← All guides
Guide

Placing the avalanche bulletin on the actual mountain

A danger rating on its own doesn't tell you which slope it applies to. Placing the bulletin on the terrain in front of you does.

ALBINA RegionsAvalanche Slope — Live

The problem

Avalanche risk isn't one flat number for the whole day — it depends on slope angle, aspect, elevation, and what the bulletin actually says for that region. Treating a “3 – Considerable” rating as a single answer for the whole mountain misses where the real danger sits.

Why it happens

ALBINA Regions pulls the official regional danger rating (1–5) and warning-region polygons straight from the EAWS / ALBINA bulletin. Avalanche Slope's Live mode goes further, cross-referencing terrain aspect and altitude against the specific avalanche problems named in today's bulletin.

How to check it in First Chair

The official ALBINA avalanche bulletin with regional danger rating, placed in the app

  1. Check the regional rating

    Turn on ALBINA Regions to see the official danger rating for the region you're in — straight from the published bulletin, not an in-app estimate.

  2. Switch Avalanche Slope to Live mode

    It flags the slopes whose aspect and elevation match today's specific bulletin problems, not just the raw angle.

  3. Point the lens at a slope you're considering

    In Shoot/Compass mode, the flagged terrain overlays directly over the real view.

  4. Read the bulletin's written text too

    The layer tells you where extra caution applies — it doesn't tell you a slope is safe.

Worth remembering First Chair surfaces the same public bulletin data and terrain geometry a careful rider would already check — it doesn't replace the bulletin, a partner's judgment, or your own training. Always read the full written bulletin, and treat flagged terrain as a reason to look closer, not a verdict.

Free to download · iPhone & Apple Watch

Download on the App Store