Over the past 10 days, Palisades Tahoe was proud to host the Stifel US Ski Team for spring training. With the longest ski season in Lake Tahoe and one of the longest seasons nationwide, we are an ideal venue for late-season conditioning.
Just as training was about to start, we found ourselves in the unique position of receiving a 2+ foot May snowstorm. While we all love powder, fresh snow is not ideal for the type of alpine training that the US Ski Team needs to do. They require a firm and durable surface — not ice, but definitely not several inches of snow.
Read more about how we build racecourses at Palisades Tahoe.
For the most part, training took place on the upper mountain. Our grooming team cut in a few runs that we had not yet put in this season, such as Gunsite and Hully Gully. Maintaining these runs in warm temperatures can be difficult. Since we have not been getting freezing temperatures every night, we groomed training runs as early as possible on the first shift, giving the runs time to set up and hopefully “snap” overnight, getting that firm and durable surface.
Read more about what goes into Spring Grooming here.
An exciting part of hosting US Ski Team, of course, is the fact that two of our official Palisades Tahoe Athlete Team members, Keely Cashman and AJ Hurt, were in attendance. It’s always fun to have them training here at their home mountain, helping to put Palisades Tahoe on the world stage.
Read more about Keely and AJ here.
Another reason we love hosting the US Ski Team is the way it inspires our young athletes on Team Palisades Tahoe. Our goal in cultivating athletes is to be the #1 provider of athletes to the US Ski Team and the Freeride World Tour. Getting time with the US Ski Team right here at our mountain is a unique experience and part of what makes Palisades Tahoe the best.
