Fresh snow: 22 inches
Delayed snow depth: 30 inches
High temperature: 52°F (December 8)
Low temperature: -5°F (December 15)

Ski conditions and weather

This report is dated December 20 and was written by Laura and Rob Pilewski, Tuolumne Meadows winter rangers

The Tuolumne Meadows Winter Rangers skied to Tioga Pass on December 7th for the season opener. It’s great to be back in Yosemite and the Range of Light! Much like Clark’s Nutcracker, we stockpiled five months’ worth of food and supplies this fall in anticipation of Tioga Road being closed to motorized vehicles. The summer staff stored firewood for the ski lodge and various snow-watching outposts, locked the facilities, closed all gates, and left on November 12th. Since then, the relatively warm, dry weather has been punctuated by several storms. As I write this the snowflakes are falling again and the place looks and feels like winter. Yummy. The snow cover is good, but the snow cover still needs to heal. Depending on the orientation and height, it feels “bottomless” in many places. The deepening of the snowpack over the past week should help make it more sustainable.

Avalanche and snow cover conditions

Avalanche warnings for this part of the Sierra Nevada can be found at the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center (ESAC) and the Bridgeport Avalanche Center. In the snowpack below the tree line there are several layers of angular snow between layers of crust. This is due to a shallow snow cover, hot spells and cold, clear nights. Ideally, these problems will be alleviated as snow cover increases. The Alpine snowpack has been affected by strong winds and is a grab bag of wind-hardened snow surfaces and windswept bare ground.

wildlife

We observed numerous bear tracks on the east and west sides of Tioga Pass. It didn’t look like an easy journey as their prints sank to the ground. However, the pine martens in the area seemed to have no trouble jumping over the loose, broken early-season snow.

Moment of Zen

We would like to take this opportunity to encourage everyone to get outside as much as possible this winter and nourish their soul. Being outside is good for the mind and body and is vital to being human. You don’t have to be in an iconic place like Yosemite National Park to enjoy the many benefits of being outdoors. Today we skied up one of our favorite local domes, just 10 minutes from our cabin. Neither the breathtaking views of Tuolumne Meadows nor the grandeur of Cathedral Peak (both are visible from this location). We visited this one whitebark pine tree that couldn’t possibly grow out of the only crack in the granite with enough soil to support it. It’s only about a meter tall, but this tree is a giant. This tree is bigger than (human) life!

Questions

Tuolumne Meadows Ski Lodge is open. This primitive cabin serves as the campground reservation office in the summer and is located off Tioga Road at the campground entrance. It is marked with a sign. Firewood and eight bunks are available on one “First come, first served” principle. For those visiting the Tuolumne Meadows Ski Hut from the east (only), permits are issued at the ski lodge itself. For those traveling from other areas, please visit Yosemite’s website: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wildfaq.htm#winter or contact the Wilderness Office at 209/372-0740 . At this time, Tuolumne Meadows has electricity and limited telephone service (Verizon).

Be prepared and please make the right decisions when traveling in the wilderness!

Before embarking on a day or night trip to the snow in this park, read the following three pages:

If you have any additional questions about Tuolumne Meadows in the winter, please feel free to contact us. However, response times may vary when we are on patrol.

Happy winter!

Laura and Rob Pilewski – Tuolumne Meadows Winter Rangers