[9] Former University of Nevada star skier, Wayne Poulsen, purchased the first 2,000 acres (810 ha) of Squaw Valley Ski Resort from the Southern Pacific Railroad.

[11] Shortly after, Poulsen met Harvard alumnus and trained lawyer Alex Cushing, who brought capital, political connections, and increased access to the project.

[10] Cushing modeled the resort after European ski destinations by locating a swimming pool, ice rink, roller disco, and restaurants on the mountain instead of at the base.

[11] Palisades Tahoe's success can be largely attributed to the visibility that came from hosting the 1960 Winter Olympics, a direct result of Cushing's effort and determination.

[15][16] After an absence of 48 years, women's technical races returned in March 2017 and overall leader Mikaela Shiffrin of Colorado won both events.

The merger united the two popular ski destinations under common management by Squaw's Valley's parent company, KSL Capital Partners, LLC.

The new company started to operate as one, under the combined name Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, with joint lift tickets, single season passes for visitors, and free shuttles between its locations, but preserves the individuality of the two resorts.

[25][26][27] Resort owners needed permission from local land managers, including Placer County and the Tahoe National Forest, which had to study the proposed project's environmental impacts.

[9][29] In July 2019 Sierra Watch and Granite Chief Wilderness Protection League filed a lawsuit against Squaw Valley challenging Placer County's approval of the gondola project.

[30] In February 2020, the litigants dropped the suit in exchange for Squaw Valley's commitment to implement measures to mitigate the impact towards the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog.

[38] Sierra Watch created a grassroots campaign to "Keep Squaw True", holding public events and circulating an online petition in opposition to KSL Capital Partners' proposed expansion plan.

[39][8] In November 2016, the Placer County Board of Supervisors approved KSL's controversial development proposal[40][41] in spite of opposition from local conservation organizations, including Sierra Watch.

President Ron Cohen said in a statement, "While we love our local history and the memories we all associate with this place as it has been named for so long, we are confronted with the overwhelming evidence that the term 'squaw' is considered offensive.