Squaw Valley—Alpine Meadows Base-to-Base Gondola Approved
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Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows are two of California's premier ski areas. Powder Magazine photo.
It's been four years since Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows announced their intention to build a gondola connecting the two resorts' base areas. Since then, there has been a hotly contested debate over the plan, with detractors arguing that environmental impacts and potential increased visitation outweigh any potential benefits. For better or worse, the Placer County Board of Supervisors has unanimously approved the plan, clearing the way for construction to begin on the new gondola.
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The anti-gondola contingent's environmental concerns included the gondola's potential encroachment into Tahoe's Granite Chief Wilderness, impact on the endangered Sierra Nevada Yellow-Legged frog, and greenhouse gas emissions stemming from increased energy usage. Squaw Valley has done their best to alleviate concern by rebutting the naysayers' points on their website, and the recent vote indicates that while the wider community may not be entirely on board, the few people whose opinions matter are convinced. For those interested in diving into the nitty-gritty of the issue, the full draft environmental impact assessment is available online here.
