Lifts
Lower Mountain: Papoose. Upper Mountain: Mountain Meadow, Baileys Beach, Big Blue, Gold Coast Express.
The “Green Zone”: Gold Coast/High Camp area
Whether you re on your maiden skiing voyage or you are starting to think about graduating to the blues, Squaw has plenty of slopes for you. One caveat is that most of those slopes are located at the upper mountain, so if the weather is bad and the upper lifts are closed, consider spending your time in the village, browsing stores and restaurants, or go to Alpine Meadows. The only beginner lift that is open is Papoose, it is crowded, and is generally no fun. If the weather is good, you are in luck because the views from the green slopes are gorgeous, and so is the skiing. Big Blue, Bailey’s Beach, and Mountain Meadow chair are pretty docile and will suite a beginner or a “never-ever” skier. Alas, the East Broadway chair famous from its appearance in the “Hot Dog” movie (as the ski ballet venue) is gone, but nobody mourns its disappearance. Gold Coast Lift is listed as a blue lift, but in reality unless you go directly under the chair, the runs will be perfectly suitable for beginners. Most green runs either start or end at one of the two lodges, Gold Coast or High Camp that have plenty of opportunities to eat and rest (GoldCoast now even has a ski-through Starbucks).
The Big Blue chair should be your default choice for uphill transportation in the Green Zone and it will give you a chance to access most of the runs. Once you get familiar with the Green Zone, you may choose to ski a smaller, shorter lift that would have fewer people. Gold Coast is a very good lift to try slightly more advanced terrain as you almost always can bail out to an easier slope. Gold Coast also has access to the intermediate and advanced terrain parks
Mountain Run is a somewhat more difficult option, but it is a long winding run that may please some people. It is often used by the ski school and ski teams so be careful and control your speed there. Another more difficult run still suitable for beginners (but barely) is Shirley 5 (fifth run on the skiers right from the top of the Shirley lake chair). It is a lot more mellow than the other Shirley runs, although it will be considered a solid blue at most other areas. If you take it, be careful, and turn left before the significantly steep and often bumpy last pitch. At the end of the day consider downloading on the Funitel as an alternative to going down the Mountain Run; that run gets very crowded between 2 pm and 4 pm, and is no place for a beginner (the ski teams tend to get down between 2:10 and 2:30 and although these kids are perfectly skilled to avoid you the spectacle of a bunch of racers in full gear zooming by is unnerving (recently some teams wisely started to download on the Funitel at the end of their day). Also, be vigilant about the area between the bases of the Big Blue and Siberia chair, it is a crossroads traversed in many directions and can get crowded and fairly chaotic on a busy day.
Other beginner terrain
If the top is closed and you are bored of skiing Papoose, you can try Champs-Elysees trail off Red Dog. It is marked as a blue run, but in good snow it can be suitable for advanced beginners. Make sure not to turn right onto the lower Champs-Elysees , as it drops you onto the wide but steep Red Dog Face. Instead, continue straight onto the Easy Street that meanders under the KT-22 lift. Lower Exhibition face is also suitable for beginners unless it is scraped bare. If in doubt, always look at the skiers on the slope before getting on the lift and be brutally honest about your abilities.
