The Snow Report review

Mark Mackay

We review The Snow Report, a mountain weather guru from The North Face

Published on Oct 30, 2009

Anyone who has spent much time in ski resorts will know that the hot topic of conversation is inevitably the weather.

While elsewhere in the world it's seen as a lame way to make small talk with someone that you don't know well, in the mountains it's the very reason that you're all there in the first place.

Knowing someone that's lived in the area for a long time and is familiar with the weather patterns and how they're effected by the terrain can prove invaluable in making the right decision to get the powder before anyone else does.

Now you can have one more piece of intel in your arsenal. Manufacturer of premium mountain gear, The North Face has put together an iPhone app that gives you the forecast on what the snow is doing in your resort.

The first time you open up the app you're given the option to receive push updates if there weather changes. We should warn you though that roaming charges abroad for data are expensive so if your turn roaming off on holiday for this reason then you wont get them.

When the app opens up, the first thing that slaps you in the face is the design on the interface. This has to be one of the best looking apps in the App Store.

It looks slicker than an icy pavement and all information is presented neatly and clearly. All of the essentials are present such as the forecast for next four days. You can see the temperatures, wind speeds and even sunrise and sunset times for the days making it ideally for any moonlight sessions.

In addition to this, the app can also provide a resort map for each of the areas in its repertoire. However for larger resorts such as Chamonix which are spread over an fair chunk of the Alps, the maps aren't so comprehensive.

The app also tells you how many of the lifts and runs are open, average snowfall for the area and even provides some access to some webcams that overlook the hills.

This latter feature will be particularly useful for keeping an eye on the conditions pre-season to see how things are shaping up.

Many free apps on the iPhone aren't up to snuff but as Snow Report has been put together by a company with The North Face's cash and reputation for quality behind it, it's not of them.

Snow Report is simply an essential for any skier or snowboarder with an iPhone.