olympics. In addition to having many locations to watch the six Palisades Tahoe Olympic athletes go for the gold and hosting a watch party featuring a live Q&A with two local Olympians, the resort unveiled new Olympic-themed app challenges and will be serving up signature Olympic drinks.

In Beijing, six of the 17 members of the 2022 U.S. Alpine Ski Team are Team Palisades Tahoe alumni, including returning athletes Bryce Bennett and Travis Ganong and first-time Olympians Keely Cashman, AJ Hurt, Alix Wilkinson, and Nina O’Brien. These prolific forces in the sport reinforce the resort’s history as a “Land of Legends”—home to freeskiing pioneers, Winter Olympians, and cultural icons across more than seven decades of ski history. In addition to hosting the 1960 Winter Olympics, Palisades Tahoe has had a total of 31 team alumni compete in Olympic games, who have so far brought home a total of 14 medals.

“We are so fortunate to have so many strong athletes representing our resort and the Tahoe community on a global stage. Palisades Tahoe’s rich Olympic history is a part of what makes our mountains legendary. So much of what defines us comes from the numerous boundary-breaking athletes who have called this place home.”

– Eric Garayoa, Director of Teams at Palisades Tahoe

Palisades Tahoe Olympic Athletes

The six athletes on the U.S. Alpine Ski Team from Palisades Tahoe are:

• Keely Cashman: a first-time Olympic athlete, Keely’s most notable athletic accomplishments include being the 2020 NorAm Overall winner, taking home a bronze medal in Alpine Combined at the 2020 Junior World Championships, and placing first in Giant Slalom at the 2019 U.S. National Championships.
• AJ Hurt: a first-time Olympic athlete, AJ joined the Palisades Tahoe Ski Team at age four and has established herself as a multi-event skier, having scored World Cup points in four disciplines (parallel, slalom, giant slalom, and downhill). She is also a two-time U.S. National Champion and earned a bronze medal in Slalom at the 2021 World Juniors.
• Bryce Bennett (Olympics: 2018, 2022): Bryce has been on the U.S. Ski Team for 11 years and is currently ranked 7th in the world in Downhill, winning his first World Cup event this season at Val Gardena.
• Travis Ganong (Olympics: 2014, 2022): A veteran speed skier, Travis began the 2021-22 season with a bang, grabbing third place in the Super-G at the Birds of Prey World Cup in Beaver Creek. He placed 5th in the Downhill at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and has a World Cup win at Garmisch, Germany.
• Alix Wilkinson: a first-time Olympic athlete, Alix scored World Cup points in two events this season including an 18th place finish in the Downhill at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. She also won the Junior Nationals Giant Slalom in 2018.
• Nina O’Brien: Nina started on Team Palisades Tahoe as a mighty mite, and continued on to the race team before heading to Burke Mountain Academy. In her seven years on the U.S. Ski Team, Nina has won seven national titles, and last season was ranked 15th in the world in Giant Slalom.

Event Schedule

Palisades Tahoe will be airing the Olympics across a number of lodges and restaurants, including Plaza Bar, Rocker, and Alpine Bar, with a special watch party scheduled for the Men’s Downhill on Saturday, Feb. 5 in the Plaza Bar. Viewers can watch and support the U.S. Alpine Team and Palisades Tahoe athletes by tuning in to the following key events:

Note: all times listed are NBC broadcast times

• Saturday, February 5:
  • 7 pm PST LIVE: Men’s Downhill  – Travis Ganong & Bryce Bennett
  • Watch Party: Palisades Tahoe will be hosting the American Downhiller Watch Party, Presented by Toyota, in the Plaza Bar at 6:30 pm
    • The event will include a live Q&A with former Olympian Marco Sullivan, a 4-time Olympian who has raced more World Cup Downhills than any other American male, and Bill Hudson, former Olympian and US Ski Team Alumni.
    • Prior to the event, there will be an Olympic Parade at 5:30 pm through the Village at Palisades Tahoe, featuring the Sierra Swiss Club cowbell group
• Sunday, February 6 
  • 6:15 pm PST LIVE: Women’s Giant Slalom – AJ Hurt & Nina O’Brien
• Monday, February 7 
  • 7 pm PST LIVE: Men’s Super-G – Travis Ganong & Bryce Bennett
• Tuesday, February 8 
  • 6:15 pm PST LIVE: Women’s Slalom– AJ Hurt & Nina O’Brien
• Thursday, February 10 
  • 7 pm PST LIVE: Women’s Super-G – Keely Cashman & AJ Hurt
• Monday, February 14
  • 7 pm PST LIVE: Women’s Downhill – Keely Cashman & Alix Wilkinson

Palisades Tahoe App Achievements

Two new achievements will be live on the Palisades Tahoe App throughout the duration of the Olympic Games. For guests looking to experience firsthand the rich Olympic history of Palisades Tahoe, visitors can ski the routes of the 1960 Olympic ski racecourses, or cruise down the trails named for our local Olympians.

• Tahoe Torchbearer: Ski/ride all three trails named after Tahoe local Olympians
  • Moseley’s (Jonny Moseley; 1998; Moguls)
  • Julia’s Gold (Julia Mancuso; 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014; Alpine Skiing)
  • Tamara’s (Tamara McKinney; 1980, 1984, 1988; Alpine Skiing)
• 1960 Circuit: Ski/ride all trails that were part of the 1960 Olympics Racecourses:
  • Women’s Downhill: Women’s Downhill to Julia’s Gold
  • Women’s Giant Slalom: Champs Elysees to Upper Dog Leg to Lower Dog Leg to Red Dog Face
  • Men’s Giant Slalom: G.S. Bowl to Schimmelpfennig Bowl
  • Men’s Downhill: Siberia Bowl to Newport down to the Mountain Run

Signature Olympic Cocktails

From Feb. 5-20, guests can sip on a Gold Medal cocktail at our participating bars in both the Village at Palisades Tahoe and the Alpine Lodge. For just $7, kick back with a Gold Medal Paloma at the Plaza Bar, or a Medalist Margarita at Rocker or Alpine Bar. Guests who complete the Olympic App challenges will get 50% off a Gold Medal cocktail.

While you can order a Tahoe Toddy any time of year at Palisades Tahoe, the drink actually originated in 1960, created specifically for the Winter Olympics. The drink was so popular, Esquire magazine even named it “Drink of the Month” that February. Back then, the Tahoe Toddy consisted of an unexpected blend of Early Times Whiskey, hot water, a lemon twist, and a “batter” consisting of brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and curacao. Nowadays, ordering the Tahoe Toddy at the resort will get you a more standard hot toddy drink, but you’ll still be making a nod to Olympic history.