Yosemite road closure wasn't such a bad thing

You're trapped for two days, unable to enter or leave. The snow is falling. Getting from Point A to Point B is next to impossible.

A dismal situation, right? Not if you're held hostage at Yosemite National Park.

"The people here were treated to a nice retreat," Yosemite spokesman Kenny Karst said. "They had the park to themselves."

Guests and day-trippers coped with the inconvenience after the park was closed Thursday and Friday when falling trees and heavy snow closed all access roads. It marked the first time Yosemite was shut down since 1997, and the timing couldn't have been worse for Badger Pass, the park's ski and snowboard playground.

The Sierra's original ski resort scheduled a celebration last weekend, featuring games and lighthearted competitions, to celebrate its 75th anniversary. Instead, it was confronted with a dilemma: What do you do when people can't get to your party?

The answer: Switch to a backup plan.

For starters, roads were reopened Saturday morning and normalcy soon returned. The two-day isolation could have been worse. Water and electricity remained operational. Hotel customers already there were extended a 50 percent courtesy rate. Those stuck on the outside looking in either rebooked or were given a full refund.

"Mother Nature can be forceful, yet beautiful," Karst said. "It transformed this place into a winter wonderland."

Badger, the recipient of eight feet of snow last week, postponed all Saturday activities to Sunday. More than 800 guests, better than their usual Sunday turnout, took part in such events as slalom races, a cake-cutting ceremony, an historic Badger film, a yodeling contest in honor of the late and legendary Badger ski instructor Nic Fiore — he was a passionate yodeler — and a torchlight parade on the mountain at dusk.

People who dressed in Norwegian sweaters or other period clothing from the 1930s received free lift tickets. Few took advantage but they already had bought into the day's events.

"Not a lot of people have 1930s ski clothing hanging around in mothballs," Karst said. "It really turned into a nice weekend. We had everything except the ability to come and go."

By the way, Badger's 75th anniversary party is ongoing.

"Not many resorts can say they've been open for 7½ decades," Karst said.

• NOTES — A busy weekend was the predictable result after last week's epic snowfall in the Sierra. The snowpack finally is reaching the normal level for the season. ... Lake Tahoe remains the most popular ski destination in the country for air-and-hotel packages, according to the annual Orbitz Insider Index.

Bee staff writer Ron Agostini can be reached at ragostini@modbee.com or 578-2302.