The snow report describes the piste and off-piste ski conditions at Tahoe Donner. You can submit an updated snow report here. Piste and off-piste are often different so we ask snow reporters to describe Tahoe Donner piste and off-piste conditions separately. If these details are missing from the Tahoe Donner snow report, you can predict off-piste conditions using the snow depth, the date of the most recent snowfall at Tahoe Donner, the Tahoe Donner weather report and the forecast.

Members can check the hindcast for a timeline of Tahoe Donner weather conditions. This detailed weather log makes it easy to predict snow conditions at Tahoe Donner, even when the snow report is too old to be useful. The hindcast shows when our weather model last predicted snowfall at Tahoe Donner. It shows how much snow we think fell then, and the way freezing level, wind and weather have varied through time. You will be able to predict whether to expect off-piste powder, slush, spring snow, ice or wind crust.

If you see a report of powder or fresh snow conditions several days after snow last fell, there is usually a good reason. At crowded ski resorts, off-piste new snow will be tracked out within hours of a fresh fall but wherever crowds are light in relation to the accessible terrain, it will be possible to stay fresh much later, perhaps several days later. Alternatively, strong winds sometimes redistribute powder snow enough to cover old tracks, or it may simply be that the ski area was not fully open for some period after the snow fell, so fresh snow that fell a while ago has remained un-tracked until this report.

Whenever weather conditions change, Tahoe Donner snow conditions will change too, so it is important to check the time and date of the Tahoe Donner snow report and to guess what effect the weather will have had on snow quality between then and now. For example, the Tahoe Donner snow report on Friday afternoon may indicate fresh powder but if Friday night is mild and rainy then ski conditions will be very poor on Saturday morning. Conversely, if the weather stays stable and cold, the same snow report can be valid for more than a week. We advise that you check the Tahoe Donner snow forecast to see if conditions are likely to change before your visit.

Many skiers enjoy moguls and fast icy pistes but for off-piste skiers and free-ride snowboarders, fresh snow starts to deteriorate from the moment it settles. Wind, rain and periods of above-freezing temperature are the primary cause of the evolution from fresh powder to windslab, ice or slush. High altitude slopes that are shaded from the sun and sheltered from the wind preserve powder stashes longer after fresh snowfall. If the snow report mentions pockets of powder at Tahoe Donner, study the Tahoe Donner piste map in relation to the wind direction to determine the most likely locations.

We stress the importance of checking the date on the Tahoe Donner snow report particularly around weekends. For example, the snow report for Tahoe Donner on Friday may indicate powder after recent snowfall but following a sunny and busy weekend, when the locals hit the mountains en masse, the ski conditions (at any resort) can deteriorate rapidly and late arrivals may see very different ski conditions. Of course some people look for deteriorating conditions in the snow report for the likely development of mogul fields but for powder lovers and particularly snowboarders this can mean tracked out off-piste snow. Of course, this doesn’t always happen quickly after fresh snowfall particularly at quiet North facing resorts at high altitude where genuine powder stashes may be found days or even weeks later. It is worth checking the piste map for Tahoe Donner (found in menu above) for the location of favourable slopes that may be described in the "Tahoe Donner Snow Conditions" part of the snow report. In addition to checking the Tahoe Donner snow report we recommend that you check the snow forecasts found in the menu at the top of the page along with our ski resort guide.

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Scientists have found that new snow can contain weird stuff including pesticides, soot and even nasties such as mercury and formaldehyde. All of these things are found at extremely low levels — which means it's technically safe to eat. more

The Donner Summit Sno-Park is open from November 1 - May 30. Sno-Park permits are required, and are available online or from designated vendors. more

And for the entire month, 210 inches of snow has fallen in that same location, making it the snowiest December in history there. A driver navigates over Donner Pass in California, close to the spot that saw over 200 inches of snow this December. more

Forty-four storms during the winter of 1866-67 dumped 44 feet of snow on Donner Summit. The biggest produced 120 inches in 13 days. more

Interstate 80 over Donner Summit is open year-round, but conditions on the pass in the winter often cause temporary closures. more

The word comes from a word in the Swiss dialect of French, and, prior to that, comes from the Latin word for snow (nix). Our language has used this Latin root to form a large number of words for snow-related things, although most of them are quite obscure. more

The prolonged months of dry weather and sparse snow was a bizarre flip of weather patterns after an atmospheric storm dropped 214 inches of snow in December, nearly 18 feet, on top of Donner Summit, smashing a 50-year record for snowfall. more

Forty-four storms during the winter of 1866-67 dumped 44 feet of snow on Donner Summit. The biggest produced 120 inches in 13 days. more

The prolonged months of dry weather and sparse snow was a bizarre flip of weather patterns after an atmospheric storm dropped 214 inches of snow in December, nearly 18 feet, on top of Donner Summit, smashing a 50-year record for snowfall. more

And for the entire month, 210 inches of snow has fallen in that same location, making it the snowiest December in history there. A driver navigates over Donner Pass in California, close to the spot that saw over 200 inches of snow this December. more