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Press Release
September 8, 2009

Technology will afford prospective guests of Yosemite’s High Sierra Camps the opportunity to apply for the annual lodging lottery on the Internet for the upcoming 2010 season.  Beginning September 1, applications are now available online for submission and will be accepted through November 1, 2009.

“We’re pleased to make this announcement, primarily because it will make the application process easier and more expedient for our guests,” said Dan Jensen, chief operating officer for concessioner DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, Inc.  “For decades, the only way to enter the High Sierra Camp lottery was to submit a hard-copy application to our Fresno reservations office and wait for three months.  Those days are over.”

Applicants submitting by the November 1 deadline will receive notification 30 to 60 days faster than in previous years.  The simplified electronic medium will allow DNC’s central reservation office to process applications quicker, and return confirmations more rapidly than before.

Any canceled space will be filled by a second round lottery using applications which were not awarded during the first round.  Any available space not awarded during those first two rounds will be filled by phone inquiries on a first come, first served basis beginning February 9, 2010, nearly two full months earlier than this year’s April 1 date.

For further information regarding how to apply online for the upcoming 2010 High Sierra Camp Lottery, please visit www.yosemitepark.com/Accomodations_HighSierraCamps.aspx.  You may also email FresnoHighSierra@dncinc.com, or call 801.559.4909.

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Ron Agostini
The Modesto Bee
March 18, 2009

The speculation has been put to rest. Badger Pass is going nowhere.

The ski and snowboard playground of Yosemite National Park is leaning forward, looking ahead. California’s oldest ski resort (1935) plans to be around for a while.

“We are here to stay,” public relations manger Kenny Karst said. “We never thought about closing.”

Badger, which closes for the season March 29, was the center in recent years of media and customer speculation about its future. When turnout slumped several years ago, rumors circulated about Badger’s permanent closure.

To be at Badger is to walk into its past. Photos, which feature its beginnings as a hangout for Hollywood’s beautiful people, grace its rustic lodge. The resort is small and quiet with, until a few years ago, few modern touches.

Badger catered more toward customers staying at area lodges. Daytrippers, discouraged by the park’s gate fee on top of the lift ticket price, were sparse.

Nevertheless, Karst dismissed the rumors as “an old wives’ tale passed down. Because there had not been as much advertising in those years, people assumed we were thinking about closing.”

What changed was Yosemite’s approach. The marketing staff doubled in the last two years, and Badger’s message was heard loud and clear.

Attendance at Badger last year was the best in over a decade, Karst said, and this season’s turnout nearly will equal 2008.

“We quelled the rumors by being more pro-active in our outreach and publicity,” he explained. “We also put some specials programs in place. People can upgrade their park pass ($20) to an annual pass ($40), which they can use year-round for the entire park. If you go to Badger twice, you cover the cost.”

About $2.5 million in upgrades, including the refurbishing of the Eagle chair and the addition of a Sno-Cat for grooming, also were pumped into Badger for this season. The result is an old resort, still a favorite for ski and riding instruction, finding new life.

“If you’re looking for black-diamond runs, go to Tahoe or Colorado. If you’re looking for a perfect spot to learn how to ski, Badger is still here,” Karst said. “People have rediscovered the advantages of bringing the family to Badger Pass.”

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