Ventusky

Practical Guide - Ski holiday

We've all been there. Our skiing week is approaching, and we're already imagining ourselves carving the perfect snow under a sunny sky with just the right temperature. The resort has been carefully chosen, the hotel is booked, and the skis are freshly serviced. Everything is set up, so what could go wrong? Well, that’s where the one factor we cannot control or book in advance comes into play - the weather.

Weather can either make a mountain holiday an unforgettable experience or a rather unpleasant ordeal. Italy without sunshine, Rockies with wind and closed lifts, poor visibility, and rain instead of snow? Although all these conditions are part and parcel of the mountains, we would definitely prefer to avoid them during our vacation. Naturally, we turn to weather forecasts, however with the palette of choices it can be tricky to choose the right approach. Forecasts for the same location can vary significantly. The reasons are many, ranging from the use of different predictive models, subtle nuances such as varying altitudes the forecast works with, to the simple fact that mountain weather is a highly complex and unstable system, making a 100% accurate prediction impossible.

Practically every forecast works by simplifying highly complex data into a more or less limited perspective. The more we understand the weather, the better we can estimate the overall situation ourselves and make good decisions.

Scenarios: Before and On the Mountains
There are typically two scenarios when dealing with mountain weather. Either we are planning the stay and are interested in the forecast for the future, or we are already on site and are focused primarily on the upcoming days.

When planning the stay, we either know where we are heading and follow the long-term forecast for this location, or we have a targeted area and select a specific resort based on current conditions. We are naturally interested in the overall forecast, precipitation, and cloud cover, as well as the snow height. For peace of mind, it’s good to check out the webcams in the area, which can also be found in the app. It's worth knowing that a two-week prediction is rather indicative but still much better than nothing. It's also interesting to check Ventusky’s website which shows the conditions on spot even years back. This can help if we are planning a holiday months in advance and do not know the place and its typical weather in that month.

If we are already on site, a short-term forecast for the next day and a weekly outlook are essential. Here, many more layers come into play, allowing us to get a fairly accurate picture of the situation. The outlook for a few days is also much more accurate. Let’s take a look at what information the app provides and how we can use it as skiers. For now, we will focus on a basic overview of the most interesting layers that everyone will appreciate. More experienced users will undoubtedly utilize the option to switch models with different resolutions and, most importantly, compare them. But that’s a topic for another time.

Ski-related weather metrics

Temperature and Feels-Like Temperature
It’s well known that temperature depends on altitude. The app is an excellent helper here as it allows displaying the temperature at different altitude levels. It will be different at 1000 meters at the lower lift station and different at the peak at 2500 meters. The map layer with the feels-like temperature takes into account wind and other conditions. Based on this information, we can choose the right clothing for the slope and get an overview of the quality of snow.

Snow Cover
Snow itself is the alpha and omega; without it, there’s no skiing. The map layer with this display informs not only about the overall height of the snow cover but also about new snow expected in the area. Although most resorts today use artificial snowmaking, new snow is essential not only for freeriders but also interests regular skiers. After all, skiing in fresh powder is always a welcome addition to a week spent on groomed slopes.

Precipitation
This layer is packed with information. It shows not only where precipitation is expected but also whether it will be snow, freezing rain, or rain. Snow is marked with dots, freezing rain with exclamation marks. Exclamation marks signify a dangerous situation, and in the case of freezing rain, not only will it be difficult to reach the resort, but it might also lead to lift closures as freezing rain freezes on the cables. It is also interesting to combine the precipitation layer with the freezing level layer – it shows around what altitude rain will turn into snow (snow falls approximately 300 meters below this level before completely melting into raindrops). So, it might rain in the valley, but on the hill, you won’t get wet as it will be snowing there. The most accurate overview is provided by the radar layer, which shows live data and can also offer a short-term forecast based on an AI model – invaluable for quick decision-making directly on the slope.

Cloud Cover
Lighting conditions greatly determine the quality of the day on the slope. A sunny day is the ideal for every skier, while a cloudy sky or fog can not only be unpleasant but also dangerous. In such conditions, the contours of terrain irregularities blend in, and we can only guess the character of the slope ahead. Information about cloud cover is therefore useful for not forgetting sunscreen on our face but also for choosing the right lens for our goggles. The app shows both the overall cloud cover and its layers at different altitudes. Whether we will be skiing above or directly in the clouds is informed by the new base of the cloud display option. If it shows a cloud base at 3000 meters and we ski at a maximum altitude of 2000 meters, we can be sure we won’t be in the fog.

Wind
All layers also display the strength and direction of the wind with a very pleasant animation. In separate layers, we can find this information for individual heights. It is clear that the wind at the peak will be different than in the valley. Combining it with tracking the strength of gusts gives us quite an accurate picture of the situation, which is also available to the lift operators. We can thus expect potential problems with lift operation and possibly move to better conditions in a neighboring resort.

Cameras
Finally, nothing beats a real look at the situation on site through live webcams. However, searching for them on various sites, dealing with their functionality and control may not always be pleasant. Ventusky therefore brings available cameras from the area directly on the map – just hold down the icon longer and see the current state. A very useful feature is the comparison view from the previous day. This makes it easy to get an idea of how the conditions have changed, for example, how much new snow has fallen.

Classic Display and Graphs
For the quickest orientation and lightning-fast overview, Ventusky also offers a classic tabular view with familiar icons. Intuitively, we can browse the upcoming two weeks, find out when the sun will rise and set, or check air quality in the AQI index. New useful graphs are also available, where we can choose which values to display and graphically see their relationships.