Snowline

Snowline is the field briefing you open before a ski or climb day. It reads the public avalanche forecast map and lays the danger word across the page: the zone, the center that published it, the travel advice, and the dates that advice is valid. On a shoulder-season morning, when the centers have not rated the snow, the page still says No Rating and keeps the information they did post. You can match a zone from where you are standing, or browse the atlas as large color plates, one for every forecast area in the public feed. Open a forecast for elevation ratings, discussions, and avalanche problems when a center has published them. Look back across the last three days of danger for that same zone. Snow, wind, and temperature on the ribbon are yours: they come from the outings you write down. Before you leave the trailhead there is a plain packing list, a slope-angle sketch, and a…