2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide - 43

VIII Olympic Museum - The 1960 VIII
Winter Olympics were held February 18-28 in
Squaw Valley and Lake Tahoe. Winning the
bid for the area with just one chair lift, two
rope tows and a 50-room lodge was an international
surprise.
Hall of Fame - A Regional Winter
Sports Hall of Fame honoring and celebrating
the athletes, pioneers and visionaries of the region
who have significantly enriched the
sports of skiing and snowboarding.
Artist's concept for the SNOW Sports Museum, to be built with a vision to preserve the winter
sports and Olympic history of the Sierra Nevada Region, to share stories of the legends of winter,
and to inspire generations to experience the wonder and passion of their unique mountain spirit.
photo provided by the SNOW Sports Museum
Squaw Valley Ski Museum
Foundation
SNOW Sports Museum
" Over the last few years, the foundation has
grown significantly as interest in our local
winter snow sport history and its impact on
the region has been shared. In addition to
our dedicated board of directors, we've added
a diverse set of advisors and athlete ambassadors
including Travis Ganong and Eileen
Gu to help support our efforts. Today, we are
working diligently with Placer Country to
bring a world class museum to our region
to celebrate the past and inspire future generations
too. "
David Antonucci, Board President
The SNOW Sports Museum (dba
Squaw Valley Ski Museum Foundation) has as
its missions and objectives to build a world
class museum to offer cultural, historical and
educational opportunities for people of all
ages and abilities, especially youth. All purchases
and donations support these efforts. It
seeks to preserve the winter sports and Olympic
history of the Sierra Nevada Region, to
share stories of the legends of winter, and to
inspire generations to experience the wonder
and passion of their unique mountain spirit.
The idea to build a museum of Sierra Ski
History and the 1960 Winter Olympic Games
has been in the hearts and minds of the skiing
community for many decades. The Squaw
Valley Ski Museum Foundation was established
by members of the Tahoe Truckee community
to make this dream a reality, and they
began to look for a site where the stories and
events of over 100 years of ski history could
be displayed in a modern facility.
At the conclusion of a week-long Olympic
Heritage Celebration of the 50th Anniversary
of the 1960 Winter Olympics held in
2010, the success of an unforgettable, sold-out
Gala at the Resort at Squaw Creek in Squaw
Valley was seen as proof of overwhelming interest
and support. An enthusiastic Board of
Directors launched a fundraising campaign to
hire a full-time executive director and engaged
consultants, engineers and architects to complete
the permitting process to secure the location.
Significant support has been received
with grants from Placer and Nevada Counties,
along with matching donor funds from Board
members, organizations and individual donors.
It
was felt that a new name, Sierra Nevada
Olympic & Winter Sports Museum,
better represented the geographic region and
core values of the museum, and the catchy acronym
would resonate with all generations -
SNOW Sports Museum.
Their initiatives include:
Ski & Snowboard History - An Interactive
Cultural Center will tell the stories of
skiing and winter sports in the Sierra Nevada,
including Washoe Tribes, Gold Miners and the
10th Mountain Division elite ski troopers in
WWII.
Event Center - A Community Hub and
Event Center offering a unique space where
visitors, locals and students can gather to experience
films, conferences, presentations and
lectures in a mountain-modern, technologically
advanced building.
Education & Awareness - Year-round
Enrichment Programs to support education
initiatives for history, culture, and technology,
along with programs to educate the greater
community on environmental challenges.
Social Gathering Place - The Architecturally
Iconic Building will be conveniently located
between Truckee and North Tahoe just
off Hwy 89 offering visitors 16,000 sq ft of exhibit
and technology space.
The SNOW Sports Museum website is
located at www.thesnowmuseum.org. If you
have a piece of Sierra Ski History or Olympic
artifacts to share, the Museum is always looking
for ski history collectibles in the form of
objects, artifacts, photographs, movies and personal
stories. To inquire about the possibilities,
please contact their collections team at
donate@theSNOWmuseum.org.
All of these foundations are seeking donations
to support their highly worthwhile
snowsports programs. Consider volunteering
for a foundation with your time and energy.
A financial donation can be large or small, and
is greatly appreciated and valued at any
amount. You can also give a legacy donation,
in honor of a family member or friend, and remember
these foundations in your estate planning.
If you have spent a lifetime of love and
laughter in the mountains...pass it on! Make
that opportunity available to someone else.
Play a role in sustaining snowsports. You will
be glad you did! ss
Far West Skier's Guide 2O22 - 2O23
43

http://www.thesnowmuseum.org

2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide

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