OnTheSnow
OnTheSnow is a free, advertising-supported digital platform providing real-time snow reports, ski resort guides, user reviews, and travel planning content to skiers across North America, Europe, the Southern Hemisphere, and Japan, operated by Mountain News LLC since 1995.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersBoulder, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What OnTheSnow does
OnTheSnow is a digital media platform providing real-time snow reports, ski resort guides, user reviews, and travel planning content to skiers and snowboarders across North America, Europe, the Southern Hemisphere (Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand), and Japan. Operated by Mountain News LLC, a MountainNews Group company founded in 1995 and headquartered in Los Gatos, California, the platform has been in continuous operation for over 30 years. Distribution spans a global web platform at onthesnow.com, 12+ country-specific regional sites (under both onthesnow and skiinfo domains), and native iOS and Android mobile apps.
The core product surface includes Snow Reports sourced directly from resorts, comprehensive Ski Resort Guides with terrain and lodging detail, user-generated First Hand Reports and reviews, and editorial content covering news, gear, multi-resort pass comparisons, and weather forecasting by meteorologist Chris Tomer. The company has introduced SkiGPT, an AI-powered conversational assistant providing natural-language access to snow conditions and resort information, and Mountain Getaway, a summer sub-brand covering hiking, biking, festivals, and other off-season mountain activities. The platform maintains coverage partnerships with major multi-resort pass programs including Epic Pass, Ikon Pass, Mountain Collective, and Indy Pass.
Monetization is entirely consumer-free and advertising-driven. Revenue comes from sponsored content and native advertising from ski resorts and tourism boards (including Tourism Whistler, Vail Resorts, and Valle Nevado) and from an affiliate/referral arrangement with WeSki for lift pass and travel booking. The company is privately held with a small team (1-10 employees), led by COO/Global Managing Director Chad Dyer and Senior Editor Ryan Belmore. No venture funding, M&A activity, or disclosed financial figures appear in source material, and the business has operated continuously under stable private ownership.
OnTheSnow firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- OnTheSnow
- Legal name
- Mountain News LLC
- Website
- https://onthesnow.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- OnTheSnow is a free, advertising-supported digital platform providing real-time snow reports, ski resort guides, user reviews, and travel planning content to skiers across North America, Europe, the Southern Hemisphere, and Japan, operated by Mountain News LLC since 1995.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
OnTheSnow industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Ski Resort Information & Snow Sports Travel Content
- NAICS
- Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (519290)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Winter Adventure Experiences (Ski Touring, Snowshoeing, Dog Sledding) (THAJABAH)
Keywords
Where OnTheSnow is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boulder
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
OnTheSnow business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Advertising & Sponsorships: OnTheSnow generates revenue through sponsored content from ski resorts and tourism boards. Articles and resort features are sponsored (e.g., 'Sponsored by Tourism Whistler', 'Sponsored by Vail Resorts', 'Sponsored by Valle Nevado').
- Affiliate/Referral: Partnership with WeSki for exclusive deals on lift passes and travel booking, likely generating referral commissions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free access to all core platform features |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
OnTheSnow product offering
Product offeringCore offering
OnTheSnow is a global ski resort information platform that publishes real-time snow reports, resort guides, and editorial content for skiers and snowboarders. It aggregates snowfall data sourced directly from resorts, offers an AI-powered conversational assistant (SkiGPT), hosts user-generated resort reviews and First Hand Reports, and covers multi-resort ski pass programs. The company also operates Mountain Getaway as a seasonal sub-brand covering summer mountain activities.
Product overview
OnTheSnow is a ski resort information platform providing snow reports, resort guides, travel planning tools, and editorial content for ski enthusiasts across North America, Europe, and the Southern Hemisphere. The platform's core offerings include real-time Snow Reports sourced directly from ski resorts, Ski Resort Guides with detailed trip planning information, the AI-powered SkiGPT conversational assistant, and user-generated Resort Reviews and First Hand Reports. The company also operates Mountain Getaway as a summer-focused sub-brand covering warm-weather mountain activities. Editorial content includes expert weather forecasting by meteorologist Chris Tomer and ski pass comparison guides. OnTheSnow is published by Mountain News LLC and has been operating since 1995.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SkiGPT: AI-powered ski concierge assistant for snow reports, live cams, resort info, and trip planning inquiries.
Products and services
- Snow Reports Real-time snowfall totals, snow depth at summit and base, open trails and lifts data for ski resorts worldwide, sourced directly from resorts during the official ski season. Targets skiers and snowboarders planning trips and checking conditions.
- Ski Resort Guides & Trip Planning Comprehensive ski resort directory with resort overviews, terrain statistics, lift information, lodging options, and resort reviews to help users plan ski vacations across North America, Europe, Southern Hemisphere, and Japan.
- SkiGPT AI-powered conversational assistant branded as 'Your Personal AI Ski Concierge' that delivers snow reports, live cam information, and resort details through natural language queries. Targets individual ski and snowboard enthusiasts planning trips and evaluating conditions.
- Mountain Getaway Summer mountain travel content platform covering hiking, mountain biking, golf, festivals, events, spas, scenic drives, and dog-friendly activities at ski resort destinations during non-winter months. Targets travelers seeking mountain experiences outside ski season.
Companies that use OnTheSnow
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
OnTheSnow technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
OnTheSnow partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- WeSkiminorOnTheSnow partners with WeSki to provide exclusive deals on lift passes and travel booking through the platform, offering discounted rates to users planning ski vacations.
- Tourism WhistlerminorTourism Whistler sponsors content on OnTheSnow promoting Whistler as a summer destination, including hiking, adventure activities, and village experiences.
- Vail ResortsminorVail Resorts sponsors the Vail Summer Sessions event content, promoting live music events at Vail Mountain during summer months.
- Valle NevadominorValle Nevado, a Chilean ski resort, sponsors content promoting summer skiing in Chile and the resort's offerings, including heliskiing and interconnected terrain with La Parva.
- Epic PasscoreOnTheSnow provides comprehensive coverage of Epic Pass resorts, including resort pages, snow reports, and pass information. Epic Pass is owned by Vail Resorts and offers access to 40+ unlimited resorts globally.
- Ikon PasscoreOnTheSnow provides comprehensive coverage of Ikon Pass resorts, including resort pages, snow reports, and pass information. Ikon Pass is owned by Alterra Mountain Company and offers access to 70+ destinations worldwide.
- Mountain CollectiveminorOnTheSnow covers Mountain Collective pass resorts, providing ski trip planning resources for pass holders.
- Indy PassminorOnTheSnow covers Indy Pass resorts, described as offering 'the spirit of alpine skiing at independent resorts' with 200+ independent mountain destinations.
- NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)minorOnTheSnow meteorologist Chris Tomer references NOAA data for long-range winter weather forecasts, including La Nina/El Nino analysis and seasonal predictions.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
OnTheSnow competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Powder Magazine: Powder Magazine is a long-standing ski media brand covering resorts, conditions, and ski culture. It competes with OnTheSnow's editorial content and resort storytelling.
- Newschoolers: Newschoolers is a large ski and snowboard community and content platform combining forums, reviews, and resort coverage. It overlaps with OnTheSnow's community-driven reviews and editorial content.
- Liftopia (Indigo Base): Indigo Pass (formerly Liftopia) is a discount lift-ticket marketplace serving skiers across North America. It overlaps with OnTheSnow's lift-pass information and WeSki affiliate booking.
Direct peers
- J2Ski: J2Ski is a UK-based ski portal with snow reports, resort guides, and trip-planning tools. It competes with OnTheSnow's UK and broader European ski information offering.
- Snow-Forecast.com: Snow-Forecast.com provides detailed mountain weather forecasts and snow reports for ski areas worldwide. It competes with OnTheSnow on snow-condition data and forecasting.
- OpenSnow: OpenSnow provides snow forecasts, ski reports, and resort information across North America and beyond. It is the closest direct competitor to OnTheSnow's snow-reporting and trip-planning core offering, with comparable AI-driven features.
- Ski.com: Ski.com is a ski vacation booking and trip-planning platform serving North American skiers. It overlaps with OnTheSnow on resort guides, multi-resort pass content, and lift-ticket affiliate monetization.
- SnoCountry: SnoCountry provides snow reports, ski resort conditions, and ski area directories primarily in North America. It directly competes with OnTheSnow on real-time snow reporting and resort listings.
- Bergfex: Bergfex is a leading European mountain and ski information portal with weather, webcams, and resort guides across the Alps. It is the closest European analog to OnTheSnow's regional European sites.
Regional players
- Mountainwatch: Mountainwatch covers Southern Hemisphere skiing in Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and Argentina with forecasts, reviews, and editorial content. It overlaps with OnTheSnow's Southern Hemisphere coverage.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
OnTheSnow social profiles
Digital presenceOnTheSnow financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
OnTheSnow leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
OnTheSnow funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
OnTheSnow M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about OnTheSnow
What does OnTheSnow do?
OnTheSnow is a global ski resort information platform that publishes real-time snow reports, resort guides, and editorial content for skiers and snowboarders. It aggregates snowfall data sourced directly from resorts, offers an AI-powered conversational assistant (SkiGPT), hosts user-generated resort reviews and First Hand Reports, and covers multi-resort ski pass programs. The company also operates Mountain Getaway as a seasonal sub-brand covering summer mountain activities.
Is OnTheSnow a public or private company?
OnTheSnow is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was OnTheSnow founded?
OnTheSnow was founded in 1995. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is OnTheSnow based?
OnTheSnow is headquartered in Boulder, United States, in the North America region.
How does OnTheSnow make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Advertising & Sponsorships are the primary driver. The others are affiliate/Referral.
Who are OnTheSnow's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Powder Magazine, Newschoolers and Liftopia (Indigo Base). Direct peers are J2Ski, Snow-Forecast.com, OpenSnow, Ski.com, SnoCountry and Bergfex. Mountainwatch is listed as a regional player.
Does OnTheSnow have an API?
No public API is recorded for OnTheSnow.
What industry is OnTheSnow in?
OnTheSnow's product category is Ski Resort Information & Snow Sports Travel Content. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJABAH, Winter Adventure Experiences (Ski Touring, Snowshoeing, Dog Sledding). Its NAICS code is 519290 and its SIC code is 7372.