Surrounded by lodgepole pines and majestic Sierra granite, Badger Pass Ski Area sits at 7,200 feet on a broad alpine saddle along Glacier Point Road in Yosemite National Park. Modest by modern resort standards, its place in American ski history is outsized. Opened in 1935, Badger Pass is the oldest ski area operating within a U.S. national park, its past tied to Yosemite’s bid to host the 1932 Winter Olympics. A rare survivor of an era when park planners embraced alpine skiing to draw winter visitors, Badger Pass—also California’s oldest ski resort—features downhill terrain, a ski school, and a lodge, whose significance extends far beyond the 800 vertical feet that stretch from its summit to base.