Yosemite Snow Days

As if the 35-day government shutdown during and after the Christmas season wasn’t enough, February also brought intense winter storms. At 1,220 metres, Yosemite Valley is relatively low, meaning most years it gets rain, slush, but not much snow. This winter, however, a series of intense storms rolled in, each bringing several new feet of snow. One recent storm knocked down over 150 trees, causing extensive damage. One climber who lives near Yosemite’s west entrance says he hasn’t seen this much snow here in ten years. Needless to say, there was little climbing in Yosemite this winter.