Hello, and we hope that you are in good health!

Given the abrupt end of the season for nearly every ski area and a massive change in lifestyle for all of us, we wanted to share a few thoughts about the rest of the snow season and our business.

Most ski areas are closed. You probably know this, but we felt it was worth mentioning again, right at the start.

If you're excited about enjoying powder from upcoming storms, this is possible at some resorts that are allowing uphill travel, and in the backcountry.

If you do continue to make turns, we have received requests directly from first responders who are a part of the OpenSnow community that they do not want people coming to mountain towns and do not want to deal with potential snow-related injuries when their focus should be on the COVID-19 virus. If you do head out, please stay close to home, and err on the conservative side. There will be plenty of time in the future to go big. This is not the time to go big. Sorry if that sounds like a directive from a fun-hating dad, but this is an unprecedented time in modern history.

The impact of early resort closures and social distancing across the world is immense, especially in small mountain communities. We will get through this. In the meantime, if you aren't being affected and can help, please support those around you that are in need, including the local business community. If there is a situation where we can help, let us know. We reach a lot of passionate skiers and would be happy to share stories and promote non-profits or other organizations, businesses, or individuals that might need extra help. Send an email to [email protected] with a specific request and we'll see if we can assist.

For the rest of the season, look for updates via two email newsletters on March 23 and March 30. Our main "Daily Snow" forecasters will continue to provide daily updates, our automated snow and weather forecasts will continue to be updated multiple times per day, and most mountain cams should continue to function.

A BIG thank you to our advertising partners and to our All-Access subscribers ($19/year). Because of you, our business is healthy and we will make it through this downturn.

If you're an All-Access subscriber with a renewal date coming up, we would be so appreciative if you choose to renew. If you have not yet subscribed, signing up now would give us extra motivation as we develop new features for next winter. The subscription is good for 365 days, so it will cover you for most of next season, and will also give you access to our summer hiking/biking/climbing forecasting service called OpenSummit.

Join All-Access For $19/Year

Whether you're an advertiser, an All-Access subscriber, or you simply enjoy what we do, please know that we appreciate your loyalty and never take it for granted.

It's going to be a rough ride in the near term, but humans are remarkable creatures and we will figure this out.

Thanks for reading. Stay well.

Sincerely,

– Joel Gratz (Chief Powder Officer) and The OpenSnow Team

P.S. In an effort to help support COVID-19 relief efforts, we have created a resource for local foundations that are deploying funds to the most vulnerable members of our communities. 

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