Skip to content
Palisades Tahoe Logo Palisades Tahoe Logo Palisades Tahoe Logo
Explore
Main Menu
  • Explore Palisades Tahoe
  • Base to Base Gondola
  • Our New Name
  • Explore Legendary Lifts
  • Palisades Tahoe Blog
  • About Lake Tahoe
  • About Us
Plan Your Visit
Main Menu
  • Tickets & Passes
  • Lodging
  • Lessons & Guides
  • Deals & Packages
  • Rentals & Demos
  • Travel Here
  • Getting Around
Mountain Information
Main Menu
  • Snow and Weather
  • Lift and Grooming Status
  • Webcams
  • Hours of Operation
  • Trail Maps
  • Parking & Road Conditions
  • Snowfall Tracker
Events & Activities
Main Menu
  • Events Calendar
  • Activities
  • Dining & Apres
  • Shopping
  • Things To Do In Lake Tahoe
  • Groups, Meetings & Weddings
  • Ski & Snowboard Teams
Explore
Main Menu
  • Explore Palisades Tahoe
  • Base to Base Gondola
  • Our New Name
  • Explore Legendary Lifts
  • Palisades Tahoe Blog
  • About Lake Tahoe
  • About Us
Plan Your Visit
Main Menu
  • Tickets & Passes
  • Lodging
  • Lessons & Guides
  • Deals & Packages
  • Rentals & Demos
  • Travel Here
  • Getting Around
Mountain Information
Main Menu
  • Snow and Weather
  • Lift and Grooming Status
  • Webcams
  • Hours of Operation
  • Trail Maps
  • Parking & Road Conditions
  • Snowfall Tracker
Events & Activities
Main Menu
  • Events Calendar
  • Activities
  • Dining & Apres
  • Shopping
  • Things To Do In Lake Tahoe
  • Groups, Meetings & Weddings
  • Ski & Snowboard Teams
IKON PASS HOLDER LODGING DISCOUNT

Ikon Pass holders save up to 20% on slopeside lodging at The Village at Palisades Tahoe.

SLOPESIDE LODGING
Icon / FlashCreated with Sketch.
View All Offers
  • Legends of Tahoe

Long-Time Valley Resident & Community Member Herb Magnuson

  • Jul 26, 2022
  • 11:54 am
Herb Magnuson sits outside his home in Olympic Valley.

In April of 2021, Olympic Valley lost one of its earliest property owners and part-time residents, Herb Magnuson. Herb was 94 when he passed, and likely only the eldest of Olympic Valley’s residents will remember this quiet man who came to the Valley in 1955 looking for an adventure in what was then a fairly remote part of the California mountains. Herb ended up being a very active community member before, during, and after the Olympic Games, operating quietly in the background and doing his part to help create the foundation for what would become one of the most beautiful and exciting recreational areas in the country.  

As the story goes, Herb arrived at Olympic Valley for the first time one beautiful Fall day in 1955. This was his chance to explore the Tahoe region more thoroughly, and see first-hand what he’d heard was an amazing valley and the new home of a couple of visionaries (Wayne Poulsen and Alex Cushing) who saw the Valley as a future world-class ski resort and new mountain community. As he drove the newly cut dirt roads above the Meadow, a Willys army Jeep and its driver came up to greet him. Wayne Poulsen jumped out of his Jeep and quickly got to the point with his new friend.

“Herb”, he said, “I just subdivided this entire hillside for as far as you can see. Interested in buying some property”? To make a very long story short, Herb purchased 3 lots and built a beautiful family home on Lanny Lane. As a tribute to my Dad’s Norwegian heritage, he managed to find the only Norwegian architect on the West Coast in 1957 (Henrik Bull) to design his mountain cabin. Henrik went on to become a famous ski area architect and actually designed the Gold Coast lodge at Palisades and many other homes in the Valley. Herb’s kids Eric, Lisa, and Elliott oversee the cabin today.

His love for the mountains and his home in Olympic Valley led to his interest in the continued growth of the Lake Tahoe region. He volunteered to serve on the founding Board of Directors of Alpine Meadows Ski Area with such area legends as John Reily and John Klaussen and helped to hire the engineers that built the road up to Alpine Meadows from highway 89. He would say that following some extensive fundraising, he remembered writing the check for $300,000 to get the project done.

Herb was also one of the first Presidents of the Squaw Valley Property Owners Association and served as an Olympic official during the 1960 Winter Olympics. He told the story of both Alpine investor meetings and Olympic planning discussions held atop KT-22 at the newly minted Cornice Restaurant where, following their meetings and one of the establishment’s famed “Alpenburgers”, he’d ski down the mountain with his leather lace-up boots, cable bindings, and screw on ski edges! When you really think about it, Herb’s generation of skiers was quite remarkable!  Imagine back then if this group was handed a pair of today’s aggressive-shaped skis. Even Scott Schmidt would have had his hands full keeping up with them on West Face!

Herb was a kind man with a quick wit and a smile. He seemed to always have something nice to say about everyone. And when he spoke of Olympic Valley, sitting on his deck overlooking the Valley and KT-22, he always had a twinkle in his eye! Rest in peace Herb. You will be missed by family and friends alike.

Legends of Tahoe
admin
admin

Share this article:

Recent Posts

  • Legends of Tahoe ·
  • February 16, 2023·
Craig Patterson and Andy Lindsey with the grooming crew in Korea.

Legends of Tahoe: From West Shore to World Cup

As Palisades Tahoe prepares to host the Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup from February 24th-26th, there is an immense amount of work going on behind the scenes, especially in the Grooming department. Palisades Grooming Manager Craig Patterson and his close friend Andy Lindsey, a Regional Manager for PistenBully, are two of the key players in getting the race course ready. Their two-decade friendship is full of funny stories and huge feats, including grooming on other World Cup slopes and for the Olympics. Read their story, much of it in their own words.
Read more
  • Legends of Tahoe ·
  • February 3, 2023·

Where Skiers are Made

This is the home mountain of Olympians, world champions, and the stars of some of your favorite ski movies. That doesn’t just happen by coincidence. There’s a measurable impact that these mountains have in the ski and snowboard community. It’s widely recognized as a badge of honor to call yourself a Palisades Tahoe skier or rider. It’s a proud, but humble claim. Because if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. This is where skiers are made. 
Read more
  • Legends of Tahoe ·
  • January 16, 2023·
The Hall-Pittman family at the 1960 Winter Olympics. Tarea Hall Pittman (far right) was the Western US Regional Director for the NAACP and played a key role in Nevada's fight for civil rights. Courtesy Tarea Hall and William Pittman Papers, MS 46, African American Museum and Library, Oakland, CA

Legends of Tahoe: The 1960 Winter Olympics and the Struggle for Civil Rights

The 1960 Winter Olympics marked an important first: because of the Games, it was the first time Reno was integrated as a city. While the Olympic events took place here in Olympic Valley, Reno, just forty miles across the border, stood ready as the gateway city, serving as the base of operations, with an airport, abundant lodging facilities, and other amenities to cater to the thousands of spectators eager to attend the Winter Olympics.  Despite its proximity to California, where race relations were far more progressive, most cities and towns in Nevada were heavily segregated.
Read more

Social

Instagram Twitter Facebook Youtube

Contact

   Email Us
   1.800.403.0206

Our Partners

U.S. Forest Service Logo
1960 Olympic Valley Road
Olympic Valley, CA 96146

©2022 Palisades Tahoe

Alterra Mountain Company
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Photo Upload Terms of Use
  • Accessibility
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Photo Upload Terms of Use
  • Accessibility
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information