After a record-breaking number of fatalities occurred in the 2020/21 season, snow safety experts searched for a way to reduce fatalities in the future. One of those experts was internationally certified guide Jeff Banks, who recently announced a new subscription-based app aimed at helping users plan safer backcountry tours.
“Everybody who lives in a mountain town pretty much knows someone who has died in an avalanche,” says Banks in a video introduction to AspectAvy. Banks himself has lost 12 friends and colleagues and notes that professionals are just as likely to be caught in avalanches: “They have about two near-death experiences with avalanches a year.”
AspectAvy combines information from local avalanche centers, weather forecasts, topo maps and avalanche statistics to determine high-risk and low-risk areas. The app shares a clear message for the day like “Stick to slopes that are 32-degrees or less,” which is paired with fatality statistics specific to the day’s avalanche problem. Additionally, it highlights high-risk areas on a map and will…
