NEWS

GENERAL CONDITIONS:

Weather has stabilized over the past week as a Pacific high has rebuilt and taken control over conditions in the West. At Donner Summit daytime highs have been in the 40s and overnight lows in the 20s. We had about a foot of snow last Friday; that’s getting a little “old”, but you may still be able to find powder in places where the sun doesn’t shine much. Elsewhere, the sun has been shining a lot.

This morning the Central Sierra Snow Laboratory (https://cssl.berkeley.edu) reported no new snow in the past 48 hours but 12.8 inches in the past 7 days (last Friday). The season total is now 150.0 inches, compared to a median 115.6 inches on the same date over 1991-2020. We’ve received 40% of the median expected for an entire winter season. 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 (January 9) sunrise was at 7:21 AM, sunset will be at 4:56 PM. Sunrise is drifting later by about 1 minute each week. Sunset is also drifting later — by about 6 minutes each week. The winter solstice (when there was the least daylight) was Saturday, December 21; so the days are getting longer — by about a minute per day, showing up as slightly more light in the evening.

Venus is very bright and about 30° above the southwestern horizon at 5:30 PM; at the same time and at about the same angle above the southeastern horizon, you should be able to spot Jupiter, which is almost as bright. Jupiter is slightly west of overhead and Mars (orangish) is slightly east of overhead at midnight. The Moon will dance around Jupiter for the next 3 days, then dance around Mars for the next 3 days. Mars will be at opposition (maximum brightness and nearly overhead at midnight) on January 16. A full Moon (January 13) and Mars at opposition are the same viewing geometry from Earth — fully illuminated. Check it out on the 13th.

FORECAST:

The daytime high temperature today is forecast to be 40°, the overnight low tonight 27°. Temperatures will drop about 5° this weekend, then rebound by a week from now. Winds will generally be from the northeast for the next week, explaining the colder temperatures at Donner Summit (and the Santa Ana conditions in Southern California). There’s 20% chance of precipitation in the days following the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend; but the next two weekends (and the week between) should be fine for outdoor activities. Just watch for slippery spots when walking or driving.

AVALANCHE EDUCATION:

January 15 (Wednesday) 6:30 PM: Join Tahoe Mountain Sports at Alibi Truckee for the fourth of four free sessions on basics of backcountry travel. In this fourth session, learn how to find the right partners to enjoy the winter backcountry safely. For more information, go to https://tahoemountainsports.com/blogs/blog/avalanche-education-series-2024?srsltid=AfmBOoqYzsEDVRRm6CZ0zwiBmbwVypn3PZhkJVQP17bYF_2g3_3UhKs8

RAINBOW LODGE OPEN TO PUBLIC:

January 17-19 (Friday-Sunday): Rainbow Lodge will be open for public overnight bookings. From 4 to 8 PM Friday and Saturday (January 17 and 18), the restaurant and bar will be open for walk-ins with a limited rotating dinner menu. The open weekend format will be repeated February 14-16. For more information, go to https://www.therainbowlodge.com

SNOWPACK BRIEFING:

January 31 (Friday), 1 PM: Andrew Schwartz, CSSL Director, will host a Zoom briefing on recent storms and precipitation, conditions around California and the western US, weather outlook for the next 10 days, and the seasonal outlook. There will be subsequent briefings approximately monthly — near (but not always after) each monthly California Snow Survey.  Briefing Zoom link and info: https://berkeley.zoom.us/j/95609193036  Meeting ID: 956 0919 3036.

SUGAR BOWL:

Sugar Bowl is open daily 9 AM - 4 PM. Check their web site for more information (https://www.sugarbowl.com). Sugar Rush Tubing is open daily 10-4. January 12 they are having “ski poker”, a family-friendly scavenger hunt. 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 Fridays are January 10 and 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

ROYAL GORGE:

Royal Gorge is open daily 8:30 AM - 4 PM, currently with 65 km of recently groomed trails between Sugar Bowl’s Village on the east and a loop around Kidd Lake on the west. Trails south to Point Mariah are also groomed, most recently a couple days ago. Summit Station and Van Norden parking areas are both open. 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.

January 10 (Friday), 9 AM: Martin Benes offers the first of ten weekly masters clinics at Royal Gorge. For more information and registration go to https://www.skireg.com/rg-10-week-clinic

SODA SPRINGS:

Soda Springs Mountain Resort, including kids facilities and tubing, is open 9-4 on weekends and 1-4 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, snowmobile tours, and a rope tow terrain park. Their web site is as http://www.kingvaleresort.com

AVALANCHE FORECAST:

The Sierra Avalanche Center (https://www.sierraavalanchecenter.org) forecast shows avalanche danger to be “1. Low” at all elevations. The snowpack is pretty stable, but watch for isolated areas of recently wind-drifted snow which may be less stable.

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: The freeway is presently open with no chain requirements. Chain requirements change depending on conditions. 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. Beware of “black” ice which is free of snow but extremely slippery for both walking and driving.

PHOTO OF
THE WEEK: