About This Route
Beyond Badger Pass lies expert backcountry snowboarding towards Ostrander Lake or Glacier Point Road shoulders, offering steep chutes and powder stashes with 2,000+ vertical. Access via skinning or hiking from lift close; NPS rates these Class 4 terrain with extreme avalanche risk. Follow marked ski trails initially, but prepare for untracked lines amid Yosemite's wilderness.
Safety Considerations
Check Yosemite Avalanche Center forecasts daily; Class 3+ danger common post-storm. Travel with beacon-probe-shovel trio, trained per AIARE Level 1. Dig pits for stability tests. Hypothermia kills faster in backcountry; bail early on worsening weather. No post-holing on ski trails per NPS. Group of 3+ minimum.
Essential Gear
Splitboard (Voile Hyper Charger) with skins; ABS airbag (Mammut); transceiver (BCA Tracker4), probe, shovel. Full layers (Rab, Fjallraven), satellite phone (Garmin inReach), bivy sack. Overnight: Ostrander Hut permit required.
Emergency Tips
Beacon search for burials; partner rescue first. Signal NPS at (209) 372-0282; heli-evac common. Hypothermia: shelter, 120-calorie gels.
Conquer Yosemite backcountry responsibly: knowledge trumps powder lust, saving lives per NPS records.