Gear of the Week | WhatsApp subscription of the LWD Tirol

You receive a daily message via the LWD Tirol subscription with a keyword summary of the situation report, the overview graphic from the situation report and the link to the detailed situation report. The text is chosen in such a way that you get a basic idea of the current conditions in the open terrain even when the message is displayed in condensed form, e.g. on the lock screen of your smartphone. For example: "Very disturbing drift snow on snow-covered surface" or " Mostly favorable conditions: note fresh drift snow".

Loading the approx. 100 KB overview graphics (should also be loadable with a poor internet connection), you quickly get an initial overview of the avalanche situation. If you are then actually on your way into the open terrain, all you need to do is click on the link and you can include the full avalanche situation report in your planning.

How it works

The service can be subscribed to in just a few steps. The app "WhatsApp" must be installed on your smartphone. To start, add the phone number +49 1579 2379018 with any contact name (e.g. LWD Tirol Abo) to your smartphone contacts. Then send a WhatsApp message with the content "Start" to the previously saved number. You will then receive a confirmation informing you that you will soon be added to the mailing list. You have now successfully subscribed and will receive upcoming situation reports and blog entries from LWD Tirol as WhatsApp messages. To cancel the subscription, simply send "Stop" to the same number.

By subscribing, you keep up with the situation report (albeit sometimes only briefly), even when you can't be in the terrain. This also gives you something like a rough feeling about the development of the avalanche situation over the course of the season. In the best case scenario, this in turn leads to a better understanding of the current situation and better decisions in the terrain.

Regular information on the avalanche situation in a short and concise form including an overview graphic, as well as current updates in case of an event (intraday changes to the avalanche situation report and new blog entries) make the WhatsApp subscription of the LWD Tirol a useful tool for freeriders and a well-deserved Gear of the Week. Let's hope that other warning services will also offer this service soon.