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Current Spring Conditions
Current Weather Forecast Call 209-372-0200 ext 1, then 1 again for California road conditions inside the park. 5/8/08 1:00pm PDST California Road Conditions Report for Highway 41, 140 & 120 (enter "41" or "120" in the text box, or for any California road conditions) Yosemite Weather/Climate Satellite Image Radar Image |
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Now available!
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Questions: If you have any ski related or or weather questions, feel free to call 209/372-0450 between 8 am and 8 pm. If we are out skiing, leave a message and a phone number so we can return your call. Please don’t call us with questions about road conditions, as we live 20 miles from the nearest plowed road and don't do any driving this time of year. For current park road conditions call 209/372-0200. --Jeff and Kathi, Tuolumne Meadows winter rangers |
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Tuolumne Meadows Ski Hut
Winter 2007-2008
(note changes below)
The Tuolumne Meadows Ski Hut is open for the winter season until the Tioga Road opens to traffic in the spring. It sleeps 10 and is available at no charge on a first-come, first-served basis. Parties should always be prepared to camp out in case the hut is full, which happens on occasion, particularly in the spring.
The ski hut is the stone building facing the Tioga Road just west of the bridge across the Tuolumne River and right at the entrance to the Tuolumne Meadows Campground. It is approximately eight miles west of Tioga Pass, and sits at about 8,600 feet in elevation. A wooden sign out front indicates "SKI HUT."
The hut has a wood stove for heat, firewood is provided, and an axe is available for splitting wood. There are electric lights and electric hotplates for cooking--unless the power goes out. An outhouse is located behind the hut and a dumpster for trash is located at the summer store just to the west. Snow will need to be melted for water and pots are provided for that purpose. Bring your own pans and stove for cooking. A large rodent-proof can is provided for storing food while staying in the hut.
The closest route to Tuolumne Meadows is a 16-mile ski up Highway 120 (closed to vehicles this time of the year) just outside the town of Lee Vining, and over 10,000 foot Tioga Pass--a one- or two-day trip under good skiing conditions, but possibly a much longer trip after heavy snowfalls. Numerous other backcountry ski routes of varying length and difficulty exist to access the Tuolumne Meadows area.
A big change this year is that Tioga Pass Resort (TPR) will NOT be open this winter. In past years, the good folks at the lodge made the ski in from the east side much easier by packing out the road, cutting through avalanche paths, and even transporting people and gear up to snow line. None of that will happen this winter. Skiers need to be much more aware of avalanche danger, snowpack conditions, and forecasted weather this winter, especially along the road east of Tioga Pass, and realize that the lodge is unoccupied and not available as a place to retreat to should you encounter difficulties.
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Stranded Hikers / 4-Mile Trail Area
(11/17/07) At 3:15 PM a 911 cell phone call reported that three hikers
were stranded on the cliffs that separate Union Point and the 4-mile Trail
switchbacks. The party of three had scrambled down a series of ledge
systems that left them stuck with over 200 vertical feet of terrain above
and below them. No injuries were reported.
Rangers responded from the valley to attempt to locate the stranded hikers. Simultaneously, a spotter with a high powered scope was sent up the Yosemite Falls Trail. Once the individuals were located it was determined that the best access to them would be from above their location. Three technical rescuers hiked to the Union Point area and traveled off trail through thick brush and rocky terrain. Due to darkness and the difficulty of navigating through the dense terrain, the spotter on the Yosemite Falls Trail used the lights of the rescuers to guide them via radio to a location directly above the hikers.
The rescuers set-up an anchor system and rappelled 70 meters with the guidance of the spotter across the valley, and located the three hikers huddled together on a small ledge. The subjects were secured with harnesses and ropes, and individually raised back to safe terrain.
The hikers were escorted back to the 4-mile Trailhead. The rescue was complete at 10:30 PM.
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Thinking of climbing Half Dome?
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Climber Fatality
11-11-07
Cathedral Peak
"On November 10th at approximately 9 AM, Peter Noble, 43, and his
climbing partner started the approach hike to Cathedral Peak’s
Southeast Buttress. They had not looked at a current weather
forecast though they did speak with a Ranger at the trailhead
about the potential of a road closure due to the weather moving in
overnight. The two said they might be coming back after dark but
planned to be out of the backcountry that night.
They had jackets and a sleeping bag in their vehicle and left their backpacks with some gear in them near the base of the climb. Just before dark, the men made it to a point near the summit of Cathedral Peak and decided to rappel their route. On the way down, it got dark and windy. As temperatures dropped, sleet began to fall which later turned to heavy snow. On the rappel, they had gotten a rope stuck and had to cut it to continue the rappel in the dark. On the final rappel both fell approximately 15 feet near the base of the climb but neither was injured. They were wearing light jackets, cotton shirts and pants.
When they reached the ground and started walking out along Budd Creek, they both were falling continuously and were moving very slowly. They realized they were both in danger of freezing but were stumbling and crawling down the Budd Creek drainage. At one point, the climbing partner tried to carry Noble but was not strong enough. Noble repeatedly fell down and finally collapsed. The climbing partner attempted to resuscitate him for an unknown amount of time with no success. The partner realized that he might die if he didn’t continue toward the car, so he left Noble just before dawn on the 11th and made it to the trailhead at 0730 hrs. He was shaking uncontrollably and somewhat incoherent but described the situation to a Ranger.
Yosemite initiated a rescue effort and found Noble’s body just after 10AM 1.65 miles from the Tioga Road in the Budd Creek drainage near the climbers approach trail." ---friendsofyosar.org
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Injured Climber Rescued From Half Dome
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Hiker visiting from
Japan falls to his death scaling Half Dome
A 37-year-old man died Saturday afternoon (June 16, 2007) while hiking Half Dome
in
Yosemite National Park with four friends, a park
spokeswoman said.
Hirofumi Nohara of
Japan fell about 300 feet to his death while hiking a
section
of
the rock that is equipped with cables, spokeswoman Adrienne
Freeman
said
Sunday. It's not clear why or how Nohara fell, Freeman said.
Freeman
said
Nohara, who was in the
United States on a work visa, was about
two-thirds
of the way up the cables, which line the last 400 feet to the
summit.
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Visitor Falls Into River And Drowns
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Seriously Injured Climber Rescued From El
Capitan
The park received a 911 call reporting a climbing fall on El
Capitan
around
9:30 a.m. on the morning of Thursday, May 17th, 2007. Initial reports
were
that
the climber, Alexander Scola, a German national, had
sustained a
very
serious injury and that a long blood trail could be seen below the
ledge
where he was awaiting aid. SAR personnel were paged and efforts to
find
and
reach him began immediately. Scola was climbing the seventeenth
pitch
of
the Nose Route on the south face of El Capitan when the accident
occurred.
He was leapfrogging his protection when he fell about 100 feet,
striking
Eagle Ledge during his fall and coming to rest ten feet below the
ledge,
hanging from the climbing rope that had ultimately arrested his
fall.
With
the assistance of a California Highway Patrol helicopter, rescuers
were
on
the four-foot-long by eighteen-inch-wide ledge within three hours
of
the
call. Scola was packaged, flown to El Cap Meadow, then transferred
to a
waiting air ambulance. He sustained several injuries, including
fractures
to a femur, three vertebrae and his jaw. Rob Lewis was IC. (InsideNPS)
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The 2006 Highway 140 Rockslide
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The Park Service released several photos of the rock slide, and this is the best one. Photo taken on June 4, 2006. This slide keeps getting bigger and bigger. |
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Shot taken on May 31, 2006. Material continues to fall; dust in the lower left corner of the shot is the result of falling rock while the photos were being taken. You're looking at 15 acres of earth that has fallen on the highway. |
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Bear-proof food canisters MANDATORY in the
backcountry!
The Park Service announced today
(5-11-04) revised wilderness food storage regulations in an
effort to reduce the number of incidents of bears obtaining food
from backpackers in Yosemite’s backcountry. Yosemite’s Bear
Council endorsed this recommendation by Chief Ranger Steve
Shackelton. Bear-proof canisters are required within seven
linear miles of park roads. This includes the Wawona Road (Highway
41), the Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120 West), the Tioga Road
(Highway 120 East), the Glacier Point Road, the Hetch Hetchy Road,
and the Lake Eleanor Road. Bear-proof canisters are required
within one-half mile of the shoreline of Benson Lake and above
9,600 feet (above tree line). Yosemite National Park still
strongly recommends backpackers use approved bear canisters
throughout the wilderness.
A map delineating the new wilderness areas requiring bear
canisters can be viewed at
http://www.nps.gov/yose/wilderness/bfoodstoragem.htm.
Within
the green shaded areas, backpackers are required to store food
items, items carrying food scents, and toiletries in bear
canisters.
National Park Service approved bear canisters are available for a minimal rental fee from wilderness centers, some concession outlets, and the Hetch Hetchy entrance.
Approved bear canisters for 2008:
Garcia Backpacker Model 812-C
Bearikade Weekender MKII (1766 and higher) and Expedition MKII (1766 and higher) www.wild-ideas.net/
BearVault 110b, 200, BV250 and BV300 www.bearvault.com
Purple Mountain Engineering (PME) Tahoe Model (conditionally approved)
CounterAssault Bear Keg (conditionally approved)
Ursack TKO 2.0 Hybrid (conditionally approved) http://www.ursack.com/
BearVault BV350 and BV400 (conditionally approved)
Approved panniers (for stock use):
DeCarteret Aluminum Stock Panniers
Berner Bear Box
Bear Aware Panniers
Bear Country camping (conditionally approved)
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Winter
Driving Reality!
You will not be allowed to proceed without chains or 4-wheel
drive. Many people attempt to ignore this admonition, but this
friendly-but-serious ranger will make you turn back. In the 20
minutes I stood taking pictures, many angry, expletive-spewing
people were turned back. If you do not have 4-wheel drive...
PS: You would not believe what these guys have to go through to
get a permit to operate. They must pass a test of installing all
the different kinds of chains available. Then, pay a fee... but
during a major storm these guys clean UP!
If you are planning a
winter visit, please read below...
...you can let these enterprising gentlemen install your chains
for a fee of $25. Actually, this is money well spent; these guys
know what they are doing, which will save you much pain from
flapping pieces of chains chewing away at your wheel wells or
fender paint, or worse, chains coming off. Plus, they work fast
and you don't have to get out and get cold and wet and frustrated.
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Chain Designations and Highway Condition ratings:
R-1 Park signs read "AUTOS & PICKUPS SNOW TIRES OK". This
means chains are required for all vehicles unless they have snow
tread tires. (4wdr without snow tires must chain up.) Snow tires
must have a minimum tread depth of 6/32 of an inch to be legal.
Studded snow tires may be used if the tires are also rated as snow
tires, if not, the tires need to be chained up. (Studs do not
replace chains!)
· Any vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of 10,000 lbs must chain
up. (Usually, large vans on up.)
· All vehicles, including those with 4-wheel drive with snow tires
that are towing trailers must have chains on one drive axle of the
vehicle.
· If the trailer has brakes, it must also have chains on one axle.
R-2 Park signs read "4W DRIVE WITH SNOW TIRES OK". This
means that chains are required on all vehicles. The exception is
four-wheel drive vehicles with snow tires on all four wheels.
(This is for all 4-wheel drive passenger vehicles with an unladen
weight of 6500 pounds or less)
· The 4wdr system must be engaged!
R-3 Park signs read "NO EXCEPTIONS". This means that
chains are required on all vehicles. There are no exceptions. (Yes
"ALL" means four-wheel drives too.)
Remember, State Law requires you to carry chains in your vehicle
when entering an active chain control area. Tire traction devices
can be link chain, cable chain and/or spider straps.
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The weather can change quickly; it was 80 degrees and sunny two days before this shot was taken, April 8, 2001. During Spring, be prepared! This is at the 4,000 foot elevation, just before you get to Fish Camp. |
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...and then there's this photo taken at the Yosemite National Park boundary on April 21, 2001 on Highway 41. Now, this snow melted rapidly, but for about an 18 hour period chains were required between Wawona and the valley. During the night many people were turned away by the Highway Patrol roadblocks and had to go back to Oakhurst and get a motel room. ALWAYS CARRY YOUR CHAINS until about the first of May. |
(vwf) :-(
