General Conditions

Fair weather continues at Donner Summit with daytime highs over the past week running 50-60° and overnight lows 28-35°.  There has been no precipitation for the past 3 weeks and there’s none in the forecast for the next week.  Old snow remains on north facing slopes at 7000 ft, and there’s more as you go higher.  But it’s not ski season yet unless you can find machine-made powder at one of the local resorts.  The Central Sierra Snow Laboratory (https://cssl.berkeley.edu) continues to report 22 inches of snow this season compared to a median 51.4 inches over years 1991-2020.  Webcams at Sugar Bowl (http://www.sugarbowl.com/home) and Donner Ski Ranch (http://webcams.donnerskiranch.com/) provide up-to-the-minute views of current conditions.

Sunrise/Sunset: Today’s (December 11) sunrise was at 7:11 AM; sunset will be at 4:38 PM.  Sunrise drifted later by 6 minutes compared to a week ago.  Sunset has started drifting later; today’s will be at 4:38, about a minute later than a week ago.   The days continue to get shorter but only because sunrise is changing faster than sunset.  At the winter solstice (December 21) the two rates match; we’ll have the shortest day of the year, and then the days will start getting longer.

Star Gazing: The Moon was full a week ago, so evening star gazing is optimum.   Cassiopeia is a W-shaped constellation nearly overhead but toward the northwest in the early evening.  Look for Orion, to the southeast around 10 PM.  If you want to see planets,  Jupiter is bright and about 40° above the eastern horizon at 10 PM.  It will be at opposition (closest and brightest) in early January.

Forecast

The next week looks a lot like the past 2-3 weeks.  Today’s temperature is already  63° at the Snow Lab; there could be a new record.  By Monday, highs will drop to 53° and overnight lows will be around 30°; but skies will remain mostly clear and sunny.  The 10 days starting Tuesday will be colder and wetter with a mix of rain and snow.  Expect more snow than rain by Christmas Day and there could be half a foot of accumulation on some days; but the daytime highs will be in the low 40s, so what does accumulate will be wet and sticky.

Summit Calendar

December 13 (Saturday) 5-6:30 PM: “Defining Moments” — a slide show and book signing with Tony “Harro” Harrington in the Sierra Vista Bar at Sugar Bowl’s Judah Lodge.  Doors open at 5, the presentation is 5:30-6:30.  40 years of shooting extreme adventure on surf and snow around the world.  Light bites and a cash bar will be available.  Tony’s 1350-page coffee table book will be available for purchase and signing.  More info at https://www.instagram.com/harroart/?hl=en&utm_term=12.9.25&utm_medium=email&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=holiday_planning

December 17 (Wednesday) 6 PM: The third of four avalanche awareness sessions sponsored by Tahoe Mountain Sports will be at Alibi Truckee.  This one is “Rescue”.  The final session is scheduled for January 21 on “Partnering Up”.  For more information, go to https://tahoemountainsports.com/blogs/events

December 18 (Thursday) 4:30-6 PM: The. Donner Summit Association holiday party at Nancy O’s Gallery and Glass (21547 Donner Pass Road, Soda Springs).  There will be a short business meeting followed by finger food and beverages.  Hang out with DSA Board members and discuss changes (past and future) on the Summit.  No charge.  Find an agenda and directions at https://www.donnersummitca.com/dsa-meetings-info/ (posted by early next week).

December 19 (Friday): Refreshed dining at Sugar Bowl’s Village Lodge opens after extensive remodeling.  There are three venues — the Terrace, Belt Room, and Yarrow.  More info at https://www.sugarbowl.com/dining.  Santa flips the switch to light the Village Christmas tree on  December 24 (4-5 PM).

Resorts

Resorts at Donner Summit are waiting for more snow; but there are some openings.

Boreal (outdoors) has its Castle Peak chair open 9 AM – 8 PM, but options for getting down are limited (watch for unmarked obstacles). Tahoe Tubing should have two lanes open. Woodward (indoors) is open Monday-Friday noon-8 PM and weekends 10 AM – 8 PM. Check https://www.rideboreal.com for details.

Sugar Bowl will have 5 lanes open (conditions permitting) at Sugar Rush tubing on Saturday.  Check  https://www.sugarbowl.com for details.

Soda Springs Mountain Resort has Planet Kids open Thursday-Sunday.  For more information, visit https://www.skisodasprings.com/

Donner Ski Ranch has Disk Golf open.   DSR’s Old 40 Bar and Grill is open daily 8 AM – 9 PM. Check the DSR web site at https://www.donnerskiranch.com for more information.

Auburn Ski Club is closed for the season. Check their web site — https://www.asctrainingcenter.org — for more information.

Royal Gorge needs more snow.  Watch https://www.royalgorge.com/home for the latest information.

Kingvale Resort (on the south side of I-80 at exit 171) is closed for the season.

Other Activities

If you’re looking for things to do in the foothills and mountains, Nevada County has some suggestions.  These are spread more broadly but some specifically include the Summit area.  Some link to other parts of this web site.

https://gonevadacounty.com/ways-to-beat-heat-that-arent-swimming/ (like ice cream)

Roads

I-80: Watch for snow and ice on the highway, especially by the end of next week.  Otherwise the driving forecast is generally favorable.  Be alert to construction and lane closures — especially Monday-Friday.  There are at least three possible choke points eastbound — Crystal Springs to Drum Forebay, at the I-80/CA20 split, and between Rainbow Road and Soda Springs.  You can avoid the third by exiting at Cisco Grove and driving at a more leisurely pace on Hampshire Rocks Road, which parallels the freeway on the north side.   Continue across I-80 on Donner Pass Road, then go all the way to Donner Lake and Truckee.  Note that several ramps between Gold Run and Donner Summit are closed while being reconstructed.  Plan ahead by following CalTrans road reports at https://roads.dot.ca.gov.

General: Paved secondary roads around the Summit should be open; but be prepared for repair work and occasional delays.    Off-highway vehicle routes (unpaved) are mostly open, but watch for pot holes, rocks, ruts, and slippery spots.  Expect snow on these roads above 6000 ft, especially where there’s little sun.  Forest Road 85 north from Cisco Grove is closed (for several years) while the Lake Fordyce Dam Seepage Mitigation Project is completed.