OnX Backcountry Updates ATES Coverage In 3D Mapping Software

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We use our phones a lot in the backcountry, whether it’s snapping clips of our friends, chiming in on work calls on the skintrack, or checking our favorite mapping apps to find the exact entrance to that sneaky line. These days, smartphones have become as indispensable a backcountry tool as our avalanche safety gear and climbing skins–which is why any update in the world of mobile mapping should be on your radar. Today, onX Backcountry dropped a major update to their 3D-mapping mobile and web app that includes 18 new zones covered by high-resolution ATES (avalanche terrain exposure scale) mapping and the inclusion of clearly-marked Level 0 “safe zones” with no risk to avalanche exposure.

To me, backcountry skiing is as much about exploration and traveling through new-to-me terrain as it is scoring deep turns and aesthetic lines. Tools like ATES are absolutely integral to my decision-making process out there, and I’m really psyched to see an update like this.

With this new update, onX Backcountry triples its ATES coverage, mapping 23 million acres across ten US states including Washington, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, California, Oregon and more.

What is ATES?

ATES (short for the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale) is a tool developed by Parks Canada nearly two decades ago to precisely map avalanche paths and determine the exposure a backcountry traveler might have on any given point on the map. It’s an additional tool that backcountry travelers can use to make a plan for a backcountry ski adventure on top of reading avalanche forecasts and understanding the terrain, weather, and snow conditions they plan to enter.

Unlike older mapping tools, ATES goes far beyond identifying slope angles, instead taking into account 11 different variables like start/runout paths, terrain complexity (is it glaciated?), forest density, slope shape (convex vs. concave), path intersections, and more. This year, ATES has been updated to include clear indicators of non-avalanche terrain, that is safe from exposure no matter the conditions and an appropriate place to go if you’re not interested in any sort of avalanche potential.

Based on a calculation of these variables, the new ATES scale rates terrain into five levels:

• 0 – Non-avalanche terrain (Grey/White)
• 1 – Simple Terrain (Green)
• 2 – Challenging Terrain (Blue)
• 3 – Complex Terrain (Red)
• 4 – Extreme Terrain (Black)

How Does onX Backcountry Calculate and Include ATES?

The beauty of integrating the ATES scale into a 3D mapping app like onX Backcountry is that it allows users to pinpoint their exact location relative to mapped avalanche danger zones. Sure, you’d be putting a lot of trust into the accuracy of the map (which onX does provide a disclaimer for), but then again, nothing in the backcountry is an exact science, so give anything extra margin if you’re at all in doubt. OnX calculates and integrates ATES maps based on a third-party algorithm named autoATES designed by Alaska-based researcher John Sykes. To check the algorithm, onX works with local avalanche forecasters to test and verify ATES ratings. That boots-on-the-ground human input is critical to ensure the layer’s accuracy.

The fact that onX is also integrating defined “level 0” zones is worth talking about. “This is a bold move,” says Andry Sovick, onX Backcountry Senior Content Manager in a press release, “because we are now literally drawing a line on the map, saying ‘you won’t get into an avalanche here.’ This can be extremely helpful for Nordic centers, municipalities, utility companies and ski areas. And of course it’s reassuring for people who want to get outside in the winter, yet want to avoid avalanche terrain at all costs.” In other words, onX is outright telling you where you won’t get caught in an avalanche on the map.

Within the onX Backcountry app, users can toggle Snow Mode and turn ATES layers on and off. This visually overlays the various terrain classifications with impressive resolution–looking in detail at zones I’m familiar traveling through, it’s pretty cool to see the tool call out important details like ridgelines that tend to cornice up (extreme hazard), easy-to-miss but potentially consequential start zones, and deceptively not-dense trees.

With the new update, onX is adding nearly 15 million additional acres of coverage. Take a look at what’s now covered:

Washington: 3,918,667 New Acres

• North Cascades: 934,590 acres
• Mount Saint Helens and Mount Rainier: 1,477,459 acres
• Mount Adams: 729,853 acres
• Leavenworth: 776,765 acres

Colorado: 3,676,474 New Acres

• Western San Juan Mountains: 909,207 acres
• Leadville and Aspen: 1,651,722 acres
• Pikes Peak: 176,689 acres
• Indian Peaks: 374,470 acres
• Gore Range, Summit to Steamboat: 564,386 acres

Montana: 3,236,578 New Acres

• Whitefish: 1,114,385 acres
• Rattlesnake: 360,000 acres
• Bitterroots: 1,342,193 acres
• Seeley Lake: 420,000 acres

Wyoming: 2,272,651 New Acres

• Togwotee Pass: 1,114,621 acres
• Alpine and Afton: 1,158,030 acres

California: 1,420,011 New Acres

• Sonora Pass and Ebbets Pass: 581,831 acres
• Eastern Sierra: 838,180 acres

Oregon: 462,143 New Acres  

• Central Cascades: 462,143 acres