Back-Up Plan for the Back-Up Plan

The mountains will do what they want to.  It doesn't matter what you have planned or how many days off work you can take.  If you're not ready to be flexible with the mountains you're going to get screwed.  And flex we did.

The plan was simple, assemble a crew of smartasses, Kevin, Bernard, Sara, Erin, Pace, Brian, Danielle, Chris, Paul, Kate, Ashley, Peter, Mara and myself.  Drive up to Yosemite after work on Thursday, ski in on Friday, and ski out on Sunday.  We've been doing it for years now but every year it's always an adventure.

Ours started with a storm that will go down in history.  After weeks with no precipitation we got hammered.  By Friday morning the road to the trailhead was closed and we were forced to come up with the first of countless back-up plans.  A friendly ranger named Heidi checked the tread depth on all of our tires and told us the road wasn't opening so we skinned up and started skiing up the road, adding an extra five miles to an already long day.

About two hours later and nearly to the trailhead the road opened and we managed to get our cars up to Badger Pass and the normal trailhead.  It was late in the morning now and the storm continued to build, it was looking like an epic slog and night entrance to Ostrander.  That is when we met Jason Torlano, the Operations Manager for Badger Pass.  He informed us that the road was closed again and the ski into Ostrander would be a waist deep push of impossibleness.  He said we could crash at the resort if we laid low and respected the place.  And that is where the story really starts.

The crew gets comfortable in the kitchen.

Maintenance crew takes us on a night cat ride.

It was obvious we made the right decision when we saw our cars the next morning.

Up to the mirrors in about 18 hours.

By this time we had learned that Jason was not only the operations guru for Badger Pass but he was also a sponsored skier and climber with a laundry list of first descents.  He came up with the next back-up plan.  Instead of breaking trail in waist deep powder to Ostrander he could groom a trail to a different hut ten miles away.  We took him up on his offer.  We loaded our gear on the cat and slid on a groomer all the way to the hut with daypacks.  Ridiculous.  Along the way we sampled the fresh.

Jason to the rescue...again.

Pace gets a taste of the snow off trail.  Would've been a long ten miles to Ostrander.

Pace's Pitch from JonnyB on Vimeo.

The hut was amazing, perched on the tip of Glacier Point the views were absolutely gorgeous.  It was one of those moments in the mountains you just can't plan for.  You have to go and let it happen.  

Private hut and cat at the ready.

Bnard and Kevin clown around at the edge of a 3000 foot cliff.

The ski out was a breeze and we even capped it off with a parking lot dance party.

Parking Lot Dance Party from JonnyB on Vimeo.

The more I do it the more I realize it's not about the summit it's about who climbed it with you.  Thanks again guys!