Sierra Backcountry Conditions: Late Spring Skiing in the Sierra

skier making turns in soft spring snow above lake tahoe — Soft snow above Lake Tahoe. | Photo: Zach Armstrong

Report from May 11-12, 2024

Ah, spring in the Sierra. A time when you can get soft turns in on the high elevation peaks, then dip your tired feet in Lake Tahoe when you’re finished. This weekend we found a few soft turns on Rubicon Peak, Mount Judah, and Donner Peak. The sun was shining and the corn was ready for harvest.

Rubicon Peak tops out at 9,187 feet and is located on the west side of Lake Tahoe. A little over two thousand feet of climbing sets up some great north aspect skiing in ideally spaced trees right above Lake Tahoe. The tree skiing was made trickier by the eye-catching good views of Lake Tahoe almost the whole way down. Spring growth now competes with the last little bit of snow hanging on at lower elevations. We were still able to find a way through the maze of melt and skied almost all the way to the car.

The next day we headed up to Donner Summit to do some exploring on the backside of Mount Judah and Donner Peak. Due to our tired legs we planned a much smaller day with a little over 1,200 feet of climbing. Donner Summit has lots of exciting terrain to take in while making your way up. Several steep chutes tempted us, but the sun was really cooking the snow, encouraging us to stick to lower angles. The backside of Mt. Judah features a huge bowl and monster sized cornice. Recent avalanche activity kept us out of the main bowl, but we enjoyed some great turns before traversing over to Donner Peak.