The snow forecasts are starting to come in and the pow is piling up in the Cascades of Washington State. But do you know how to prepare to recreate safely, whether snowshoeing or cross country skiing, when winter blankets the mountains? It is time to check out the new app by the Northwest Avalanche Center. If you are heading out into the snow filled slopes of the Cascades, it is a must for safety in avalanche terrain!
In late November 2023 NWAC launched a purpose built mobile app, Avy, that allows users to access weather and avalanche information for the Northwest Avalanche Center (NWAC) and the Sawtooth Avalanche Center (SAC). The app’s purpose is to provide a streamlined user experience for your core trip planning tools, including avalanche forecasts, weather forecasts, weather station data, and observations. Over the coming years, we hope to add the majority of avalanche centers across the country to the Avy app.
On their latest blog post, they talk about the creation of their new app designed to be more user friendly, especially when offline:
NWAC’s weather station data are crucial to understanding what conditions you’ll find when you head out for the day. The updated weather station visualization in Avy was designed to help you get more out of the data. Now you can easily choose your station from 52 across Washington and Northern Oregon, including data from all WA ski areas. This update will optimize how you see weather station data on your phone, eliminating the confusion of the rows and columns getting mixed up when you zoom or scroll. And for those checking the weather stations every hour, we’ve included a quick link from the global navigation bar, accessible to you no matter where you are in the app.
Of course the app is just one tool for winter recreation, you can also learn more about avalanche safety by watching videos like this one or taking NWAC classes like this or basic courses at REI. You can also find out more information so you can be better educated on your next winter outdoor adventure on their website along with links to download the app for Apple or Android.
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