Frequently asked questions
Questions, answered
The basics
- What is Whumpf?
- Whumpf is a free iPhone app that puts the avalanche forecast for every Alaska zone you care about on one screen, side by side, with nearby weather stations to check it against. It also sends a morning alert for each saved zone, builds a trip plan that emails and calls your contacts if you don't check in, and helps you file field observations with your avalanche center.
- Is it free? Do I need an account?
- It is free, with no account and no sign-in. There are no ads, no analytics and no tracking in the app.
- Which areas does Whumpf cover?
- Alaska's seven avalanche centers: the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center (Turnagain Pass / Girdwood, Summit Lake, Seward / Lost Lake, Chugach State Park), Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center, Valdez Avalanche Center (Maritime, Intermountain, Continental), Cordova Avalanche Center, Eastern Alaska Range Avalanche Center (North and South), Coastal Alaska Avalanche Center (Douglas Island, Juneau Mainland) and Haines Avalanche Center (Lutak, Transitional, Chilkat Pass).
- Why only Alaska?
- Other states are switched off while we get every Alaska forecast exactly right. Each center publishes its forecast differently, and Whumpf mirrors each one faithfully rather than squeezing them into one template.
- Is there an Android version?
- Not yet. Android is on the way. The App Store version is iPhone only for now.
Forecasts and weather
- Does Whumpf make its own avalanche forecast?
- No. Whumpf shows each avalanche center's own forecast as the center publishes it: the center's section names, its elevation bands and their ranges, its avalanche problems in its order, and its likelihood and size words. Forecast data comes from the National Avalanche Center and its member centers. Always read the full forecast from your local avalanche center before making travel decisions.
- Is Whumpf affiliated with the avalanche centers?
- No. Whumpf is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any avalanche center or the National Avalanche Center.
- What does comparing zones look like?
- The home screen shows a card for each zone you've saved with the danger at all three elevation bands, the avalanche problems, when the forecast was issued and when it expires, and a nearby station's temperature, wind and new snow. Open a zone for the full forecast: the bottom line, the danger by elevation, each avalanche problem with its aspects, elevations, likelihood and size, and the forecast discussion.
- Where does the weather come from?
- Nearby weather stations and SNOTEL sites for each zone (temperature, wind and gusts, new snow and water over 24 or 72 hours) and the National Weather Service point forecast. Weather is always labelled as its own source, separate from the avalanche center's forecast.
- When do the morning alerts come?
- Each morning Whumpf sends one notification per saved zone with the danger at every elevation band and a line of station weather. The full forecast downloads with the notification, even if the app was closed, so it's on your phone when you lose service at the trailhead. Morning alerts, avalanche warnings and National Weather Service alerts each have their own switch (Menu → Alerts), and they cover every zone you've saved.
- Will I hear about avalanche warnings?
- Yes. When a center issues an avalanche warning for a zone you follow, Whumpf sends it at any hour, not just in the morning. You can also get National Weather Service warnings, watches and advisories for your zones.
- Does it work without cell service?
- Forecasts for your saved zones are stored on your phone and refreshed in the background, so the last forecast you received is there without service. Trip plans and observation filing need a connection to send.
- Can I see past forecasts?
- Yes. You can page back through the last few days to see how the forecast changed.
Heading Out (trip plans)
- What is Heading Out?
- Heading Out builds the trip plan a search and rescue team asks for and sends it to people you choose before you go: where you parked, with a map pin; your route and backup plans; who's in the party; what you're wearing and carrying; your vehicle; your satellite messenger's share page; and medical details. You set a back-by time and a worry-by time, and check in with one tap when you're back.
- Do my contacts need the app?
- No. Each contact gets an email with a link to a web page that opens on any phone, with everything in the order a rescuer will ask for it and who to call.
- Will my contacts hear from Whumpf every time I go out?
- Your choice, per trip. "Now, and if I'm late" (the default) emails them the plan when you send it. "Only if I'm late" tells them nothing unless you miss your worry-by time; then they get the email, the call and the link like anyone else.
- What happens if I don't check in?
- At your worry-by time, Whumpf emails your contacts and calls them with an automated message. If you still haven't checked in an hour later, it emails and calls them again. A contact can push the worry-by time back from the page (up to 48 hours past your back-by time), mark that they've heard from you, or mark that a search has started; the other contacts see it and you get a notification. A plan nobody closes expires 72 hours after the worry-by time, and your contacts are told.
- What's the difference between a back-by time and a worry-by time?
- Your back-by time is when you expect to be out. Your worry-by time is when your contacts should start acting if they haven't heard from you. Whumpf only alerts them at the worry-by time, so leave enough margin for a slow exit or for driving back into cell service.
- Does Whumpf call search and rescue?
- No. Whumpf never contacts rescuers itself. Your contacts decide when to call, and their page tells them how and gives them the details rescuers will ask for.
- Do I have to fill everything in every time?
- No. Fill in your profile once (vehicle, gear, what you wear, emergency contacts, medical notes) and every plan after that is prefilled. Pick the area, set your times, choose your contacts and send.
- Can my contacts see where I am?
- Only if you turn on live location for that trip. It is off by default, it is a per-trip choice, it stops when you check in or cancel, and the trail is visible only to the contacts holding that trip's link. It is deleted with the plan.
- How long is a trip plan kept?
- Trip plans, including any location trail, are deleted seven days after the trip closes.
- I carry an inReach or another satellite messenger. Does Whumpf replace it?
- No, it works with it. Add your messenger's share page to your profile and it goes on the page your contacts see, so they can find your last satellite position as well as your plan.
Observations
- Can I submit an observation to my avalanche center from Whumpf?
- Yes. Write up what you saw, with photos and the location, then send it one of three ways: open your center's own observation form inside the app, filled in with what you wrote, and tap the center's Submit button; email it to the center with a PDF copy and your photos; or save the PDF for yourself.
- Why doesn't Whumpf post observations directly?
- The National Avalanche Center does not currently issue API access to third-party apps, so Whumpf uses the public routes each center publishes. Your observation reaches the center the same way every other public report does.
- What can I record?
- Where and when you were out and how you traveled, red flags like recent avalanches, shooting cracks and collapsing, avalanches you saw, snowpack tests or a full pit, weather (sky, precipitation, wind, blowing snow), photos with captions, and what you avoided and why.
- Do I have to finish it at the trailhead?
- No. Observations are saved on your phone as you go, so you can finish and file one later from the home screen.
- Will my observation be public?
- That's up to the center. Some centers review observations before publishing them. Whether your name is shown is your choice in the center's form.
Privacy
- What does Whumpf know about me?
- Very little leaves your phone. Your saved zones, settings, cached forecasts, observer details and trip profile stay on the device; medical notes, date of birth and home address are held in the device keychain. A trip plan is sent to Whumpf's server only when you send it, so your contacts can see it and be alerted, and it is deleted seven days after the trip closes. Whumpf does not sell data or share it with advertisers.
Free on the App Store.
No account, no sign-in, no ads. Built in Alaska, for Alaska's avalanche centers.
