Access avalanche forecasts on your satellite device

BoltWX provides access to US and Canadian avalanche forecasts for when access through official forecast channels is unavailable. You should always check the official US or Canadian forecast before you enter the backcountry. You agree to use the BoltWX forecast at your own risk (see the BoltWX terms and conditions for our disclaimer about avalanche forecasts). Avalanche forecasts are only available in winter.

To receive an avalanche forecast, include the phrase "AVALANCHE" in your message. For example, your message should read: AVALANCHE #ACCESSCODE# (50.12135, -111.12345)

Below is an example of a typical BoltWX avalanche forecast with the translation below it. The forecasts include both the Danger Ratings and the Snowpack Problems. Download the BoltWX Avalanche Message Translation Reference Sheet here (JPEG image format) and save it on your phone to refer to in the backcountry. Terminology used in the forecasts is the same as Avalanche Canada terminology. See the Avalanche Canada glossary here for more information.

Note: Previous versions of BoltWX used "AVYCAN" or "AVYUSA" for requesting forecasts. Both of these keywords will still work.

Sample Avalanche Message
Mo:CML 300m Tu:HCM 1500m We:XHC 2500m WndSlb:AllElev,NE-W,VLi,s1-2 WetLoo:TLN-BTL,AllAsp,Poss,s1-1.5	Daily danger ratings and freezing level Snowpack problems and details
See translation details below
Danger Ratings
Message Structure	Day: Alpine Rating, Treeline Rating, Below Treeline Rating, Freezing Level
Rating Levels & Abbreviations	Low (L) Moderate (M) Considerable (C) High (H) Extreme (X) Special Ratings Early Season (ES) Spring Conditions (Sp) No Rating (None)
Freezing Level	The daily average freezing level in metres above sea level.
Message Examples
Mo:CML	Monday: Considerable, Moderate, Low
Tu:HCM	Tuesday: High, Considerable, Moderate
Snowpack Problems
Message Structure	Type: Elevations, Aspects, Probability, Size
Problem Types & Abbreviations	Storm Slabs (StmSlb) Wind Slabs (WndSlb) Wet Slabs (WetSlb) Persistent Slabs (PerSlb) Deep Persistent Slabs (DePerSlb) Loose Dry (DryLoo) Loose Wet (WetLoo) Cornices (Cornice)
Problem Variables & Abbreviations
Elevations	Alpine (ALP), Treeline (TLN), Below Treeline (BTL), All Elevations (AllElev)
Aspects	North to South (N-S), West to East (W-E), All Aspects (AllAsp) Aspects are always described most-Westerly to most-Easterly (i.e. left to right)
Likelihood	Unlikely (Unli), Possible (Poss), Likely (Li), Very Likely (VLi), Certain (Cert)
Size	Size 1.5 to 2.5 (s1.5-2.5)
Message Examples
StmSlb:AllElev,AllAsp,Poss-Li,s1-2	Wind Slabs: All Elevations, All Aspects, Possible to Likely, size 1-2
WndSlb:ALP-TLN,W-E,VLi,s1-1.5	Storm Slabs: Alpine & Treeline elevations, West to East aspects, Very Likely, size 1-1.5
PerSlb:TLN-BTL,SE-SW,UnLi,s1-2.5	Persistent Slabs: Treeline & Below Treeline elevations, Southeast to Southwest aspects, Unlikely, size 1-2.5
WetLoo:VLi,s1-2.5 ALP: S TLN: SE-SW BTL: AllAsp	US forecasts can include aspect info for multiple elevations Wet Loose: Very Likely, size 1-2.5 Alpine elevations: South aspects Treeline elevations: Southeast to Southwest aspects Below Treeline: All aspects
Supported Avalanche Centers
USA	Canada
Northwest Avalanche Center Central Oregon Avalanche Center Sawtooth Avalanche Center Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center Mount Washington Avalanche Center Sierra Avalanche Center Flathead Avalanche Center Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center Payette Avalanche Center Bridgeport Avalanche Center Sawtooth Avalanche Center Mount Shasta Avalanche Center Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center West Central Montana Avalanche Center Wallowa Avalanche Center Valdez Avalanche Center Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center	All Avalanche Canada forecast areas are supported.