General Conditions

Weather has returned to conditions that are closer to normal for this time of year at Donner Summit.  However, expect generally warmer and drier for the next several months.  Daytime highs were in the 60s a week ago; but yesterday’s high was only 33°.  This morning the Central Sierra Snow Lab (https://cssl.berkeley.edu/) reported 5.1 inches of new snow in the past 24 hours, and 13 inches in the past 48 hours.  The Summit has received 76% of its median snowfall to date, has received 99% of its median precipitation to date, but has only 7% of its median snow-water-equivalent (on the ground) for this date.  Sugar Bowl and Boreal remain open for resort skiing; Soda Springs, Donner Ski Ranch, and Royal Gorge have closed for the season.  Webcams at Sugar Bowl (http://www.sugarbowl.com/home), Donner Ski Ranch (http://webcams.donnerskiranch.com/), and Boreal (https://www.rideboreal.com/explore/webcams/boreal-mountain-cam/) provide up-to-the-minute views of current conditions.  Backcountry skiing remains feasible at 7000 ft and above; but avoid south facing slopes, and beware of snow bridges and streams, which are carrying a lot of water.

Sunrise/Sunset: Today’s (April 2) sunrise was at 6:44 AM; sunset will be at 7:26 PM.  Sunrise is 11 minutes earlier than last week and sunset is 7 minutes later, so the days continue to get longer by about 2-1/2 minutes per day.

Star Gazing: The Moon was full last evening (April 1, 7:11 PM PDT).  Evening stargazing will become easier over the next week as the Moon rises later each night.  Jupiter is the bright object in the evening ski, roughly in the middle of the constellation Gemini and at zenith in evening hours.  Orion and Sirius are easy to spot toward the southwest.  The Big Dipper is close to overhead around midnight.  Venus is visible for about 90 minutes after sunset above the western horizon; it will continue to become brighter and higher in the evening sky in coming weeks.  Mars may be faintly visible before sunrise in the eastern sky; it will become easier to spot in coming months.

Avalanche: For those continuing to follow the February 17 avalanche story, there is what appears to be an even-handed and sobering analysis by Jeff Banks, CEO of AspectAvy, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vpKbEC2L_E  It’s 15+ minutes long, but worth a view if you ski in the backcountry.

Forecast

Today’s high/low range is expected to be 41°/14°; skies will be mostly clear after the storm clouds have moved away.  Expect similar, but slightly warmer, conditions through this weekend.  Highs should be 49°, 56°, and 60° on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, respectively.  On Monday, temperatures will begin dropping again as unsettled weather returns.  There is a 57% chance of rain/snow showers Wednesday.  Temperatures should bottom out at 44°/24° next Thursday (April 9) before rebounding to the upper 50s two weeks from today.  Despite the prediction of showers, don’t expect much accumulation, and very little (if any) will be snow.

Summit Calendar

April 3 (Friday): Play Forever Friday at Boreal.  $35 lift tickets, tubing tickets, and 2-hour Bunker tickets.  $5 goes to charity.  More info at https://www.rideboreal.com/explore/community/all-events/

April 4 (Saturday) 8:30 AM – 8:00 PM: All day good-bye party for the historic Gondola at Sugar Bowl.  It will be retired the next day; a new high-capacity replacement is targeted for operation by November 2026.  Snacks and drinks at the Lodge end (only) 3:30-5:30 PM, followed by a celebration and auction. The festivities will wrap with Open Mic Night, in the Belt Room at the Village Lodge, 7-9 PM.  See https://www.sugar-bowl.com/gondola-history for a history of the Gondola.

April 5 (Sunday) 9 AM – 4 PM: Pond Skim at Sugar Bowl, rescheduled from April 11, now CANCELED because of inability to build the pond from existing snow.

April 5 (Sunday) 9 AM – 4 PM: Easter Egg Hunt and Easter Keg Hunt for a 2026-27 ski pass and a mini-keg, respectively, somewhere on the Sugar Bowl mountain.  For more information, go to https://www.sugarbowl.com/events

April 11  (Saturday): Glenn’s Gallop Biathlon Race at ASC Training Center (formerly Auburn Ski Club).  Rifle check is at 7:30 AM; race starts at 9 AM.  Other details and registration information at https://www.asctrainingcenter.org/events-races/biathlon-races/

April 16 (Thursday) 5-6 PM:  The April meeting of the DSA Board of Directors.   Find an agenda at https://www.donnersummitca.com/dsa-meetings-info/  early in the week before the meeting.  Directions to the meeting will be included.

April 18 (Saturday): Public workshop on proposed increases in water and wastewater rates for the Donner Summit Public Utilities District.  Location and times have not been announced; watch the District’s web site (https://www.dspud.org/) for details.  More information is available at https://www.sierrasun.com/news/donner-summit-pud-approves-water-wastewater-rate-increases/

May 6 (Wednesday) 3-5:30 PM: Truckee Job Fair at Truckee Community Recreation Center (10981 Truckee Way) for full-time, part time, and seasonal positions.  Prospective employers should e-mail melissa@truckee.com.

Resorts

Boreal (the Mountain) has 3 of 6 lifts open 9-8 daily, though some may have more restricted hours.  Tahoe Tubing Carpet is open 9:30 AM – 4:15 PM.  Woodward (indoors) is open 12-8 Monday-Friday and 10-8 Saturday and Sunday   Both the Mountain and Woodward will close early (4 PM) today April 2.  Check https://www.rideboreal.com for more information.

Sugar Bowl  is open today through Sunday 9-4.  Check  https://www.sugarbowl.com for more details.  Sugar Bowl will close for the season after a wide range of Sunday events (https://www.sugarbowl.com/events) Backcountry access information is at https://www.sugarbowl.com/backcountry

Soda Springs Mountain Resort is closed for the season.  Watch  https://www.skisodasprings.com/ for news.

Royal Gorge is closed for the season.  Tapas Friday and Saturday starts in late June.   Check https://www.royalgorge.com/home for updates.

Donner Ski Ranch is closed for the season.  Its Old 40 Bar and Grill remains open 7 days a week.   Check the DSR web site at https://www.donnerskiranch.com for news.

ASC Training Center (formerly Auburn Ski Club) offers alpine, nordic, snowboard, and biathlon programs including 25 km of groomed trails.  ASC specializes in training for competition and sponsors events.  See Calendar above and check their web site — https://www.asctrainingcenter.org — for information.

Kingvale Resort (on the south side of I-80 at exit 171) is open for tubing and sledding.  They also offer snowmobile tours and have a rope tow terrain park.  Visit their web site at http://www.kingvaleresort.com/ for more information.

Avalanche Report

The Sierra Avalanche Center forecasts “3-Considerable” avalanche danger at all elevations today.  Their preliminary forecast for tomorrow (Friday) is the same.   After two days of new snow, watch for instabilities on steeper slopes as temperatures rise today.  Then avoid those areas.  For more information, visit https://www.sierraavalanchecenter.org/

Roads

I-80: The freeway is open and in good condition.   Plan ahead by following CalTrans road reports at https://roads.dot.ca.gov.

General: Paved secondary roads around the Summit should be in good condition.