Life on Tioga Pass is a blast -- especially in winter, when the temperature plunges to 20 below zero and the wind comes howling over the mountains at up to 80 mph.

"It's unlike anything anywhere else," says Dave Moretz, 41, manager of the Tioga Pass Resort, a collection of 10 cabins and four motel rooms at the 9,640-foot level, about a mile east of the pass. "We're snowed in for eight months of the year."

The resort receives 50 to 60 feet of snow every winter, he says. The thick blanket cuts off the tiny outpost from the rest of the world, but provides a wealth of back-country skiing opportunities for those willing to hike up Tioga Road to the resort on snowshoes.

"The only way in and out is by snowmobile, snowcat or snowshoes," says Moretz, who has spent the past three winters at the resort. "Coming here in the winter isn't for everyone."

Moretz, a native of Portland, Ore., worked in computer operations for the Albertsons grocery chain before taking a seasonal job at the resort seven years ago. He says living near Tioga Pass gives him a healthy respect for the road that leads to Lee Vining and civilization.

"In the summer, sometimes I get a little too comfortable with the road, and then something happens that reminds me that you've got to keep your eyes on the road all the time," he says. "In the winter, getting down the road can be difficult. Storms come through and the wind will leave drifts 60 feet high. We see some strong winds. One year, it shattered the windows in a pickup truck and left the paint looking like it had been sandblasted."

The wintertime isolation at the resort can be exhilarating or drive a person crazy, says Moretz. There's nothing like stepping out the front door and being 10 to 15 minutes away from some of the most beautiful scenery in the Sierra. But winters can be long and demanding.

"If we didn't have the Internet, it would be pretty tough," Moretz says. "Living up here is not the kind of thing you can do for a long stretch of time."

But even harsh weather and isolation can seem like friends after a while.

"I kind of have mixed feelings when the road opens in the spring," says Moretz. "You're happy to have easy access to Lee Vining. But during the winter, it feels like my road, and when you see traffic on it again, it takes some getting used to."