As we start the ramp up into the next ski season I want to take this opportunity to go over some of the things that we've been working on. First though, I want to talk about our beginnings.

Snowology started as a Facebook group 9 years ago. It was a test to see if there was both interest and to see if I could do it. In our East Coast niche it quickly became a 'thing'. We all learned from each other and that Facebook group became a crowdsourcing monster for anything and everything East Coast skiing. It took a lot of work and even with everyone's support it wasn't sustainable in that format. That shouldn't have been a surprise, rather it was simply part of the process. I do miss those times however, especially the first few years, but there are better and more sustainable ways to deliver ski weather forecasts of course.

This will be Snowology’s third season as a subscription service. We’ve done well, though there’s still a lot more we can offer. Last season our progress was slowed by some roadblocks, but this off-season we’ve cleared those and are in a better position to charge forward.

Snowology is funded entirely by operations. I'm the only full time worker here, but there are 5 other people who have been working alongside me and I'll be investing the equivalent of half of last season's gross revenue back into the business before the season is over. This is a big step for us and a major investment, and I think you’ll see the value in what we’re building. Here are the key things we have planned:

• A Snowology App
• Radar and Weather Maps
• 7-Day Forecasts for Every East Coast Resort

We'll roll out these things gradually in the next few months with refinements and more features added through the season. I'll provide some additional detail but first, a note on scaling some things back.

First Things First

In July I announced the end of the Snowology Club. It was a lot of work and the right move so we can focus on improving our core ski weather product. We’ll still have a Deals section with select offers, including unlimited $19.99 Friend Discounts. Your word-of-mouth has been incredible, and this helps us grow and improve.

I’ve also kept most news to short social media posts. We don’t monetize news and while I’d like to write more, for now “first things first” means focusing on the essentials. If others want to contribute content in the meantime, we’ll definitely consider doing more in this regard.

Now the good stuff.

The Good Stuff

Let's start with the Snowology App. From day one I knew Snowology would have to eventually become primarily an app instead of a social media group or even a subscription publication. So we're going to be updating our design to accomodate more of an app feel on our website, especially for mobile devices. We'll start off simple with just a webview wrap of our website but that will give us the beginnings of something to build off of. Expect to changes to our website soon and hopefully by December the launch of an app.

Next is radar and weather maps which will be housed in the "Weather" section of our website. For radar precipitation type accuracy is very important for our needs and our provider offers the most accurate radar in the business. We'll also gather the latest NOAA generated maps in this section which can also be helpful for those that like to drill down a bit more. Things like temperature and precipitation outlooks, severe weather outlooks, and of course the snowfall analysis among other things. I would expect to see the first signs of this on our site within a month.

Then there's our most involved project, resort weather and information for 183 East Coast Ski areas all the way from Killington to every small hill with a rope tow that is open to the public. We will be including a handful in both Ontario and Quebec, and extending down the East Coast all the way down the Appalachians.

We plan to launch this section by November, first with 7-day forecasts, then daily and nightly summaries, and then adding in hourly charts. We’ll also include maps, webcams, and other resort details. You will no longer need to check multiple sources anymore in order to get a full view of ski weather.

The automated snowfall forecasting will need tuning during the season, especially in marginal temps and for back end snow, but I’ll continue to forecast these things manually for subscribers because winter forecasting in the Northeast mountains is notoriously tough and always needs an experienced human to make it as accurate as possible. If this wasn't true, Snowology would not exist, though we also merge weather, conditions, and operations like no others and our subscribers learn from our coverage how to navigate these unique challenges for the best days possible whether that means hitting the right place at the right time, or simply being prepared for what to expect.

While we are going to include a lot more ski areas in automated weather coverage across the entire East Coast, we are not expanding our core coverage and have no plans to do so. When you cast your net too broadly the fine details get lost in the shuffle. The Northeast is big enough for us to thrive within and hard enough to cover all of as is. So for those places that are outside of the Northeast or are very small in size, we'll only be providing fully automated weather coverage on our website.

What It Comes Down To

So while this is a big step forward to start a new phase of Snowology, it’s additive rather than a replacement for what we already do. We’ll keep refining as we go, and I’ll continue listening to your feedback. I’m confident these new capabilities will be valuable and well received.

Knowledge Is Powder!

Matthew Scott