Powder Hunters Rejoice the Launch of SkiReports.com
BOSTON, Dec. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- After over a year in development, SkiReports.com (http://www.skireports.com) is excited to announce its launch and usher in a new chapter in the evolution of the snow sports industry. Built for snow enthusiasts, SkiReports.com provides a cutting-edge interface for information on ski and snow conditions for over 450 ski resorts in North America. The site was built to remedy the frustrations of skiers and snowboarders who spend much of their time chasing powder by trying to decipher information from multiple sources including snow reports, weather forecasts, ski resort web sites, and social media.
Early reviews from its users indicate that SkiReports.com has succeeded in curing the pain points it was built to remedy. One of its early adopters is Fran Quintiliani of Salisbury, MA. "In New England, we are in a tough spot. On one side of Mount Washington, it could be freezing rain and on the other you could be skiing in knee-deep freshies." he says. "Last January I was all over SkiReports.com tracking a huge storm. It led me right where I needed to be."
Quintiliani is most excited about a feature called the Powder Map. It depicts each resort on a map using different markers to represent the forecasted snowfall totals for the next 36 hours. In addition to snow forecasts, the map can also be adjusted to show current snowfall totals, and operating status for all ski resorts. According to Quintiliani, "The Powder Map brilliantly displays where the snow fell and where it's GOING to fall."
The concept for the site was conceived by its founder, Christos Christoudias, in the winter of 2010. As a Boston resident, Christoudias had many ski resorts within a 4 hour drive of him, but was disappointed in his options to compare them. "After a big snow storm, the further I drove, the better the ski conditions were but I had no way to compare mountain to mountain," said Christoudias. "The only options out there were to browse by state, but in Boston, I have 5 states within 100 miles of me." At that point, Christoudias concluded that he could not have been the only person frustrated with this. He was determined to deliver a site that could cater to exactly these needs.
That summer, work on this new concept commenced and over a year of work has now culminated in the launch of SkiReports.com. Individual reports for each resort incorporate not only snow reports from each mountain, but the snow forecast from the National Weather Service, and even the resort's Facebook feed. Overall, the site fetches data from over a half-dozen outside sources to deliver all the information a user would want.
Despite all of the innovations it provides, SkiReports.com has the same problem powder skiers have had for decades. According to Quintiliani, "My only problem with the site? I wish I had it all to myself!"