SkiReport – Know the Snow Tally Before You Hit the Slopes
SkiReport.com covers everything skiing no matter where you want to go. Headed for Argentinian slopes? Covered. Colorado? Yep. They’ve also got, you guessed it.. an iPhone app.
No matter where you’re headed, you can get the latest snow reports, and even get live reports from skiers currently on the mountain. Pretty cool stuff.
SkiReport started in 2008 as a project to give skiers a venue to find the best snow in their area, to get the latest weather and snowfall reports, and more. An unexpected side effect of this was the exposure of ski resorts’ who often “snow job” their powder reports.
It turns out that, during a study done by Dartmouth College (facilitated by SkiReport’s app) in the 2008-09 season, it was found that most ski resorts were faking their powder numbers. In other words, they were claiming snowfall that didn’t actually exist. Most were over-reporting by 20-25% in their “weekend ski reports,” likely as a way to induce more skiers to their mountain.
Since the exposure, the industry has dropped the practice and many are now competing against one another for the “most honest” report. Suddenly, social networking, live app access from the mountain, and technology in general had changed the face of the skiing industry.
SkiReport now also has a Google Gadget. The company was founded in 2008 and is based in San Francisco, California.
