NEWS

GENERAL CONDITIONS:

It’s been a mixed week at Donner Summit. Temperatures in the mid 30s and rain last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday melted the snow pack and made outdoor activities unpleasant. The winter that went missing in January has returned, however. The base of about 2-1/2 feet of snow resisted and was still in place at the beginning of this week. The Central Sierra Snow Laboratory (https://cssl.berkeley.edu) reports nearly 32 inches of new snow in the past 7 days. The season total is now 181.7 inches, compared to a median 197.8 inches on the same date over 1991-2020. 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 (February 6) sunrise was at 7:03 AM, sunset will be at 5:28 PM. Sunrise is drifting earlier by about 7 minutes each week. Sunset is drifting later — by about 8 minutes each week. The days are getting longer — by more than 2 minutes each day; these rates of change will continue into early May when we can start to feel as though it’s summer again.

Venus was at its easternmost elongation from the Sun a month ago (when it was brightest and trailing sunset by about 3 hours). It is still the brightest object in the evening sky about 30° above the southwestern horizon at sunset. At the same time and closer to overhead, you should be able to spot Jupiter, which is almost as bright. Both Venus and Jupiter are visible at Donner Summit at sunset. Mars was at opposition — when it is opposite the Sun as seen from Earth and at its brightest — three weeks ago. Look for it around 5:30 when it and the Gemini twins are about 30° above the eastern horizon. They form a triangle — a bent “L”. Mars is the orange one at the toe of the “L”.

FORECAST:

The daytime high temperature today is forecast to be 36°, the overnight low tonight should be around 23°. Expect 5-8 inches of new snow today and another 5-8 inches tonight with 20-30 MPH winds from the southwest. Skies will clear tomorrow after another 1-3 inches of snow in the morning; tomorrow’s temperatures will be lower (high/low range 28°/8°). The weekend (February 8-9) will be mostly sunny; daytime highs will be in the mid-30s, but overnight lows will continue around 10°. Winds will decrease while shifting to the east Saturday and Sunday before returning to the southwest. The remainder of the two week forecast shows daytime highs in the low to mid 30s, overnight lows in the mid 20s, and snow (possibly another foot next Wednesday and another foot on Thursday). If you want to recreate outdoors, this weekend (February 8-9) looks better than Presidents’ weekend.

INTERMDIATE SKATE SKIING CLINIC:

February 8 (Saturday), 9 AM - Noon: If you want to improve your skate skiing, Martin Benes is offering a class for intermediates at Royal Gorge. There will be another intermediate clinic on Sunday, February 16. For more information, go to https://www.royalgorge.com/events

SNOW BRIEFING:

February 28 (Friday), 1 PM: Andrew Schwartz, Director of the Central Sierra Snow Lab, will give his monthly Zoom briefing on current snow conditions, prospects for the near future, and the long-range forecast. Briefings are scheduled to be close to the monthly California snowpack surveys. The following briefing will be on Tuesday, April 1. The Zoom link for each briefing is https://berkeley.zoom.us/j/95609193036

SUGAR BOWL:

Sugar Bowl is open daily 9 AM - 4 PM. Sugar Rush Tubing is open daily 10-4. Check their web site for more information (https://www.sugarbowl.com). 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 (https://www.sugarbowl.com/events).

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 tomorrow, February 7. 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 daily 8:30 AM - 4 PM, currently with 50 km of trails groomed in the past 1-2 days between Sugar Bowl’s Village on the east and Kidd Lake on the west. Summit Station and Van Norden parking areas are both open, but Van Norden trails were last groomed 4-6 days ago (see photo below). For more information, check http://www.royalgorge.com/home. The bar at Summit Station is open until 9 PM Fridays and Saturdays for drinks and lunch-like food items.

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.

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 (https://www.sierraavalanchecenter.org) forecast shows current avalanche danger to be “3. Moderate” at all elevations. Additional snow and wind are expected to increase the risk to “4. High” this evening.

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: Chains are required on I-80 (both directions) between approximately Kingvale and Truckee. There was an earlier westbound closure because of a truck fire near the Donner Lake Interchange, then traffic was reduced to one lane (now cleared). Plan ahead by following CalTrans road reports at https://roads.dot.ca.gov. 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. Expect blowing snow; plowing will keep up, but you may find several inches of snow on your favorite road so use caution. With snow most days in the next two weeks, roadside berms will gain height, so check carefully for cross or merging traffic at intersections.

PHOTO OF
THE WEEK: