Last updated: October 13, 2026
Please read this carefully. By using Snow Doctor, you agree that you are solely responsible for your own safety in the backcountry.
These Terms of Use (the "Terms") are a legal agreement between you and Snow Doctor ("Snow Doctor", "we", "us", or "our"), operating from British Columbia, Canada. They govern your access to and use of the Snow Doctor website, mobile apps, and related features (together, the "Service").
By creating an account, accessing, or using the Service, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.
You must be legally capable of entering into a binding contract under the laws of your jurisdiction. If you are under the age of majority where you live, you may use the Service only with the consent and supervision of a parent or guardian. If you use the Service on behalf of an organization, you represent that you are authorized to bind that organization, and "you" refers to both you and that organization.
Snow Doctor is an informational tool that aggregates data from third-party sources (such as Avalanche Canada, Environment Canada, and other national weather agencies including NOAA and ECMWF). We do not issue avalanche or weather forecasts. We draw insights from those data sets, render them, and compare them across user-generated backcountry terrain. The one data set we produce ourselves is a simulated snowpack, made by running a snow-cover model on weather data (see Section 6).
Snow Doctor is not a guiding service, an emergency service, a forecasting authority, or a substitute for professional training, on-the-ground terrain assessment, or official bulletins. Everything in the Service is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute guiding, instruction, or safety advice. The Service cannot be used to contact search and rescue, medical, or other emergency responders.
Snow Doctor is in active beta. Features, data sources, and scoring methodology may change, and functionality may be added, modified, or removed without notice as the product develops.
Backcountry travel is inherently dangerous.
Risks include avalanches, weather, falls, tree wells, equipment failure, getting lost, wildlife, remoteness, lack of medical care, delayed rescue, and the actions or omissions of other people. By using the Service, you explicitly agree that:
"Doctor's Orders" are generated using Large Language Models (LLMs), from the region's avalanche bulletin, recent field reports, the weather forecast, and our simulated snowpack.
The "Ask the Doctor" chat feature lets signed-in users ask follow-up questions about the AI-generated conditions summaries. By using this feature, you agree to the following:
Regional boundaries, aspects, elevation bands, and ATES ratings shown in the Service are approximations derived from Avalanche Canada and other third-party data. Regional forecasts cannot account for localized effects or micro-terrain, and the underlying data may be incomplete, inaccurate, outdated, or unavailable.
We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or availability of any map, boundary, rating, closure, or other terrain content, and we have no obligation to verify, update, or maintain any of it. Do not use the Service for precise route-finding or navigation.
A region's weather, and the snow and freezing level on the map, come from up to five sample points per region. Each map patch is the part of the region closest to one point, so its edges are drawn lines, not places where the weather actually changes.
The Snowpack tab and the snowpack in Doctor's Orders come from SNOWPACK, a model developed by the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, which we run on weather forecasts. They are estimates, not observations. The model cannot see wind loading at the scale of a slope, local variation, or snow the forecast missed, and it can show a weak layer that isn't there or miss one that is. Read the bulletin and check the snow yourself.
You can save personal terrain stashes and see two separate readings of each one against the forecast: an avalanche list (what counts against the zone, from the avalanche bulletin, the weather and your own answers about the slope) and a weather score (how good the skiing might be, by values you set). This feature is subject to the following terms.
The avalanche list starts at 0 and takes points away for each item that applies: the danger rating at the zone's elevation band and the avalanche problems on its band and aspect (both sourced from Avalanche Canada's bulletins), and your answers about the slope. The points for danger ratings and terrain class are defaults you can make stricter, never lighter. Loading and rapid warming from weather data are shown beside it and take no points away. A zone with nothing on its list is not safe; it means none of the items we check applied. The weather score adds and subtracts values for cloud, snow, wind, rain and warmth, using defaults or values you set. The two are never combined. Neither is a go/no-go recommendation, and a high weather score does not mean you should go. They are intended to help you organize and compare your saved terrain. You remain solely responsible for all field decisions.
Both readings use a regional weather forecast, the bulletin's ratings and problems for the elevation band and aspect you saved, and the answers you entered. They do not see field observations such as recent avalanches, cracking or whumpfing, the wind loading on a specific slope, the route you take to reach it, your group's skill, or real-time conditions. A slope question you leave blank counts nothing, which can make a zone's list shorter than it should be. Ratings for the next two days are forecasts and can change, and today's avalanche problems are assumed to carry forward. Always read the complete avalanche bulletin before heading out.
Comparing two saved locations can also be wrong. A zone with less on its avalanche list, or a higher weather score, is not thereby the safer or better choice today. Never use a comparison as your sole reason to pick one over another.
Terrain you save is stored privately against your account. We do not share it publicly or show it to other users, except when you choose to propose it to a plan, as described under Plans below. Stash data (elevation band, aspect, ATES rating, your answers about the slope, coordinates) is used to compute these readings within the app. You are solely responsible for the accuracy of the terrain you enter. You can delete your account and all associated stash data at any time from the account menu.
Plans let a group propose zones, rank them, and share a checklist and notes for a trip. Plans are a newer, beta part of the Service, and how sharing and membership work may change as they develop. A plan's ranking is the average of its members' preferences. It is not a safety assessment, and the option the group ranks first is not thereby safe, suitable, or within everyone's ability. Each person in a plan remains responsible for their own decisions in the field, whatever the group decided beforehand. The checklist is a convenience for coordinating gear, not a list of what your trip requires, and a claimed item is only as reliable as the person who claimed it.
When you propose a zone, a copy of it (including its location) is shown to everyone in the plan and to anyone the plan's owner shares its link with. Other members can save or export it only if you allow it. Propose only terrain you are willing to share on those terms. If you own a plan, you are responsible for whom you share its link with and whom you let in. How this data is handled, including what happens when you delete your account, is set out in our Privacy Policy.
The rules, thresholds and default values behind both readings are subject to change as we continue to improve them. We document them, and significant changes, on the blog.
We are not affiliated with Avalanche Canada, Environment Canada, the other agencies whose models we display (including NOAA and ECMWF), the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, whose SNOWPACK model we run, or the providers we get weather data and maps from (including Open-Meteo, Mapbox, and OpenStreetMap). Official bulletins and forecasts must be verified at their respective sources. All intellectual property rights in the underlying data remain with their owners.
We do not control these third parties and do not guarantee the accuracy, availability, or continued support of their data. Your use of third-party services is subject to their own terms and privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their acts or omissions.
We rely on service providers, contractors, hosting providers, data providers, app stores, and analytics providers to operate and distribute the Service. These parties may appear on receipts, app store records, or account records. Unless expressly stated otherwise, Snow Doctor remains the operator of the Service and these Terms are between you and Snow Doctor.
You need an account to use Snow Doctor. You agree to:
"Your Content" means anything you create, upload, or submit through the Service, including saved regions and stashes and their photos, ratings, comments, and what you add to plans (proposed zones, rankings, notes, and checklist items). You keep all rights to Your Content, subject to the license below.
You represent that you have the rights necessary to submit Your Content and that it does not violate these Terms or the law. Do not submit content that promotes trespassing, ignoring closures, or reckless travel, or that is unlawful, misleading, defamatory, hateful, or otherwise inappropriate.
You grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license to host, store, reproduce, modify, adapt, and display Your Content as needed to operate, provide, and improve the Service. This license lasts while your content is in the Service and for a limited period in backups after deletion. It does not permit us to publish your saved terrain, which stays private to your account as described in Section 7 and in our Privacy Policy. The one exception is what you add to a plan, which we display to that plan's members and to anyone holding its share link, because showing it to them is what a plan is for. Notes and checklist items you added to other people's plans may remain in those plans, without your name, after you delete your account, as the Privacy Policy explains.
If you send us ideas, suggestions, or other feedback, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, sublicensable, and transferable license to use that feedback for any purpose, to the extent permitted by law.
You must use the Service lawfully. You may not:
We may investigate suspected misuse and may suspend or terminate access where we reasonably believe a violation has occurred.
The Service and everything in it other than Your Content and third-party data is owned by Snow Doctor or its licensors. These Terms do not transfer ownership to you.
We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to install the Snow Doctor app and access the Service for your personal use. You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or create derivative works from the Service or its content except as these Terms allow or with our written permission.
We do not guarantee compatibility with every device, operating system, or connectivity environment. Cached and offline content may be incomplete, stale, or unavailable, and a cached forecast may no longer reflect the current bulletin. You are responsible for verifying what you have saved before entering terrain without signal. Performance limitations do not create warranties beyond those required by law.
Snow Doctor is free during beta. If we introduce subscriptions or paid features, additional terms will apply and will be presented to you before purchase.
Where a purchase is made through an app store, billing, cancellation, and refunds are governed by that store's terms, and you may need to manage or cancel through your app store account. We do not control app store billing. Unless stated otherwise, subscriptions renew automatically at the then-current price, and we will give notice of price changes and an opportunity to cancel where required. Taxes may apply. Store providers may be third-party beneficiaries of this Section and may enforce it.
Our collection and use of personal information is described in our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms. By using the Service, you acknowledge that your personal information will be handled according to that policy and applicable law.
The Service is provided "as is" and "as available". To the extent permitted by law and subject to Section 21, Snow Doctor and its licensors disclaim all warranties, whether express, implied, statutory, or otherwise, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, accuracy, and any warranty that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure.
Some jurisdictions do not allow certain warranty exclusions, so some of these may not apply to you.
To the extent permitted by applicable law and subject to Section 21, Snow Doctor and its owners, employees, contractors, agents, and licensors will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, data, goodwill, or business opportunity, arising out of or related to these Terms or your use of the Service, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
In all cases, and to the extent permitted by applicable law and subject to Section 21, our total aggregate liability for all claims arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service in any twelve-month period will not exceed the greater of the amount you paid us during that period or fifty Canadian dollars (CAD $50). This limit applies regardless of the theory of liability, and applies even if a limited remedy fails of its essential purpose.
To the extent permitted by law and subject to Section 21, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Snow Doctor and its owners, employees, contractors, agents, and licensors from third-party claims, losses, damages, and reasonable legal fees arising from your use of the Service, Your Content, or your violation of these Terms or applicable law. If we defend such a matter, you agree to cooperate reasonably.
You may close your account at any time using "Delete Account" in the menu. When you do, we delete or anonymize your personal information from our active systems, except where retention is required or permitted by law, or is needed for security, fraud prevention, or ordinary support correspondence, as described in our Privacy Policy. Residual copies may persist in backups for a limited period. We may keep aggregated or de-identified data indefinitely.
We may suspend or terminate your access if we reasonably believe you have violated these Terms or applicable law, if your use creates a material risk of harm or legal liability, or if we discontinue the Service. On termination, your right to use the Service ends immediately. Sections 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, and 16 through 23 survive termination.
We may change, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Service. We may update these Terms by posting notice in the Service, by email, or by other reasonable means. Updated Terms take effect when posted or on a later date we specify.
Continuing to use the Service after updated Terms take effect means you accept them. If you do not agree, stop using the Service.
Where these Terms exclude or limit warranties, liability, or remedies, those exclusions and limits apply only to the fullest extent permitted by law. They do not limit liability that cannot be excluded under applicable law, including certain liability for gross negligence, intentional misconduct, or non-waivable statutory consumer rights.
If any exclusion or limit is unenforceable, it applies to the maximum extent permitted and the remainder stays in force.
These Terms, and any dispute relating to them or the Service, are governed by the laws of the Province of British Columbia and the federal laws of Canada applicable there.
Subject to any non-waivable consumer rights, the courts of British Columbia are the preferred forum for disputes. Nothing here prevents you from bringing a claim in a court required by consumer-protection law, or from participating in a class action where that participation cannot be waived.
We may contact you by email, by in-app message, or by posting within the Service or on our website.
These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any additional terms for specific features, are the entire agreement between you and Snow Doctor. If any provision is held invalid, the rest stay in effect. Failing to enforce a provision is not a waiver of it.
You may not assign these Terms without our written consent. We may assign them without restriction, including as part of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or transfer of all or part of our assets. Except as stated in Section 14 for app store providers, no third party has rights under these Terms.
Questions about these Terms can go to hello@snowdoctor.ca, or through the "Get in touch" form in the app.