Alex Cushing
Squaw Valley USA Founder Alex Cushing
THE LAST PIONEER
Born in 1913, Alex Cushing was the grandson of a Boston tea merchant. He was raised in Newport, Rhode Island and attended Groton and Harvard. After graduating from Harvard Law School, he practiced law in both New York City and as a Special Assistant to the Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice. At the beginning of World War II Cushing enlisted in the Navy and climbed the ranks to Lieutenant Commander. After the war, Cushing returned to the Wall Street firm of Davis, Polk, and Wardell.
In 1946 Cushing traveled west in pursuit of a new lifestyle in postwar America. It was in an unknown mountain town, called Squaw Valley, where his journey ended and his dream began. When he first laid eyes on Squaw Valley there was no road, no bridge, and no houses but what Alex saw was potential for growth and success in an industry that, in the US, was relatively untapped. Alex's vision became his reality and today, Squaw Valley is among the world's best known resorts.
Squaw Valley opened to the public on Thanksgiving Day, 1949, with a small lodge, a rope tow, and a chairlift that was billed the World's Largest Double Chairlift. The chairlift project was rejected on the count that hanging two people from the air was too dangerous and could not be done. Revolutionary design and operation paired with Cushing's will to defy the impossible became Squaw's key to success. Today, Squaw Valley boasts the most advanced lift network in the world with Squaw's world-famous KT-22 ranking #1 among North American lifts year after year.
As a young business, Cushing's ski resort faced the challenges of fiscal fragility as well as nature's own set backs--avalanches ripped out lift towers three times in the first five years of operation. However, Alex Cushing was never one to shy away. In the face of adversity he smiled and found a way not only to overcome, but to outdo.
In 1954 a two-paragraph story ran in the San Francisco Chronicle about Reno's bid for the 1960 Winter Olympic Games. With the same uncanny demeanor that prompted this New York City lawyer to open a ski resort in Northern California; Alex took on the quest to make Squaw Valley recognizable around the world. All odds against him, (minimal infrastructure and a location in sunny California) Cushing's charm, diplomacy, and overwhelming determination won over a skeptic Olympic Committee and for the first time ever, the Olympics were coming to the Western United States.
What began as an advertising gimmick catapulted Squaw Valley to international stardom and introduced skiing in California to the masses. In February of 1959, leading up to the Olympics, Alex Cushing graced the cover of Time Magazine and was herald as the pioneer of skiing in the US.
On February 18, 1960 over 800 athletes and 30 national teams gathered from around the globe for the Opening Ceremonies of the VIII Olympic Winter Games. Not only was it the first televised Olympics and the first with computerized results, but the 1960 Olympics at Squaw Valley was pivotal both for the state of California and the sport of skiing. Following the hype of the Olympics in Squaw Valley, ski resorts began popping up all over the country and skiing soon became a popular American pastime.
In the years following the 1960 Winter Olympics, Cushing's resort and the surrounding communities experienced a period of dramatic growth. In 1963 Squaw Valley built its first gondola, and, later, in 1969, installed North America's largest aerial cable car. In 1985, the resort constructed the first of several state-of-the-art, high-speed, detachable quad chairlifts.
Alex's wife, Nancy Cushing, has served as the President of Squaw Valley Ski Corporation since 1994 and will continue to do so. Nancy has played an integral role in Squaw Valley's surge of development including the $15 million renovation at High Camp, the top terminal of the aerial cable car. Calling it an eighth wonder of the world, and one of his happiest achievements, Alex's project included an Olympic-size, open-air ice rink, restaurants, tennis courts, sundecks, and a swimming lagoon.
With fifty-seven years of remarkable history under his belt, Cushing, ever at the forefront, continued to thrust Squaw Valley towards his goal of becoming the best ski resort in North America. We're pushing ahead into the 21st century, said Squaw Valley's patriarch. We're proud of our Olympic heritage, but we look forward to an even greater future.
In 1999 Cushing's contributions to the sport of skiing and his long time history as pioneer and visionary were paid tribute to when he was inducted into the Ski Industry Hall of Fame. Cushing was honored for continually following the impossible dream; for having the courage to host the 1960 Winter Olympic Games, the drive to develop the most advanced lift network in the world and the foresight to build cutting-edge mountain facilities. His induction into the Hall of Fame acknowledged his passion, determination, influence, and his success.
In December 2005 fellow ski resort founder, Dave McCoy, sold Mammoth Mountain making Alex the last pioneer and Squaw Valley the only major resort to still be owned by its founder. He will remain a fixture in the ski industry, an anchor to his commitment, and source of regional pride to all in the Tahoe area.
One of the greatest testaments of Cushing's success is that the resort he built has become a sort of haven for world-class skiers and snowboarders. Season after season, they flock to Squaw Valley and often never leave. There is no doubt that the 1960 Olympics made Squaw Valley internationally famous, but it is the legendary terrain and near 500 of snowfall each season that make Squaw Valley one of skiing's great treasures.
A true visionary sees something that no one else can see. Alex Cushing saw Squaw Valley and built it so we too could see. He was a visionary indeed and the kind of dreamer we all long to be; one whose dreams come true on his own accord.