NEWS

GENERAL CONDITIONS:

Ready for spring? It’s been snowy at Donner Summit for a couple weeks, but conditions are changing. The Central Sierra Snow Laboratory (https://cssl.berkeley.edu) reported 2.2 inches of new snow in the 24 hours ending at 8 AM this morning and 35 inches in the past week. The season total is now 310.4 inches, compared to a median 312.8 inches on the same date over 1991-2020. The Sierra Avalanche Center estimates the total snow depth at elevations 8200-8700 ft to be 73-126 inches. We have about 84 inches based on a homemade snow gauge in our shaded north-facing back yard at 7000 ft. Check local webcams at Sugar Bowl (https://www.sugarbowl.com) and Donner Ski Ranch (http://webcams.donnerskiranch.com) for up-to-the-minute views of local conditions.

Today’s (March 20) sunrise was at 7:04 AM, sunset will be at 7:13 PM. Sunrise is drifting earlier by about 11 minutes each week. Sunset is drifting later — by about 7 minutes each week. The days are getting longer — by 2-1/2 minutes each day; these rates will continue into May when we can start to feel as though it’s summer again. The vernal equinox was this morning at 2:01 AM PDT — longer days than nights for the next 6 months.

Venus was at its easternmost elongation from the Sun several months ago (when it was brightest and trailing sunset by about 3 hours). It is still the brightest object in the evening sky but it is setting less than an hour after the Sun sets; it will be gone from the evening sky soon and will be a morning “star” by this time next month.

7:45 PM is an excellent time to check out the planets. Look for Venus near the western horizon. Halfway to overhead you should be able to spot Jupiter, which is almost as bright. Look for Mars, close to the Gemini twins and nearly overhead. They form a triangle; Mars is the orange one. The Moon was full a week ago; it’s now visible in the morning sky, meaning evening stargazing is excellent (when there are no clouds).

FORECAST:

The daytime high temperature today is forecast to be 40°, and it’s sunny. The overnight low tonight should be around 25°. Tomorrow should be similar though there’s a 50% chance of morning snow showers. Saturday will be 5° warmer, again with possible morning showers. Sunday will be another 10° warmer, but with very little chance of precipitation. The Summit will have real spring weather Monday-Wednesday next week with sunny skies, daytime highs in the low 60s and overnight lows in the mid 30s. Cloudy weather moves back in Thursday with possible showers and a high/low temperature range of 42°/27° continuing through next weekend. The week starting March 31 (Monday) looks showery with temperatures running 42°/30°; showers could be rain and/or snow.

If you want to recreate outdoors at Donner Summit over the next two weekends, this weekend looks mostly sunny and hot (60°) for this time of year, and next weekend looks showery with highs around 40°.

SUGAR BOWL UPHILLER:

March 29 (Saturday): See how many human-powered round trips you can make to the top of Mt. Lincoln during a single day. For details go to https://www.sugarbowl.com/events

GOLD RUSH:

March 30 (Sunday, 8:30 AM - 4 PM): Royal Gorge’s annual Gold Rush Festival, originally scheduled for March 15-16, has been postponed to March 30. Go to https://www.royalgorge.com/events for information about races, a terrain park, vendors, demos, and music on the Summit Station deck.

SUGAR BOWL:

Sugar Bowl is open daily 9 AM - 4 PM. Sugar Rush Tubing is open daily 10-4. Check the Sugar Bowl web site for more information (https://www.sugarbowl.com). There may be some restrictions on operations because of weather.

Sugar Bowl EVENTS (for details go to https://www.sugarbowl.com/events):

Dining: Sugar Bowl’s dining room and Belt Room bar are open until 9 PM each night. Enjoy Raclette Night in the Belt Room 6-9 PM each Friday.

The Silver Belt (April 2-5): The legendary Silver Belt is back and bigger than ever! Once a high-speed, off-piste giant slalom that drew Olympians and World Cup skiers in the 1940s, this iconic event has evolved into an adrenaline-fueled freeride competition that’s a favorite among athletes.

BOREAL/ WOODWARD:

Boreal (the mountain) is open daily 9 AM - 8 PM. Tahoe Tubing opens at 9:30 AM. Woodward (indoors) is open Monday-Friday noon - 8 PM and weekends 10 AM - 8 PM. Check https://www.rideboreal.com

Boreal, Woodward, and Soda Springs raised over $100,000 for local community partners and non-profits through their Play Forever Fridays program in 2024. This initiative allows guests to purchase $25 lift tickets, tubing access, and bunker sessions, with $5 from each ticket directly supporting community organizations. The next Play Forever Friday is April 11. There are advance purchase requirements. For more information, see  https://www.rideboreal.com/explore/community/play-forever. For a complete list of dates, see  https://www.rideboreal.com/day-access/tickets/play-forever-friday

AUBURN SKI CLUB:

Auburn Ski Club offers alpine, Nordic, biathlon and snowboard athletic programs including 25 km of Nordic skiing groomed to competition standards. Check their web site — https://www.asctrainingcenter.org — for more information.

ROYAL GORGE:

Royal Gorge is open 8:30 AM to 4 PM each day. It had 65 km of trails groomed today, including Pt Mariah. Parking was available at both Summit Station and Van Norden Meadow. Check http://www.royalgorge.com/home for updates. The bar at Summit Station has drinks and lunch-like food items until 9 PM Friday and Saturday.

SODA SPRINGS:

Soda Springs Mountain Resort, including kids facilities and tubing, is open 9-4 on weekends and 10-4 Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays (with expanded operations during holiday periods). For details check https://www.skisodasprings.com. See Boreal/Woodward (above) for information on Play Forever Fridays (including April 11).

DONNER SKI RANCH:

Donner Ski Ranch, including tubing, is open daily 10-4 with all lifts running. DSR’s Old 40 Bar and Grill is open daily from 8 AM. Check their web site at https://www.donnerskiranch.com

KINGVALE RESORT:

Kingvale Resort (on the south side of I-80 at exit 171) offers tubing, sledding, and a rope tow terrain park. Their web site is http://www.kingvaleresort.com. For snowmobile tours, you can check the web site of their Kingvale partner at https://www.hlatours.com

AVALANCHE FORECAST:

The Sierra Avalanche Center forecast shows current avalanche danger to be “2. Moderate” at all elevations. Surface warming may lead to slabs and unstable snow structure; so be wary when traveling in the backcountry. Check the SAC web site (https://www.sierraavalanchecenter.org) for details.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT:

Sugar Bowl is operating a free, daily, public shuttle connecting Truckee with Donner Summit this winter. Service started December 9 and will end April 20. The shuttle service makes two loops in the morning and two in the afternoon with stops at Sugar Bowl’s Mt. Judah Lodge, Donner Ski Ranch, the west end of Donner Lake (old TART stop), and the Coldstream TART stop, where riders can make a timed transfer to and from the TART Truckee Local Route. The shuttle will be equipped with exterior ski storage. No dogs, apart from qualified service animals, are permitted on the shuttle. The shuttle service will not operate when Old 40 is closed. The detailed schedule is at https://tahoetruckeetransit.com

ROADS:

I-80: There are currently no chain requirements on I-80 and the two-week forecast is generally favorable. Watch for water on the road and ice where that water has frozen. Plan ahead by following CalTrans road reports at https://roads.dot.ca.gov, then drive carefully. Public parking is available at California Sno-Park sites (https://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=23055); purchase permits in advance through the web site or at vendors on approaches to Donner Summit.

General: Secondary roads around the Summit should be open with no restrictions.

PHOTO OF
THE WEEK: