New Possibilities with Apps

When the iPhone came onto the Swiss market in 2008, it opened up entirely new digital possibilities. We too were fascinated by the potential of this new technology and wanted to put it to use for avalanche prevention. At SLF, people started experimenting with these new technical possibilities at an early stage. The first developments were even created on a jailbroken iPhone 2G, before the device was officially available in Switzerland at all. Just one year later, in 2009, the first version of White Risk mobile was released.

For the first time, the avalanche bulletin was available right in your pocket. Alongside the bulletin texts and images, the app included the first digital tools for tour preparation and assessment in the field. These included a slope-angle meter and the Analyser, an interactive tool for assessing avalanche problems. Data from automatic measurement stations was integrated as well. At the time, this information was not yet publicly available, so access was subject to a fee. Anyone who wanted to unlock it paid 15 Swiss francs.

The first version of White Risk mobile was available exclusively for iOS. The Android version followed later. Even the structure of the app at the time shows how many topics people wanted to bring together early on. The first tabs were called SLF Info, Tools, Basics, Feedback and Info.

In 2011, SLF and SAC Davos jointly held the ski touring event SnowSense. For it, we developed a web-based platform for tour planning, complemented by an app for use on the go. The event took place as part of two anniversaries, 75 years of SLF and 125 years of SAC Davos, and provided the ideal stage for a digital experiment. New ideas could not only be presented here, but also tested directly in the field.

The SAC groups planned their tours with SnowSense, recorded observations along the way and submitted their decision steps directly through the app. At the same time, their tours were tracked live. At the event site in the valley, people could watch on a screen how the groups moved through the landscape. For us, SnowSense was more than a standalone project. It was a proof of concept showing that tour planning on the web and app-based use in the field can work together seamlessly, making it a preview of White Risk's later tour planning tool.

White Risk gradually began to take shape. Over the years, various digital applications, tools and prototypes were developed at SLF, each making an important contribution to the development of White Risk. The White Risk CD conveyed in-depth avalanche knowledge and offered interactive exercises to apply what had been learned directly. White Risk Instructor added a presentation tool for avalanche educators, while White Risk mobile brought the avalanche bulletin, current information and the first digital aids straight into your pocket. And with SnowSense, digital tour planning in the interplay between web and app was finally tested as well. Together, these products and prototypes laid the foundation for today's White Risk.

Find more impressions of the first version of White Risk mobile here.