Hidden in there is Gratz: finding what he forecasts. Photo: Courtesy Joel Gratz
Totally Deep goes deep with meteorologist Joel Gratz, the founder of OpenSnow. Over the years, the site has expanded from offering forecasts for on-piste venues to localized predictions for off-the-grid locations. Gratz dishes on the meteorological scene and how he attempts to best serve the backcountry community.
In Episode 104 of the Totally Deep Podcast, OpenSnow’s Joel Gratz discusses the evolution of the site, forecasting models, and how backcountry users can make the most of site’s predictive powers. The basic menu from OpenSnow offers tools for those seeking info on conditions at the local hill to more complex models and discussions, allowing the powder seeker to locate where, when, and how deep the snow might be in specific mountain locales.
Gratz was also featured on Episode 27 of TDP.
In thinking about opensnow.com and scarce resources like powder, Surfline comes to mind. At the beginning, which might be the dark ages for some, Surfline was the go-to spot for those zeroing in on the myriad of data available to determine ocean swell and local weather. Good waves are a commodity to some and a scarce one at that. Some may even know obsessed surfers who use the service to chase waves around the globe. We may be digressing, but the same can be said of those seeking good snow, particularly light, dry, deep snow. Opensnow aspires to help you find it — like a Surfline for landlubbers.
A screenshot of a recent OpenSnow map overlaid with snow depth information.
An OpenSnow screen shot using sat imagery overlaid with snow depth. Looks like the Coast Range is the place to be.
As the ski season ramps up and folks around the country sacrifice rock skis and splitboards to the mountain gods (although it does look rather deep in places, we are looking at you, Wasatch), Gratz discusses the possibilities of the La Niña triple dip, and how deep the winter might get. He also speaks to the site’s underlying values regarding forecast and still maintaining solitude in the backcountry.
Time to scrape off the storage wax, do some Yoga, and listen to episode 104. Thanks for listening and joining us for the 2022-2023 season.
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While most of the WildSnow backcountry skiing blog posts are best attributed to a single author, some work well as done by the group.