Squaw Valley ski resort has a new name - Palisades Tahoe. The announcement was made on Monday. 

"After extensive research into the etymology and history of the term “squaw,” it is undeniable that the word is now widely considered a racist and sexist slur. This is contrary to our company’s core values," Palisades Tahoe said on its new website. 

“It is inspiring that after seven decades in operation, a company as storied and established as this resort can still reflect and adjust when it is the necessary and right thing to do,” said recently appointed Palisades Tahoe President and COO Dee Byrne. “This name change reflects who we are as a ski resort and community—we have a reputation for being progressive and boundary-breaking when it comes to feats of skiing and snowboarding. We have proven that those values go beyond the snow for us. It’s an incredibly exciting time to be part of Palisades Tahoe and after more than 10 years at the resort, I’m honored to be leading our team into this new era.”

The renaming process began last year with an in-depth research and discovery process that would be the first step in informing the new name. They looked at the history of the Washoe Tribe, whose ancestral lands were in Olympic Valley, to extreme ski movies that featured the resort, to the spectrum of feedback on the name change decision. Next, the team carefully conducted numerous surveys—collecting more than 3,000 responses—and held focus groups.

The resort will begin implementing the new resort name and branding immediately, but expects the full changeover to be a multi-year process. The base area village on the Olympic Valley side will now be known as The Village at Palisades Tahoe, and Palisades Tahoe also plans to debut new names for the Squaw One and Squaw Creek chairlifts, to be selected with input by the Washoe Tribe, Resort at Squaw Creek, and the public. Palisades Tahoe leaders continue to assist other local businesses who are interested in changing their names, and the Washoe Tribe is leading the efforts to rename Squaw Peak and Squaw Creek. 

The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California released this statement: 

Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows ski resort announced its new name for its world famous recreation area and facilities in Olympic Valley, after last year it announced its decision to drop the word “Squaw” from its official title. The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California commends and fully supports the resort management and others who contributed to this milestone decision. From today forward, the resort will be known as Palisades Tahoe.

Over time, the word “squaw” came to be used as a derogatory and racist term against Native American women. Native American communities across the country have been working for years to have this term removed from place names in their ancestral lands.

Tribal Chairman Serrell Smokey acknowledges that “The Washoe People have lived in the area for thousands of years; we have great reverence for our ancestors, history and lands. We are very pleased with this decision; today is a day that many have worked towards for decades. The Washoe Tribal Council recognizes the significance of the name change and on behalf of the Washoe people expresses its great appreciation for this positive step forward.”

Washoe Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Darrel Cruz, along with past and present Tribal leaders, has developed a relationship with Resort management on various activities mutual to both parties and will continue to work with the Resort as well as Placer County to rename other public places and features in Olympic Valley.

Lake Tahoe and its surrounding area including Olympic Valley are the aboriginal homelands of the Washoe Tribe, and the Tribe currently owns real estate in Olympic Valley.