Inevitable Why This Winter's Snowpack Collapsed with Joel Gratz of OpenSnow
Apr 28, 2026
Joel Gratz, founding meteorologist and CEO of OpenSnow, built a popular forecast service for skiers. He breaks down why a brutal Western snow season is more about atmospheric variability than a simple climate blame. He explains why nighttime warmth hurts snowpack, how mountain forecasting differs, and how OpenSnow grew from a friends’ text thread into a profitable, niche weather business.
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Choose Higher Elevation To Hedge Shorter Seasons
- If you want reliable skiing long-term, favor higher-elevation destinations where it's colder and snow persists.
- Joel points to Summit County and 10,000+ foot bases like A-Basin as safer bets as climates warm.
OpenSnow Started As A 37 Person Forecast Text
- OpenSnow began as Joel Gratz texting 37 friends powder forecasts and grew by collaborating with other local forecasters.
- He bootstrapped a WordPress site, merged regional writers, and turned it into a niche weather business over 15 years.
Niche Focus Lets Weather Apps Thrive Profitably
- A focused niche weather product can succeed without massive scale by combining freemium revenue and emotional connection.
- OpenSnow is profitable, ~15 employees, reaches hundreds of thousands to low millions, and a small paid share sustains it.