New Snow: none
Settled Snow Depth: 54 inches
High temperature: 52°F (April 8)
Low temperature: -2°F (April 3)
Ski Conditions and Weather
The Sierra Nevada is amid a major warm-up as we write this week’s post. The stellar powder conditions that started the week seem a distant memory. The snow surface is transitioning to a melt-freeze cycle that will soon be yielding a bountiful corn harvest. Overnight lows have been cold enough to refreeze the daytime’s wet and sloppy snow surface here at 8,600 feet. If this trend continues, the skiing will be improving each day. For now, wilderness skiers should anticipate fast travel over hard snow in the early part of the day, followed by slower travel over a soft and wet snow surface. In the alpine, winter snow conditions still exist on north aspects, while other aspects are turning the corner to spring conditions. Coverage and depth remain good.
Caltrans has started clearing snow on the east side of Tioga Pass. Please give them plenty of room for your and their safety. Visitors approaching from Lee Vining should anticipate dry pavement down to 9,000 feet.
Although one may see boot tracks in the snow leading to the Tioga Road, you will not find YARTS running, nor will you be able to hitch a ride back to the Valley. It is not plowed, and one needs to be prepared for winter conditions with—at a minimum—snowshoes, trekking poles, and good navigational skills. Recognize not all tracks are made by those who know where they are going! Rock and ice fall are also increasing in frequency.
Avalanche and Snowpack Conditions
Please refer to the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center (ESAC) and the Bridgeport Avalanche Center for the avalanche advisories for this part of the Sierra Nevada.
ESAC, as usual, summarized it perfectly: start early, bring sharp equipment, and be in the flip flops before it gets too sloppy. We have also noticed a bit larger than “normal” cornice build up on north aspects. Be wary of these not only when traveling under, but when approaching blind from other directions along ridges. Due perhaps to rain events and or how snow fell this season, snow bridges seem to be disappearing a bit quicker.
Wildlife
Marioulmne Marmot's friends are slowly emerging from their dens under the snow. She has fourteen other related cousins/species from the Tibetan Snow Pig (Marmota himalayana) to Punxsutawney Phil (aka Marmota monax) who typically gets all the press back east. Mariolumne is more than a groundhog though. She's a yellow-bellied (Marmota flaviventris) who is aptly named due to her coloration. She is not chicken. She will whistle loudly when an intruder is seen. That helps keep her family and other resident wildlife safe when foraging for grasses, lichens, and mosses. These fossorial (from Latin fossor 'digger') marmots dig their own burrows usually among the rocks and close to vegetation. As social animals, they will bask in the early-morning sun, pose for photos, and groom each other in between feeding sessions. Just as the days grow short and the last of the PCTers roll through the Sierra, they head back underground to hibernate.
Marmot - Wikipedia
ADW: Marmota flaviventris: INFORMATION
Questions
The Tuolumne Meadows Ski Hut is open. This primitive cabin is the campground reservation office in the summer and is located along the Tioga Road at the entrance to the campground. It is marked with a sign. There is firewood and 8 bunks that are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Do not rely on electricity or phone service at the ski hut.Read through the following webpage before embarking on any day or overnight snow travel to the high country: Winter in Tuolumne Meadows.
For those visiting the Tuolumne Meadows Ski Hut from the east (only) permits are self-issued at the Ski Hut. For those entering from other areas, permits are available via self-registration on a first-come, first-served basis. Learn more: Wilderness Permits.
Come prepared, and please make good decisions while traveling in the wilderness!
You may contact us with any additional winter Tuolumne Meadows related questions but response times may vary if we are away on patrol.
Happy touring!
Laura and Rob Pilewski - Tuolumne Meadows winter rangers
