Welcome to the new nwac.us website

If you've checked our forecast before, here's what you need to know: it's the same forecast, the same forecasters, and the same trusted field-based process NWAC has used for decades. What's new is the AvyWeb platform it's built on.

At first glance, nwac.us doesn't look dramatically different, and that’s on purpose. The most important changes aren't the ones you can see; they're in how the site is built, how fast it loads, and how much easier it now is to find the resources you need.

What's New

• Faster, more reliable load times. The site is built to load quickly so you can have important information right when you need it. 
• A user-friendly events calendar. Community events, awareness classes, and education workshops are now filterable by type rather than a single long scrolling list.
• Consistent across regions. If you travel between forecast areas (or between states), the layout now stays the same wherever you check conditions. When you're trying to make an informed decision before heading to the mountains, you don’t have time to spend relearning a new website.
• Built on shared infrastructure. Avalanche centers nationwide can learn from online user interactions to continually improve avalanche forecasting and education. What one center learns, every center can adopt.

What Changed?

Events & classes calendar: Now filterable by type (awareness classes, fundraising events, workshops, etc), mode of travel, and skill level 

Finding avalanche courses from an external provider: A new filterable American Avalanche Association (A3) calendar to view AIARE courses by course type, provider, location, and mode of travel

NWAC’s education content: Education pages have refreshed content with a clearer path from “I want to learn this” to the right class, workshop, or field program you need to continue your backcountry education journey

Donations & membership: Fewer clicks to become a member or renew your membership. Support your local avalanche center and help us continue making improvements to our technology, forecasts, and education!

How AvyWeb was made possible

This site was built by a mix of NWAC/ Avy staff, contractors, and volunteers, including a volunteer committee that donated an estimated $150,000 in technical expertise, development, and engineering. AvyWeb was funded by individual donors, NWAC's partner centers (the Sierra, Sawtooth, and National Avalanche Centers), and grants from the Murdock Charitable Trust, the Norcliffe Foundation, and the Garneau Nicon Family Foundation. If you're one of the people who made this possible: thank you.

FAQ

Did the forecast itself change?

No. Same forecasters, same field-based process. Only the site around it changed, including improved presentation of avalanche and weather information, faster load times, and easier navigation.

Will my old bookmarks and saved links still work?

Most old links should redirect automatically to their new home. If a bookmark or a link from search takes you somewhere unexpected, use the homepage zone map to get back to your forecast.

Why does a shared platform matter to me as a backcountry user?

First, cost: centralized development means NWAC, and smaller centers that could not build this type of technology alone, spend less on maintaining software and more on forecasting. Second, consistency: if you travel to another region on the same platform, the forecast reads the same way. That’s one less thing to figure out before you go on your winter adventures. 

What's next?

This is a foundation, not a finish line. Through this shared AvyWeb platform, avalanche centers nationwide can learn from online user interactions to continually improve avalanche forecasting and education. What one center learns, every center can benefit from.

We hope you enjoy the changes we made to the website and we look forward to making continuous improvements throughout the season. Here's to a safe winter!