Industry News
One of California’s oldest ski resorts, Badger Pass in Yosemite National Park, has announced it will not open for the 2024-25 season due to insufficient snow. The decision, made in collaboration with the National Park Service and Yosemite Hospitality, was shared in a social post on Monday.
Despite recent snowfall of 10 inches and forecasts predicting an additional 3 to 4 feet later this week, the ski area explained that the snow had arrived too late in the season to justify opening. “The snow totals have been too unreliable to wait any longer to be able to open Badger for less than a month,” the park announced.
“Dear Badger Pass Fans, We are saddened to announce that the decision has been made with the National Park Service and Yosemite Hospitality that Badger Pass Ski Area will not open for the 2024-25 season due to lack of snow early enough in the season. We also want to recognize that there is snow in the forecast this week, however this forecast is arriving too late in the season and the snow totals have been too unreliable to wait any longer to be able to open Badger for less than a month.
We share your disappointment in this news and hoped to be able to share better news. Please note we will be issuing refunds for all purchased season passes, and you can expect to see the funds refunded back to your original form of payment within 10 – 14 business days. We’re super bummed this year didn’t pan out, thanks for being loyal Badger supporters and doing your snow dances all winter anyways! Hopefully we can see you next year… on the slooooooooopes!”
– Badger Pass announcement
According to OpenSnow, the resort has seen 110″ of snow this season and has a 15″ base, 71% of normal for this time of year.
Badger Pass Ski Area is a small ski area within Yosemite National Park. It 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 access to this ski area. However, its operations depend heavily on weather conditions, often leading to delayed openings during drier winters. According to the California Department of Water Resources, this year’s Central Sierra snowpack is approximately 75% of normal levels.
Season pass holders will receive full refunds within 10–14 business days, and park officials expressed hope for better conditions next year. Yosemite’s concessionaire, Aramark, continues to manage the ski area as part of its broader hospitality operations within the park.
Sandia Peak and Ski Cloudcroft in New Mexico closed early this season due to warm temperatures and lack of snow.
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. A legal settlement on July 15, 2019, restored the resort’s historic name.
- Related: Yosemite Ski and Snowboard Area, California’s Oldest Ski Resort, to Return to its Original Name
Badger Pass is 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 five lifts with downhill, snow tubing, and snowboarding facilities. There are also training areas with instructors for beginners and novices who 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 skiers can not enter the area.
In addition to the downhill facilities, there are extensive cross-country skiing and snowshoe trails. This is one of the highlights of the Badger Pass/Yosemite National Park winter activities. Over 84 miles (135 km) of trails encompass many of the tourist sites in Yosemite. In addition, two overnight huts are available for extended winter trips into the wilderness.
