Weather models, satellite observations, and advances in snow science now provide more information about the atmosphere, terrain, and snowpack than ever before. But these sources remain fragmented and are rarely brought together into a clear, terrain-specific picture that people can actually use.
Snowpack Labs is working to change that. We combine weather forecasts, satellite observations, snow and terrain data, physics-based models, and machine learning to create high-resolution maps and forecasts of snow and avalanche conditions. Our goal is to help people understand where the snow is, how conditions vary across the landscape, and how they may change in the days ahead. Our long-term ambition is to provide that information everywhere there is snow on the ground.
No model, however, can make decisions for someone in the mountains. It cannot see every wind-loaded pocket, identify every weak layer, or replace experience, careful observation, and local avalanche forecasts. What it can do is provide another valuable layer of information—particularly in places and at scales where detailed information has historically been limited. Our goal is not to replace human judgment, but to better inform it.
About the founder
Snowpack Labs was founded by Trent Robinett, a backcountry skier, trail runner, and PhD student developing better ways to understand the Earth using satellite observations, weather data, and computational models. The company grew from the intersection of his love for moving through the mountains and his research into the tools that can help us understand them. He created Snowpack Labs to bring those capabilities out of the research world and into practical use in the backcountry.