California’s oldest ski resort, Badger Pass in Yosemite National Park, announced last week that they will not be opening for the 20/21 winter season due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns.
Due to ongoing concerns related to COVID-19, Badger Pass Ski Area will not open for the 2020-21 season. This includes both Nordic and downhill operations.
We are in the process of contacting season pass holders with the option of a season pass rollover or refund. Thank you for your continued interest in California’s original ski area, and we hope to see you next season!
– Badger Pass Ski Area Facebook post
Badger Pass Ski Area is a small ski area located within Yosemite National Park. Badger Pass is one of only three lift-serviced ski areas operating in a US National Park (Hurricane Ridge Ski and Snowboard Area in Olympic National Park and Boston Mills/Brandywine Ski Resort in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park are the others). It is situated five miles (8 km) south-southeast of the Chinquapin intersection of Wawona Road (HWY 41 continuation) with Glacier Point Road in the southern area of Yosemite National Park. Glacier Point Road provides the access to this ski area. During high snow level and/or ski season, Glacier Point road terminates at Badger Pass Ski Resort. Under these conditions, the remainder of Glacier Point Road is used for cross-country skiing access to Glacier Point and other destinations in the high country.
Due to a naming rights dispute in which outgoing concessionaire Delaware North Parks and Resorts claimed to own the names of several Yosemite locations as intellectual property, Badger Pass was renamed “Yosemite Ski & Snowboard Area” effective March 1, 2016. The resort regained its historic name on July 15, 2019, when a legal settlement was reached.
- Related: Yosemite Ski and Snowboard Area, California’s Oldest Ski Resort, to Return to its Original Name
Badger Pass is at about 7,200 feet (2,200 m) in elevation at the restaurant and services buildings. At the summit of the downhill ski lifts, elevations rise to 8,000 feet (2,400 m). The nearest community to Badger Pass is Yosemite West. The 90-acre (36 ha) skiing area provides 10 runs and 5 lifts with downhill, snow tubing, and snowboarding facilities. There are also training areas with instructors for beginners and novices that need “brushing up”. A snow tubing area has been added near the cross-country equipment rental area. For safety reasons, this area is “roped off” so that skiers can not enter the area.
In addition to the downhill facilities, there are extensive cross-country skiing and snowshoe trails. In fact, this is one of the highlights of the Badger Pass/Yosemite National Park winter activities. There are over 84 miles (135 km) of trails encompassing many of the tourist sites in Yosemite. In addition, two overnight huts are available for extended winter trips into the wilderness.
They probably shouldn’t open next year due to the heart disease pandemic that will take 650,000 lives next year as well. They shouldn’t open in 2022 either cause of the 480,000 deaths from smoking that will occur that year.