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California/Nevada Welcome to Palisades Tahoe The Name is New. The Legend Continues.

fatbob

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Really? Honestly this is the first time I have seen the term on a ski map. I googled to learn what it even meant and ended up at the article about fences built from stakes first, then later cliffs.

I have never skied Squaw/Palisades so can't really opine on the 'right name' since I don't know the flavor of the place. Looking at the trail map, the Palisades are near the peak of 'Squaw Mt' so the name makes sense from that perspective. Is Squaw Mt being renamed 'Palisades'? When does that committee meet?

Talking about whether the palisades at Palisades are open is going to be awkward.

Particularly when you'll have to clarify whether you mean PaliFKAS palisades or PaliAlpy palisades....

Certainly if I was Vail I'd be having some SEO fun with the Kweed Palisades as best Palisades in Tahoe right now;)
 

Pequenita

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I think I'd have an easier time getting used to the name if they called the combined resorts Alterra Flagship or something like that, and then made it clear that AM was keeping some of its identity. I feel really bad for Alpine. I don't get what the new name has to do with honoring the indigenous people historically from the area. The logo, I see the nod, even though it really looked like a tsunami evacuation route sign to me at first. Sugarbowl did make a lighthearted dig at the name.

 

James

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I’m just amazed that people are looking up “Palisades”. Esp from California.
Of course everyone else knows the palisades are in Jersey along the Hudson.
TV show late 90’s-
9B7D72A1-BAD4-4B37-8D8E-9EA05F046397.jpeg
 

raytseng

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If anyone is interested in getting angry and riled up or want to argue for arguments sake, as usual you can go onto facebook comments and into a cesspool of arguments. Below is my general observation on the name, from reviewing the cesspool and not specifically responding to anybody from here.

I think people are missing the typical branding requirement of needing a unique name. A bland name is usually needed as it doesn't carry baggage. This means you can then shape it to whatever it should mean.
The fact that people keep saying its bad because they looked it up in the dictionary to says a fence, to me shows it was probably a decent choice if the average person has heard the word a few times but doesn't know what it means

A lot of the better suggestions are "better" on the surface only because it already has some existing meaning. But in terms of branding this is a negative as it is likely someone already owns those rights or you have to compete for overcome the general/existing usages of the name in the zeitgeist.

Just look at the prior name which had nothing to do with skiing, yet people are getting huffy and puffy for it now.
Consider if it was originally named Squawk Valley [or any variable name x], the same history and experiences would have occurred and those folks would have developed the exact same feelings and fight to the death. THEY and the TRUE locals will keep calling it Squawk Valley until they die
 
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raytseng

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I think even without the IOC issues; it would've been rejected because too many things are called Olympic already which makes it harder to brand and stick out. (see my post above).

Google results are 75Million for Palisade vs 9Billion for Olympic.

Relevant?:
 

Scotty I.

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Phil absolutely nailed it. Having grown up on the east coast, the first thing that came into my mind when I heard the new name was an amusement park in Atlantic City. For those who remember, it certainly isn't a flattering name for an upscale ski area.
 
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babanff

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James

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fatbob

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A lot of the better suggestions are "better" on the surface only because it already has some existing meaning. But in terms of branding this is a negative as it is likely someone already owns those rights or you have to compete for overcome the general/existing usages of the name in the zeitgeist.

I quite like Canada's approach

Blue Mountain
Red Mountain
Sun Peaks
Big White
Sunshine Village (there is no village)
Castle


Gold Peaks would have covered a lot of bases (Olympic heritage, Cali sun, Placer county history, fact that the layout is lateral not up/down, stripclub spinoff) Possible prior claim by Vail over their Golden Peak race arena mind.
 

raytseng

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Gold Peaks would have covered a lot of bases (Olympic heritage, Cali sun, Placer county history, fact that the layout is lateral not up/down, stripclub spinoff) Possible prior claim by Vail over their Golden Peak race arena mind.
lol, they would then be in a big fight with Coca Cola over that.
 

Chris V.

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Olympic Meadows covers both mountains. There is your nicknames too, "Do we want to meet at Oly or the Meadows side." Easy Peazy.
Some people don't seem to get it that they couldn't have used the name "Olympic Valley" or Olympic anything without the IOC demanding tens of millions. (Edit--I'm late to the party with this observation.)

I like your "Fluffy Bunny Flats" idea. The regulars would have appreciated the joke. It would have been a more accurate description of what the majority of visitors actually skied. People could have really got into pink bunny ear helmet decorations as the signature look.
 
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Chris V.

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Years ago Heavenly Valley made an effort to drop the Valley part and be known just as Heavenly. To many it is still & always will be Heavenly Valley.
"Heavenly Mountain Resort" was what they wanted to call it. Only God and Vail Resorts can turn a valley into a mountain.
 

fatbob

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lol, they would then be in a big fight with Coca Cola over that.
Absolutely never heard of it and I'm familiar with lots of US consumer brands - where I'm from tea is tea - brewed strong, dash of milk not some lemonade substitute. But I'm beginning to see your point when someone with deep pockets has TM'd most of popular word combos.

How did Northstar ever get their name away - it's so universally used? Maybe the universality helped them?
 

4ster

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How did Northstar ever get their name away - it's so universally used? Maybe the universality helped them?
I guess they could've called it Mt. Pluto then it may have only be galactic ;)
 

raytseng

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Absolutely never heard of it and I'm familiar with lots of US consumer brands - where I'm from tea is tea - brewed strong, dash of milk not some lemonade substitute. But I'm beginning to see your point when someone with deep pockets has TM'd most of popular word combos.

How did Northstar ever get their name away - it's so universally used? Maybe the universality helped them?
:roflmao:
used to be Northstar At Tahoe, and then officially it's Northstar California;

But also that was picked 50 years ago now when the world wasn't quite in the throes of End Stage Capitalism yet where everything is claimed.
 

Pequenita

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There is a distinction between the geographic use of Olympic Valley vs. using the word "Olympics" or "Olympic" for commercial use. I think it's unlikely that the post office in the valley is going to change its name, nor would it get sued. But someone who sells a bunch of t-shirts saying "ski the olympic valley" is going to have a tougher time.

Northstar got its name because no one else was using it for a ski area. :huh: I mean, I don't know the real branding decisions, but it's as good as any. That's the general basis of trademark law - is anyone else using it, is there likelihood of confusion with something else, etc.
 

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