Cody has seen a lot of things for the first time: rivers, redwoods, squirrels he absolutely cannot catch. But snow was different. The moment we opened the car door at Donner Summit and the cold hit him, he went very still. Nose up. Ears forward. Processing something that clearly did not compute. Then he stepped out, one paw at a time, into the snow, and immediately tried to eat it.
Soda Springs Mountain Resort sits at elevation on Donner Summit, about two and a half hours from the Bay Area. It's a smaller, more relaxed mountain than the big Tahoe resorts. A good place to bring a first-timer, whether that's a first-time skier or a first-time Lab encountering several feet of Sierra Nevada snow.
Getting There
Leave early, ideally before 7am if you're coming from the Bay Area. The drive up I-80 is straightforward but mountain traffic builds fast on weekends once the sun is up. Carry chains even if conditions look clear; Donner Summit can change quickly and CalTrans will turn you back without them.
We arrived around 8:30am which gave us easy parking and first pick of the snow before the day crowds arrived. Soda Springs has a relaxed, unhurried pace that we appreciated. This isn't a big, overwhelming resort. It's the kind of mountain where you can actually stop and look around.
What Cody Made of the Snow
The first fifteen minutes were pure chaos. Cody sprinted in wide circles, throwing snow up with every stride. He ate snow continuously and with no apparent concern for how much he was consuming. He attempted to dig to what I can only assume he believed was a snow-free layer underneath. He stuck his entire face into a drift and came up looking deeply confused but immediately did it again.
What struck me was how much energy he had in the cold. Labs are built for this — the double coat, the thick tail, the general enthusiasm for being exactly wherever they are. Cody in snow is a different animal than Cody anywhere else. He was fully, completely, embarrassingly happy.
The Day's Rhythm
We paced the day in two sessions with a warm break in the middle. Following the approach from the itinerary we'd planned ahead of time, and it made a real difference. Morning snow is firmer and the light is better for photos. Post-lunch the snow softens and the mountain empties out slightly. Both have their appeal.
The snow play area gave Cody somewhere to run without interfering with skiers. The afternoon scenic walk around the Donner Summit area was beautiful — the kind of quiet, snow-muffled silence that you only get in the mountains in winter. Cody's nose was working the whole time, tracking scents under the snow with the focus of a dog who takes this stuff very seriously.
"A Labrador in snow is one of the most joyful things in the world. They have no mixed feelings about it whatsoever."
Practical Notes
The cold drains phone batteries fast, so bring a portable charger. Paw protection is worth considering for dogs on icy surfaces; Cody managed fine but it's something to watch. Bring more water than you think you need (for both of you), and warm food is worth prioritizing. There's nothing like a hot meal mid-mountain after a few hours in the snow.
Leave before peak traffic on the way home. We timed our departure around 4:30pm and had clear roads most of the way back. Cody slept from the parking lot to our front door without moving once.
