About OpenSnow
I’ve been using OpenSnow for three seasons now, and it’s completely changed how I plan my ski days. Before, I’d bounce between generic weather apps and unreliable resort blogs, never feeling sure about conditions. This app feels like it was built by people who actually ski, for people who live for powder days. I rely on it to decide whether to call in sick for a mid-week storm or sleep in on a weekend when the snow report looks grim.
Features & Highlights
The core of OpenSnow is its obsessive focus on snow data. I have my home mountain, Stevens Pass, and a few others I frequent saved in my favorites. The “Daily Snow” forecast feature, written by actual meteorologists, is my morning coffee read from November to April. It doesn’t just say “snow likely”; it breaks down elevation bands, potential snowfall inches, and even the quality of the snow (think light powder vs. heavy cement). I’ve set up push notifications for when more than 3 inches are forecasted overnight, and that alert has gotten me out the door for some of my best days. The trail and lift status info is pulled directly from the resort, which saved me once when a key chair was on wind hold—I knew before I even left the parking lot.
User Experience
Opening the app feels straightforward. The main screen shows my saved resorts with a quick snapshot: current temp, new snow, and base depth. I remember one chaotic morning last December, frantically checking three different mountains as a storm rolled in. With OpenSnow, I could swipe between them in seconds, compare the live cams (which are integrated), and see that Crystal Mountain was getting dumped on while Snoqualmie was mostly rain. That specific, side-by-side comparison is what made me point my car in the right direction. The map view is also clutch for planning backcountry tours, as I can download forecasts for offline use when I know I’ll lose service.
Pricing
The app is free to download and use with core features like the 10-day forecast, basic snow reports, and live cams. That’s plenty for most casual skiers. They offer a paid “All-Access” subscription (currently $29.99/year) that I eventually caved and bought. It unlocks the hyper-detailed “Forecaster Notes,” hourly forecasts, and, most importantly for me, the ability to get powder alarm notifications for more than one mountain. For the amount of gas and lift ticket money it helps me optimize, the subscription feels totally worth it.
Updates & Support
The app gets regular updates throughout the season, usually to fix minor bugs or integrate new resort data sources. I once had an issue where my powder alarm for a specific resort stopped firing. I emailed support and got a real, helpful response within a day—they walked me through re-setting my notification permissions and it worked. It wasn’t a canned reply, which was refreshing. The forecast blogs are updated daily, sometimes multiple times during a major storm cycle, so the content always feels fresh and relevant.
Security & Privacy
I downloaded OpenSnow directly from the Apple App Store. Their privacy policy is pretty clear: they collect usage data to improve the app and may use third-party services for analytics. For the free version, you do see banner ads, but they’re for relevant gear or travel, not obnoxious video pop-ups. I don’t feel like my data is being grossly misused, and the subscription removes the ads entirely. It’s a standard, transparent model for a weather-focused app.
