Viewing and Submitting Public Observations
Take advantage of real-time, location-specific information on the snowpack and avalanche activity, plus submit your own observations too!
The New Zealand Avalanche Advisory (NZAA) relies on a combination of professional and public observations to provide accurate and timely avalanche forecasts. Your observations help forecasters and fellow backcountry users identify trends, assess conditions, and build a clearer picture of what’s happening in the mountains. Plus, you can use this resource to help plan your next trip!
Why Submit a Public Observation?
Every piece of information counts. By submitting a public observation, you:
- Help others make informed decisions before heading into the mountains.
- Provide real-time insights into avalanche conditions and hazards.
- Support the forecasting team with additional data, especially in remote areas where professional (ski field, mountain guiding) observations may be limited.
- Encourage a culture of safety and shared responsibility in the backcountry.
- Use the observations yourself to plan your next trip, helping you choose safer routes and better understand current conditions.
What to include in your observation:
You don’t need to be an avalanche expert to submit an observation—every report helps! A quality image with a detailed location is enough, but here are some key details to include if possible:
Location: Be as specific as you can, using both the map and the name of the area, nearby landmarks, or GPS coordinates.
Date and Time: When did you observe the conditions?
Avalanche Activity: Did you see recent avalanches? Describe these as best you can, including the elevation they occurred at, the aspect they occurred on, and any other noteworthy features.
Photos: Visual evidence is extremely valuable. A clear image showing avalanche activity or snowpack conditions (such as cracks, roller balls or large cornices) can provide crucial insights.
Snowpack Conditions: Notice any signs of instability, such as cracking, whumpfing, or recent wind-loading?
How to view the public observations?
To view recently submitted observations and use these to plan your next trip, visit the Public Observations tab on the avalanche.net.nz homepage. Then, you can filter the observations by:
Region - to show only observations submitted in the Avalanche Advisory region relevant to you.
Type of observation - select either 'Snowpack' or 'Avalanche' to specify the type of observations you wish to see.
Date - you can change the dates you wish to see observations for, the whole season, the previous 7 days, or a specific date range.
How to submit a public observation?
Ideally, observations are submitted as soon as possible after they were observed in the backcountry. Once you return to reception, or arrive home, jump online or on your phone to submit your observations. It is super easy and straight forward!
- Visit avalanche.net.nz and submit your observations by clicking the purple “Share Now” button on the Public Observations page.
- Position the pin as close to the location of your observation as possible, then click “Next Step”.
- Follow the prompts, filling out the form with as much information as you can.
- Click 'Submit'!
For incidents involving people or structures, you have the option of submitting the observation so it is visible to the public, or, just to the Mountain Safety Council for reporting purposes. This data helps shape research and insights, even anonymous reporting of avalanche incidents in the backcountry is critical for this dataset to be an accurate and complete picture of avalanches in NZ.
To learn more about how alpine observations are recorded in New Zealand, view the "NZ Guidelines & Recording Standards for Weather, Snowpack & Avalanche".