Tahoe Ski Resort Drops 'Derogatory And Offensive' Squaw Valley Name

Washoe tribe expresses "great appreciation" for the "Tahoe Palisades" change that "many have worked toward for decades," said the Tribal Council chairman.

Lake Tahoe’s famous Squaw Valley Ski Resort in California is changing its “derogatory and offensive” name to Palisades Tahoe, the company announced in a statement Monday. The resort, which hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics, has had the controversial name — which the statement referred to as a “racist and sexist slur” against indigenous women — for 72 years. “At the end of the day, ‘squaw’ is a hurtful word, and we are not hurtful people,” resort President Dee Byrne said in her statement. “It was a change that needed to be made for us to continue to hold our heads high as a leader in our industry and community. We have a well-earned reputation as a progressive resort ... and progress can’t happen without change.”