Photo courtesy Bill Briner
Join along in our 1960 Winter Games historical trivia series. Each day is an anniversary celebration with historical look backs and a chance to win an Adult Midweek 2020-2021 Ticket to Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows and an entry into the Grand Prize of a 3-Night Stay at a Resort of Your Choice. Plus, Grand Pacific Resorts is making a $10 donation in your name to The SNOW Sports Museum as a commitment to preserving the legacy of the valley.
The Olympic Winter Games Squaw Valley 1960 celebrated a lot of firsts: Nestled in a remote corner of the state, it was the first Winter Olympics held in California, it was the first to be nationally televised, and it was the first in which Walt Disney was asked to lend his flair for entertainment.
Bringing the Winter Games to California required tapping into Tinseltown talent. When the Olympic Organizing Committee President met with Walt Disney to convince him that the event needed some Disney magic, Walt cheerfully agreed.
He was already no stranger to the skiing world: Mount Disney in the Sierras was named after him when he helped fund Sugar Bowl Resort in 1939, and 20 years later, he would reveal his own man-made mountain in the form of the Matterhorn at Disneyland.
Walt Disney set out to undertake an Opening Ceremony that would stretch the creative bounds of Olympic fanfare. Despite nearly blizzard-like conditions on Opening Day that threatened to derail the entire event, it went off with a level of pageantry never seen before. From marching bands to flag parades and daytime fireworks, the event forever set a new standard for the way the Olympic Games would be presented.
1. Squaw Valley was the first location in California to host a Winter Olympic Games.
A. True
B. False – the Summer Games of 1932 were held in Los Angeles
2. The mountain peak named after Walt Disney and formerly known as Hemlock Peak is located at which resort:
A. Alpine Meadows
B. Northstar
C. Sugar Bowl
Know the answers? Click below for the chance to win:
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Thank you from the S.N.O.W. Museum Team!
The S.N.O.W. Sports Museum (dba Squaw Valley Ski Museum Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. The Foundation mission and objectives are 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. Rights Reserved, Squaw Valley Ski Museum Foundation.
