The highly anticipated 48Straight event is coming to Squaw Valley this weekend February 8-11, 2008. The event will host a Ski/Snowboard Cross, Ski/Snowboard Halfpipe as well as musical acts such as The Roots and Pepper. Last year the event was a huge success and a great time was had by all.

Here is some more info from the official website.

While Squaw Valley may draw immediate recognition as the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, the resort has gone on to create the modern equivalent of skiing and snowboarding’s new global stage: the freeskiing/riding revolution. With such legendary spots as The Palisades, The Fingers and America’s most intense lift-accessed terrain on KT-22, it’s not hard to see how alpine heroes like Scot Schmidt, Shane McConkey, C.R. Johnson, Tom Burt, and Ingrid Backstrom have come to call “Squallywood” home at one time or another.

Beginning in 1949 with a partnership between former University of Nevada-Reno ski star Wayne Paulson and Harvard educated lawyer Alexander Cushing, the two erected the first lifts and grew the idea of skiing on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. From rudimentary early beginnings, to the full-tilt development preceding the 1960 Olympiad, to the present, Squaw has continued to be the measure of Tahoe’s ski industry.

With over 4,000 acres, six peaks, 177 runs, and a 3,150-foot vertical drop, it tends to also be the measure of the area’s athletes. With certain lines only viable in very big snow years, Squaw is the continued Mecca for big mountain purists looking to make their mark.

Located in the grand Olympic Valley, Squaw also hosts the Squaw Valley Writer’s festival each year, drawing young writers from around the world to workshop with some of the country’s top writing and screenwriting talents.

Recently adding the country’s first “funitel” lift, the Funicular Telepherique can safely operate in incredibly adverse conditions, delivering riders to the top in 75 mph winds. Additional features include three separate terrain parks, a Superpipe, and night riding for both parks and pipe. In addition to the expansive terrain and nighttime accessibility, Squaw also tends to run operations nearly into summertime, with most seasons extending to Memorial weekend.

Though the modern heroes and their celluloid exploits are fairly phenomenal to watch, Olympic history imbues the place and rightfully so. Only the second winter Olympics in the U.S. at the time, the Games were originally scheduled to occur in France, before resort officials made a compelling case with a massive upgrade and village development. The Olympic committee, duly impressed, made the switch, and one of the greatest Winter Games ever was hosted in the Golden State. As if a panel out of Fantasia, Walt Disney himself released several thousand doves to open the event.

www.jeepsports.com

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