SnowvyHow sun and aspect change the snow
Two slopes on the same mountain, on the same day, can hold completely different snow. The biggest reason is which way they face.
Snow explained
How snow changes, slope by slope.
Short explainers on the processes behind Snowvy's modelled conditions: sun and aspect, wind, buried frost, crusts and facets, and what a model can and cannot tell you.
What modelled snow conditions mean, and what they don't
Snowvy shows modelled snow conditions. Here is what that means, why it can be wrong, and why it never replaces the avalanche bulletin.
Surface hoar: the frost that becomes a weak layer
Surface hoar is beautiful to ski through and notorious once it is buried. It is one of the persistent weak layers avalanche forecasters watch most closely.
Wind slab: how wind loads a slope
Wind moves more snow around a mountain than most people expect. Where it drops that snow, it can build a slab.
Crusts and facets: why a hard layer can make a weak one
A crust feels solid underfoot. The trouble is often what grows next to it.
Persistent weak layers: facets, depth hoar and a weak base
Most snow bonds and strengthens within days of falling. Some layers don't, and can stay weak for most of a season.
Wet snow: how warmth, sun and rain change the snowpack
Water changes snow faster than anything else. A slope can go from firm to slushy in a few hours.
New snow: what a storm does to the snowpack
A storm is what skiers wait for. It is also when the snowpack changes most quickly.
Regional estimate or detailed area: what Snowvy covers where
Snowvy aims to cover every snowy mountain on Earth. Not every place gets the same detail, so every place says what it has.
Surface snow and wind: what your skis will meet
The snowpack layers explain what is inside the snow. The surface layer, now being built, answers a simpler question: what will my skis meet here at 11:00, and why?
Modelled, not an avalanche forecast. Snowvy explains the snowpack; it never says a slope is safe. Read your regional avalanche bulletin and make your own decisions.