The BERA aka Avalanche Forecast: Your Essential Tool for Planning a Mountain Adventure!
Whether you're into ski touring, snowshoeing, or ice climbing, checking the avalanche forecast should be a key part of your trip planning routine. And we’ve got great news for you: among this winter’s new features, avalanche forecasts for France, Switzerland, Italy, and Austria are now available in Whympr!
You can easily access them in the map tab or on the Whympr feed, allowing you to consult one of the most essential safety tools for winter adventures. These avalanche forecasts will be updated in real-time to ensure you always have the freshest information.
And that’s not all! Expanding avalanche forecast coverage worldwide is one of the features we're actively working on. So stay tuned, as our English-speaking friends say—more exciting updates are coming soon to Whympr…
Everything You Need to Know About Avalanche Forecasts in Whympr
Now that we’ve sparked your curiosity and you’re eager to use Whympr for planning your outdoor adventures, here’s how it works. You have three ways to view an avalanche forecast for a mountain range in Whympr:
1 - The app feed: This is the first tab you see when you open the app. Above user trip reports, you’ll find the weather and avalanche forecast for your current location. If you swipe left on this banner, you’ll have the option to add favorite locations to easily access their weather and avalanche forecasts.
2 - The Map Tab: Once you're on the map in Whympr, tap the mountain-shaped icon at the bottom right of the screen. And just like that—magic! The avalanche forecasts for all four countries appear on the map. Zoom out, and you’ll see all the forecasts displayed. Green indicates areas with risk level 1, yellow for risk level 3, and so on. A super handy way to get an overview of snow stability around you!
3 - By Clicking on a Summit: When you tap on a point of interest—whether it's a summit, an icefall, a mountain hut, or a climbing spot—you’ll find the avalanche forecast in the top left corner and the weather information on the right.
Access to Avalanche Forecasts is Free on Whympr!
With Whympr’s free version, you can access avalanche forecasts for these four countries. However, if you want to save some as favorites on the app feed, you will need Whympr Premium.
With Whympr Premium, you’ll gain access to many features:
- Weather forecasts (thanks to MeteoBlue, with data from 4 days ago and 4 days ahead)
- Various map layers worldwide, including IGN
- Advanced tracking features (GPS recording, GPX route creation from the app, etc.)
- The ability to save routes offline
- Route filtering by difficulty level and activity
- Access to 23,000 webcams worldwide
- And much more…
A Few Key Tips to Help You Read an Avalanche Forecast
Accessing the Avalanche Forecast is Great, but Knowing How to Read It is Even Better.
Here are a few key tips to help you interpret an avalanche forecast. However, these are just guidelines. To minimize avalanche risks, consider heading out with a certified mountain professional for expert analysis.
If you're in Chamonix, you can take part in mountain safety training sessions offered by La Chamoniarde, the local prevention and rescue organization.
You can also find all the latest mountain condition reports for the Mont-Blanc massif by following La Chamoniarde’s profile on Whympr.
The Avalanche Forecast Rating System
Avalanche risk is rated on a scale from 1 to 5:
- 1 means low risk,
- 5 means… better stay under the covers!
However, don’t rely solely on this numerical rating—read the entire avalanche forecast carefully. The risk depends on many factors, such as slope steepness and exposure.
It’s also crucial to understand the weather conditions from previous days. Considering factors like temperature and wind helps assess the stability of the snowpack.
The Avalanche Forecast is Just One Tool—Always Assess the Terrain Yourself
The avalanche forecast isn’t the only tool for evaluating avalanche risk. You must always compare the information with real conditions on the ground.
Once in the mountains, regularly assess the snowpack’s stability. Even if the risk level is 2, which may seem moderate, the mountains are never risk-free—you need to evaluate the terrain as you go.
And remember: when in doubt, there is no doubt. Turning back is not failure, even if your excitement pushes you to continue despite uncertain conditions. Heading back to the parking lot is just part of the adventure!
Lastly, consider checking Data Avalanche to stay informed about recent avalanche activity in the mountain ranges you frequent in France.
Time to Hit the Slopes with Whympr!
Now that you know a bit more about the avalanche forecast and how to access it in Whympr, it's time to head to the mountains. Or stay cozy indoors if the risk is too high—but you already know that!
With Whympr, you can check the avalanche forecast for France, Switzerland, Italy, and Austria. And as we mentioned earlier, if you’re patient, you’ll soon see avalanche reports for the whole world on our map!
That said, please don’t ask us for the avalanche forecast for Loire-Atlantique—for obvious reasons, we won’t be able to help you there…
We can’t wait to read about your adventures on Whympr. Stay safe out there!
Want to Try Whympr Premium?
Whympr Premium is €14.99 for 3 months and €24.99 for a year.
Not sure yet? You can try Whympr Premium for free for one week! If you decide not to continue with a paid subscription after the seven-day trial, don’t forget to cancel it from your Play Store or App Store account.
