OpenSnow: Forecast Anywhere Ratings and Reviews

I used to ski a lot before I suffered a knee injury in early 2009 while on a trip to Mammoth Mountain. Although my skiing days are now few and far-between, I follow OpenSnow daily (multiple times a day in the Fall/Winter/Spring), particularly because of the unique understanding of the microclimates around the Tahoe Basin, where I live. Bryan Allegretto is an incredible Meteorologist! He may not know the exact number of people who look forward to and (no pressure!) depend on his forecasting prowess, but out of all of the available weather and climate forecasts/predictions for our area, I definitely look forward to and enjoy his amazingly-dynamic posts the most. The detailed descriptions along with pictures and maps that he provides with every post are engaging, knowledgeable, and fun! I know that he spends a lot of time preparing these posts, and they are appreciated and enjoyed beyond belief! Of course there are many other features of the App that are invaluable, and I use them all frequently. Thank you for all of the never-ending determination and hard work to keep OpenSnow as the very best of Weather Apps available to all of us “weather freaks!” Whether we ski, snowboard, or just love and look forward to those days that the sun isn’t “shining bright,” you guys are the best! Thank you!

Wow, thank you so much for your kind words and detailed review! -SAM & BA

This is my go to App snow conditions. Everyone I know who is crazy about snow sports uses this App. Last Xmas we skied with long-time friends and they geek out on snow conditions and forecasts with this App as well. Last January, we had to be rerouted on the Den-Jackson flight b/c of lack of visibility at the airport. Practically everyone around me on that flight had this App on their phones looking to see when we would have an opening to land at JH airport—that was the weekend of 48” of snow on Wed-Friday. If you love snow sports and have a need to know what the conditions will be like this is the App for you. From Late September to Early April, I become a total weather geek/expert thanks to these guys. My only complaint is that I wished the leading snow storm indicators could be more accurate. But like any leading indicator it’s just not possible to know for sure until it happens. These guys (I don’t believe there are any gals—although that would be a good addition) take the guessing out of snow conditions and forecasts.

Thank you so much for your support and detailed review! Please send an email to hello@opensnow.com if we can ever help with anything. -SAM

I’ve used this app religiously the last 4-5 years and this app has managed to go downhill from the start. First and foremost the most consistent and detailed forecaster on this site is Evan Thayer. They frequently have one forecaster for large areas (Bob Ambrose AB/MT) and in turn lose out massively on consistency of forecasts, in addition to quality. Open Snow introduced a semi paywall 2 years ago which has led to its demise. First, they capped the quantity of forecasts you could read at 7 per week. This was announced pre-season and I was disappointed; yet understanding as they had brought on Evan and his forecasts are awesome! Several weeks later (I believe) they were lowering the quantity of forecasts you could read to 5 (which I think was further reduced to just 4) on the basis that their customers were reducing consumption of forecasts to stay under their premium pay wall. Now, I wake up today to find that Open Snow has decided to eliminate access to all forecasts other than a 3 sentence “summary” which they’ve instructed their forecasters to leave void of any useful information. This company has certainly fallen in line with the rest of the snow sports industry to gauge their supporters for as much $$$ as they can. Right on OS!

Hello and thanks for the feedback. We want to work directly for our users and earn your subscription dollars by continuing to produce a high-quality product, by creating new features, and by offering an unbeatable value like the All-Access Group subscription. While advertising revenue works for Google and Facebook, it does not for smaller companies like ours that want to create a great product and be around for years to come. With All-Access, you receive unlimited access to OpenSnow AND our summer service, OpenSummit, with the following features: 10-Day Snow Forecasts, Full Daily Snow Forecast, High-Resolution Maps, Custom Powder Alerts, Backcountry Snow Reports, Estimated Trail Conditions, Wildfire Smoke Forecasts, Air Quality Index Map, Offline Maps, and much more (OpenSnow.com/allaccess). That's year-round weather coverage for all of your outdoor activities for less than a cup of coffee per month. Please send an email to hello@opensnow.com if you would like to chat further)! -SAM & EVAN

Living on the east coast and getting about 25 days yearly out west I rely on open snow to get the goods! Never disappointed and always accurate. Can’t tell ya how many storms I’ve chased and pow pow days I credit to Joel and his team. It’s 100% opposite of east coast forecasters, no drama or false promises and then to get down graded. When they’re wrong it’s missing those bonus powder days. I could go on ad nauseam about trips from wolf creek to Alta to Jackson when I scored 12+” days because of these guys, can’t say enough. By 9 am ET, daily I know what’s happening at all my favorite places. The small fee for the cost of the app, if your a skier, your nuts not to subscribe. It’s the best thing since sliced bread. Can’t put a price on a powder day! Keep up the good works guys and thanks for all the dividends you’ve payed me over the years. How about this years overall prediction of the “triple dip” before the season even started, kudos!!!!!!!!

Thank you so much again for your detailed review and continued support! -SAM

OpenSnow is a dynamic app for researching weather and localized snow conditions in ski and snow sport areas. The map feature with radar overlay is my go to for visualizing real time precipitation, especially snowfall in the mountains, given some dedicated radar apps do not even portray snow precip. Setting my favorite snow stake and mountain webcams to get real time and review of conditions is also a fantastic feature. Navigation into the plethora of info the app has to offer is easy, and you can even save trail maps for offline use when data service fails. I enjoy and always seek the best media and apps for weather, radar, maps, webcams, and skiing. Considering these interests and time spent searching for quality options to immerse myself in them, I feel it can’t get much better than the OpenSnow app!

Thank you so much for your support and detailed review! Please send an email to hello@opensnow.com if you ever have any questions. -SAM

This resource (and the website) is a must-have. All-access is very much worth it alone, but you get OpenSummit subscription with it. I read the snow and weather forecast every day Joel and the others prep. Going to an unfamiliar area, like Colorado->Tahoe? Pull up OpenSnow and realize why their can have rain at the lake and snow on the summits.

Also, their accountability for forecast accuracy stands out. They discuss their prediction vs. reality (retroactively) and it's very informative for understanding mountain weather generally. They will explain when and why their forecasts were wrong -- show me another major weather forecasting website/service that does that! I backcountry ski often, and hike/climb high peaks often in the summer, and OpenSummit's peak-specific forecasts are a crucial tool in assessing mountain weather (along with other resources to confirm, of course). Cross-reference resources.

Thanks so much for your support and this detailed feedback! Let it snow!! -JOEL

I’ve been a weather geek since childhood. It started while watching forecaster Mark Eubank give his nightly weather forecast on KSL news in Utah who had a passion for weather and always strived to make his forecast interesting by teaching something about climate/weather. Now living on the Western Slope of Colorado I have renewed weather excitement after I found this app a few years ago. Joel and his team have that same passion and gift to educate and excite as the aforementioned legendary Meteorologist. I now look forward with anticipation to the start of winter, not just because I’m dreaming of powder face shots, but also because I get to read the detailed forecasts and explanations from this team of exceptional forecasters. Get this app, you will not be disappointed! It is by far the best weather app I know of.

Thank you so much for your support and detailed review! Please send an email to hello@opensnow.com if you ever have any questions. -SAM

During winter months, I use this app and snow/ weather reports multiple times a day. The Open Snow reports are Indispensable for skiers wanting to get the real picture of weather and snow forecasts for ski mountains all over. I also love the layered maps and the fact that you can add your “favorite” resorts and get snow alerts from them.

In addition, the I-80 report on driving conditions along I-80, along with web-cam links to multiple exits/ towns along the Sierra, is a go-to for me and my family. I live in Truckee and need to know about driving conditions along I-80 so I can drive more safely into Reno.

Brian (who writes the Tahoe, Palisades, and I-80 Open Snow reports) is a fantastic writer. One can tell he thoroughly enjoys his subject matter. Thank you for creating Open Snow!

Thank you so much for your review and continued support! -SAM

A friend clued me into this app at the beginning of last ski season, and boy what a game changer it was. Being able to bookmark my favorite ski resorts and see live and hourly weather on demand is something you could theoretically do with other apps too. But OpenSnow makes it easy, and the forecasts are tailored to skiers. So it’s focused on how much snow you’re going to get, conditions that matter like wind, whether the precip is going to be rain, snow, or a mix, snow level (elevation), etc. Also, the frequent written forecasts for the various ski areas are invaluable. With the latest iOS updates, they’ve really stepped it up a notch, and now I can see my favorite ski forecasts on my iPad or iPhone Home Screen, as well. Heck, maybe they’ll even add Apple Watch support soon? One can hope.

Wow, thank you so much again for your support and detailed review! -Sam

First, I’d like to say that I do not pay for a subscription. It is my opinion that my use case is too intermittent to warrant it. Having said that, I wholeheartedly support their decision to make their service subscription-based. We are all too conditioned to get everything free from companies serving up our data and our time to feed us advertising we don’t want. Their daily snow reports are extremely detailed and accurate. But like what others have said, I don’t have the time or inclination to chase storms, so I will go regardless. The information they provide for free is enough for me to plan my gear for the weather that I’m expecting, which is all I really need. Good job guys, and I hope I will be able to chase powder again soon!

Thank you so, so much again for your review and continued support! -SAM