Weather
The organisers were very lucky with the weather. It had rained in Squaw Valley in the days leading up to the tournament and a snow storm slightly disrupted the opening ceremony. The date of the downhill had to be pushed back, but other than that, conditions were perfect for all the events throughout the competition.
Not far to walk
A key to the success of the Games at Squaw Valley was that many of the events were concentrated in a small area, which made the event as a whole more attractive to spectators. Fans of cross-country had a longer walk: the competition was held 30km from the resort.
Fewer athletes
Whereas 821 athletes had made the trip to Cortina four years previously, only 665 competitors arrived in Squaw Valley, a drop in numbers which reflected the high cost of getting athletes from Europe halfway across the world.
Now you see them...
South Africa took part in its first Winter Games, only to be excluded shortly afterwards by the Olympic movement because of its apartheid policies. The South Africans had to wait until 1994 for another chance to take part.
All in the family
The Jenkins family played pass the parcel with the gold medal in the figure skating, David triumphing four years after brother Hayes Alan won in Cortina in 1956. Hayes Alan Jenkins later married Carol Heiss, the winner of the women's figure skating gold and the athlete who recited the oath during the opening ceremony.
Women gain ground
There were four more medal opportunities for women at Squaw Valley in the 500m, 1000m, 1500m and 3000m speed skating events. Lidia Skoblikova of the Soviet Union won two gold medals.
Not happy
The Europeans were extremely critical of the choice of Squaw Valley, complaining that the artificial elements built into the alpine skiing pistes broke Olympic rules, which stated that the tracks had to be natural. There were also complaints that the Nordic skiing facilities, which were laid out at an altitude of 1900m, were too high.