Fresh powder. Clear skies and calm winds. Comfortable temperatures. Your favorite trail or a new adventure. These are the ingredients for a perfect day on the slopes. With 100 million skiers each year around the world, knowing when you have the perfect conditions adds to the thrill of the slopes. Obviously, weather plays a key role in any outdoor activity, whether it’s skiing, snowboarding or a hike in the summer. Finding detailed weather information for that perfect outdoor day is an essential part of the experience!
General Weather Information Falls Short
Over a decade ago, OpenSnow recognized the need for more detailed weather forecasts and information, especially for skiers and snowboarders looking for more accurate mountain terrain and backcountry conditions. General forecasts and overviews were not providing enough information for that perfect powder. OpenSnow built their services to fill this gap, and provide forecasting for areas where elevation makes a difference and localized information was difficult to source. And while OpenSnow started out focusing on providing detailed snow forecasts, today they’ve expanded their services. During the off season, many of their users have come to rely on them year-round for outdoor activities, such as hiking or biking.
Synoptic Data Enhances the User Experience
This past year, OpenSnow wanted to bring even more value to their users by adding more robust weather data to their services. 
This included incorporating real-time conditions from over 50,000 weather stations around the world, which enhances their users’ experience.
Synoptic Data is OpenSnow’s go-to resource for the data. Powered by the Synoptic Data Weather API, OpenSnow shares current conditions on a map overlay within their web and mobile app services. Displayed are the latest temperature, wind, and snow data from stations around the world. Users can view:
- Current and past temperatures
- Track current and past wind speeds
- See how much snow fell at a remote weather station
- View current snow depth and how it has changed over the past week
With data from the Synoptic Weather API, OpenSnow is able to display helpful information for users considering their next downhill or backcountry adventure. Weather observations are delivered to OpenSnow through the API quickly, meaning the data is current, not hours old. It also undergoes a Quality Control process, ensuring the data is accurate or flagged if things look off. Additionally, with more stations available in the platform, users can see real-time conditions in remote areas, not gridded or estimated information.
Along with the basics (temperature and wind data), users can also view snow depth, snow water equivalent, and new snow over time, such as in the last 6 or 12 hours. This gives both OpenSnow forecasters and users a comprehensive understanding of conditions, allowing forecasters to provide detailed insights, and help skiers and snowboarders make solid decisions about when to hit the slopes.
Why Convenience and Reliability Matter
When your company is offering detailed forecasts, customizable alerts, web and mobile apps with detailed information, and expert analysis, you need reliable data. The benefit of using the Synoptic Data Weather API is two-fold. The forecast staff at OpenSnow are able to receive data from thousands of stations globally from one source. This is super convenient for operations and removes the hassle of going out to multiple sources to capture the level of detail needed to power their website and mobile app.
The API is extremely reliable, with over 99% uptime, meaning OpenSnow staff never have to worry about whether data will be available or not. The convenience and reliability of the API brings efficiency and confidence to their operations and they can focus on what matters – providing forecasts for their user-community!
And not only does OpenSnow benefit, the data is served to their users as well, empowering them to make decisions for their activities. When they can see data for conditions near their trail and get a full understanding of the situation and forecast, it’s night and day between using the generic weather data versus the OpenSnow services. With reliable data, users trust the information they are receiving and make the best assessment for themselves about whether or not it’s a good powder day. The testimonials on OpenSnow’s website speak for themselves and the community has embraced their services and the data empowering them to ensure they get a perfect day on the slopes.
