Калифорниядағы Йосемити ұлттық паркіндегі Badger Pass шаңғы курорты

Ski area in California, United States

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.

Badger Pass is at about 7200 feet (2195 m) in elevation at the restaurant and services buildings. At the summit of the downhill ski lifts, elevations rise to 8000 feet (2438 m). The nearest community to Badger Pass is Yosemite West. The skiing area provides 10 runs and 5 lifts with downhill, snow tubing and snow boarding 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 mile (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.

Today, the Badger Pass Ski Area provides a public venue for both downhill and snowboarding activities. It is operated for the National Park Service by the current concessionaire, Aramark. One of the major features of the area is the restored Badger Pass Day Lodge, which houses the Snowflake Room. From this pub visitors can view the 10 down hill runs and the 5 lifts. The Lodge no longer has overnight accommodations and is for day use only. Food concessions and an activities desk are located on the lower level of the lodge. Several ski schools, catering to both beginners and advanced skiers, operate on the slopes. In addition, cross country skiing is available for those visitors interested in a back country experience. With instructors and guides available, Yosemite provides 22 mile (35 km) of groomed cross country track and 90 mile (145 km) marked trails. For the cross country skier there are more than 9 mile (14 km) of skiing lanes. These are located along a groomed portion of Glacier Point road. Equipment for cross country skiing can be rented by the day from the ski rental department on the bottom floor of the lodge. It is a 21 mile (34 km) round trip from Badger Pass to Glacier Point. The views of Half Dome in winter are spectacular. The National Park Service, in conjunction with The Yosemite Association, provides webcams of the vistas along this route. A guided ski trip on intermediate groomed terrain leads to the Glacier Point Ski Hut. This overnight trip affords snow covered vistas of Half Dome and Vernal Falls from Glacier Point. Badger Pass hosts the annual Yosemite Nordic Holiday, a series of cross country races held every February.