OpenSnow began in 2011 as a Colorado meteorologist’s powder forecast and grew into one of the best-known ski weather apps in North America. Its selling point is people: forecasters write daily “Daily Snow” reports explaining which ranges will get the goods and when, alongside automated forecasts for any spot on Earth.
Our verdict: for skiers in the US and Canada, OpenSnow remains the most useful snow app, because the written reports explain what the numbers mean. For British skiers heading to the Alps it is a harder sell: the Europe report is good, but at £49.99 a year for Base you get less local depth than in the Rockies. Use the five-day free trial in the week before your trip and decide then.
OpenSnow at a glance
- Owner: Cloudnine Weather, Inc., Colorado
- Founded: 2011, by Joel Gratz and Andrew Murray
- Platforms: iPhone, Android, web
- Free plan: a five-day free trial without a card, then a limited free account
- Paid: Base £49.99 a year (UK App Store); OpenSnow quotes Premium at $99.99 a year and family plans for four at $89.99 and $179.99
- Offline use: offline satellite map downloads on Premium
- Ratings: App Store (US) 4.7/5 from 9.1k ratings; Google Play 3.9/5 from about 2,000 reviews
What OpenSnow does
OpenSnow combines three things: automated hourly and daily forecasts for any location, “Daily Snow” reports written by forecasters for ski regions, and maps for radar, snow depth, avalanche risk, slope angle, air quality and wildfire smoke. It also tracks snow reports and webcams for ski areas.
The forecasts run on PEAKS, OpenSnow’s mountain forecast model, which it says is designed for a mountain’s real location and elevation rather than the nearest town. StormNet, a severe weather model, is US-only. Snow reports and conditions history are available by resort.
Three moments where it helps:
- You have a flexible week in Utah. The Daily Snow tells you whether Little Cottonwood or Park City will catch the storm, and on which day.
- You are booking a late deal to the Alps. The Europe Daily Snow, written in early 2026 by forecaster Luke Stone, explained which side of the range a southern storm would favour, from the Pyrenees to the French, Swiss and Italian Alps.
- You want to compare resorts’ snow over the next ten days. The resort forecasts line them up side by side.
OpenSnow price: Base versus Premium
OpenSnow overhauled its plans for the 2025 to 2026 season. All-Access Single became Base Individual, and All-Access Group became Base Family, with a new Premium tier above.
On the UK App Store, Base costs £49.99 a year. OpenSnow’s own plan list is in US dollars:
| Plan | People | Price per year (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| Base Individual | 1 | $49.99 |
| Base Family | 4 | $89.99 |
| Premium Individual | 1 | $99.99 |
| Premium Family | 4 | $179.99 |
Base includes Forecast Anywhere, Local Experts, the PEAKS mountain model, PEAKS snow quality ratings, the PEAKS Avy avalanche model and AI summaries of forecasts and conditions, according to OpenSnow’s support pages.
Premium adds 11 to 15 day forecasts, Forecast Range (a view of how much the models agree), global weather maps with offline satellite downloads, global radar, high-resolution radar with StormNet, custom alerts and severe weather alerts.
The rise is steep. OpenSnow’s support pages still list the previous All-Access prices of $34.99 a year for one person and $49.99 for four. Base subscribers can upgrade to Premium with the cost prorated.
The cheapest way to pay. Start the five-day free trial, which needs no card, in the week before a ski trip. If four of you ski together, Base Family at $89.99 works out at about $22.50 each.
What we liked
Forecasters who explain. The Daily Snow reports turn model output into decisions: which valley, which day, which aspect.
Mountain-specific forecasts. Forecasts aimed at the slopes rather than the town in the valley.
Useful snow tools. Snow quality ratings, snow depth and slope-angle maps, avalanche information and webcams in one place.
A fair trial. Five days, all features, no card, and you drop to a free account afterwards without being charged.
Strong ratings on iPhone. 4.7/5 from 9,100 ratings on the US App Store.
What we did not like
The price jump. Base costs $15 a year more than the old All-Access Single, and the most useful extras now sit in Premium at $99.99.
North American focus. There are many US and Canadian Daily Snow regions and far fewer for Europe. Severe weather features are US-only.
Android ratings. Google Play scores lower, at 3.9/5 from about 2,000 reviews.
Not an avalanche forecast. PEAKS Avy and slope-angle maps help planning, but in Europe the national avalanche bulletin is the authority.
No sterling pricing we could confirm. British buyers pay in their store’s local price, which we could not check at the time of writing.
How OpenSnow compares
| OpenSnow | Windy | Mountain-Forecast.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paid from | £49.99 a year (UK App Store) | £2.99 (UK App Store) | £24.99 a year (UK App Store) |
| Human forecasts | Yes, Daily Snow reports | No | No |
| Best for | Powder chasing | Wind and model comparison | Summit forecasts worldwide |
| Free option | Five-day trial, then limited | Yes, ad-free | Six-day forecasts free |
OpenSnow vs Windy. Windy is cheaper and better for comparing models and checking wind and freezing level. OpenSnow explains the snow in words. Read our Windy review.
OpenSnow vs Mountain-Forecast.com. Mountain-Forecast covers more than 11,000 summits worldwide with forecasts at several elevations and is cheaper, but it has no human commentary.
OpenSnow vs Meteoblue. Meteoblue’s multimodel meteogram shows forecast uncertainty for any spot in the Alps, with an ad-free option at £6.99 on the UK App Store.
Who should buy OpenSnow
Buy Base if you ski in North America or follow storms closely enough to change plans. Families who ski together get the best value from the family plan. British skiers who book one Alpine week a year should take the free trial, then lean on free tools such as Meteoblue, Windy and the local avalanche bulletin.
OpenSnow FAQs
How much does OpenSnow cost?
Base costs £49.99 a year for one person on the UK App Store. In US dollars, Base is $49.99 for one or $89.99 for a family of four, and Premium is $99.99 for one or $179.99 for four.
Is there an OpenSnow free trial?
Yes. OpenSnow offers five days of all features without a card, after which you move to a free account.
What happened to OpenSnow All-Access?
For the 2025 to 2026 season All-Access Single became Base Individual and All-Access Group became Base Family, at higher prices, with a new Premium tier.
Is OpenSnow good for the Alps?
It has a Europe Daily Snow covering the Alps and Pyrenees and forecasts for any location. Coverage is less detailed than in North America.
Does OpenSnow include avalanche forecasts?
It includes avalanche risk maps and its own PEAKS Avy model. Always check the official avalanche bulletin for the area you ski.
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