General Conditions

There is still snow at 7000 ft on north-facing and sheltered slopes; but you need to go 500-1000 feet higher for plausible skiing or boarding.  Be wary of stream crossings and snow bridges in the backcountry.  Daytime highs have been in the upper 50s and low 60s for the past week —  except for highs around 40° Sunday-Monday (May 3-4).

The Central Sierra Snow Lab (https://cssl.berkeley.edu/) reported 0.8 inches of new snow on Monday.  That brought us to 306.7 inches for the season compared with 360.24 inches for a median season.  In a median season (1991-2020) there would have been no more snow from today forward.  Total rain-plus-snow precipitation is 102% of median for this date; so we’re not short of water — there’s simply very little left in the snowpack.

All ski resorts at Donner Summit have closed for the season.  The nearest operating lifts are at Palisades Tahoe where they are running day-to-day.  Palisades got 84 inches of snow in April.  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 views of current conditions on Donner Summit.

Sunrise/Sunset: Today’s (May 7) sunrise was at 5:55 AM; sunset will be at 8:00 PM.  Sunrise is 8 minutes earlier than last week and sunset is 5 minutes later, so the days continue to get longer by about 2 minutes per day.

Star Gazing: The Moon was full on May 1; it is approaching third quarter today, rising around midnight.  Evening stargazing becomes easier with the Moon rising late.  Jupiter is the bright star-like object roughly overhead after sunset; it is still in the constellation Gemini but moving toward Leo.  Venus is the bright star-like object over the western horizon after sunset.  Around 10 PM, Arcturus is the brightest star overhead; from the pan of the Big Dipper, follow the arc of its handle to Arcturus.

Other News: Sugar Bowl closed and dismantled its historic gondola lift last month.  If you’d like a souvenir gondola, get more information at https://www.sugarbowl.com/village-gondola-sale?utm_term=5.5.26&utm_medium=email&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=gondola&spMailingID=51718378&spUserID=MTMyMDEyNzA0NDQwMQS2&spJobID=3180339702&spReportId=MzE4MDMzOTcwMgS2

Forecast

It will be mostly sunny for the next week with temperatures rising from the mid 60s today to the low 70s by the middle of next week.  Sunday-Monday will have a few extra clouds.  Mostly sunny will continue for the following week but with highs closer to 60°.  Chances of precipitation are in the single digits until at least the weekend of May 16-17.

Summit Calendar

May 19 (Tuesday) 6 PM: Public hearing on proposed increases in water and wastewater rates for the Donner Summit Public Utilities District.  Customers who reject the increases must register their opposition before the end of the hearing.  More details can be found at https://www.dspud.org/files/40b501400/2026+Donner+Prop+218_webv2.pdf

May 21 (Thursday) 5-6 PM:  The May meeting of the DSA Board of Directors at Soda Springs Mountain Resort.   Find an agenda at https://www.donnersummitca.com/dsa-meetings-info/ early in the week preceding the meeting.  Directions to the meeting will be included.

May 21 (Thursday) 6:30-7:30 PM: Public informational meeting on the proposed cannabis dispensary in the Soda Springs area.  The in-person meeting will be at Soda Springs Mountain Resort; a Zoom connection is planned for remote participation, but details have not been worked out yet.  For more details on the meeting, check poster_260424a.  For a summary of basic information on this topic, see Dispensary_FAQ_v1.  Both the meeting announcement and the FAQ sheet are likely to be updated as the meeting approaches.

June 6 (Saturday) 9 AM – Noon: Join with Summit neighbors in trash pickup along Donner Pass Road.  Lunch at the Soda Springs General Store for volunteers.  Details later.

Resorts

Boreal/Woodward: Boreal (the Mountain) and Woodward Outdoor Parks and MTB Trails are closed.  Woodward (The Bunker) is open Wednesday-Friday 1-8 PM and Saturday-Sunday 10 AM – 8 PM.  Check https://www.rideboreal.com for more information.

Sugar Bowl  is closed for the season.  Check  https://www.sugarbowl.com for information on summer activities.

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) specializes in training for competition and sponsors events.  The ASC Training Center is closed for the season.  Check their web site — https://www.asctrainingcenter.org — for more information.

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

Avalanche Report

The Sierra Avalanche Center has posted general comments on avalanches on its website  https://www.sierraavalanchecenter.org/

Roads

I-80: The freeway is open and in good condition, but there are occasional lane closures for construction.  Plan ahead by following CalTrans reports at https://roads.dot.ca.gov.  Check I-80 webcams at https://caltranscameras.app/cameras/route/I-80

General: Paved secondary roads around the Summit should be in good condition.  Off Highway Vehicle roads will be challenging as snow melts and muddy sections dry.  Rattlesnake Canyon Road (FR85) north from Cisco Grove was closed for four years starting in 2024 for construction at Fordyce Dam.