That’s an interesting question. The Karhu Morph ($230; www.karhu.com) is properly dubbed a “skiboard,” a ski-snowshoe hybrid that floats and glides like a ski but is maneuverable like a snowshoe. Easier to use than a ski, too.
I’ve never used one, but the idea of a dumbed-down ski isn’t immediately appealing. The Morph really doesn’t have the binding to “ski” well, and is still much longer than a snowshoe. Maybe I’m wrong, but I’d tend to recommend either a true cross-country ski (such as the Fischer Outbound Crown, $179; www.fischer-ski.com), or a good backcountry showshoe (the Atlas 1030, $259; www.atlassnowshoe.com). The choice you make will probably depend on the terrain and your skiing skill level. Over rough, steep, tree-covered terrain, snowshoes will work much better. But, if you’re in a gentler portion of Yosemitemaybe skiing up the road to the Tuolumne Meadows area, for instanceskis might work nicely and allow you to cover more ground more quickly.
Of course, for the sake of science, you could also buy a pair of Morphs, use them, and then report back to us. They’ll probably work perfectly, and you’ll e-mail me and insist that the Gear Guy is full of you-know-what. Which, sometimes, I am.