Yosemite’s iconic Badger Pass ski area shocked winter lovers by shutting down for the season on March 18, weeks earlier than usual.The lifts that usually hum well into spring were silent as a record-breaking heat wave baked the Sierra Nevada and melted the snow.Skiers who had been counting on mid-March powder were left with slushy slopes and a much shorter season than expected.The resort only managed about two months of skiing after a delayed January 16 start because early snowfall