In reply to DizzyVizion:
Hi DizzyVizion,
Adam creator of the Winter Climbing Forecasts app here. Thanks for supporting us.
So the app is not making a prediction on the risk of approaching, climbing and descending from these routes. The predictions are for the 'ethical' condition of them.
There are many reasons for this. For example, with subjective hazards it would be impossible for the app to tailor predictions to each individual user e.g. their ability to climb a route at a given grade or navigate in a white out when topping out. And with objective hazards it would be impossible to tailor the predictions to each users acceptable risk level e.g. how comfortable they with poor belays, loose blocks or the SAIS avalanche level.
Here's the help section on the app regarding avalanches:
Does it factor in the risk from avalanche?
No. The variations on how climbers could approach and descend from a particular crag are endless, which makes it impossible to factor these into the predictions. For example, should the app consider going over the top or all the way round to Beinn Eighe Triple Buttress? Both have different aspects and avalanche potential.
On certain style of routes, such as snow gullies, the app does look for the snow to settle for the best ethical conditions. However, this is not a statement on whether it is safe to climb with regards to avalanche. As an example, the app lacks the specialism to know a persistant weak layer is within the snowpack nor be able to tailor to what a climbers risk tolerance to this is.
It is essential to use resources such as Scottish Avalanche Information Service to make this judgement. We highly recommend using their expertise and in-the-field knowledge as part of your planning. We provide links within the webapp to help you with this.
Being an assistive tool, the app is just one piece of the jigsaw when planning where to go climbing, so we've provided links to the specific SAIS area on each relevant predictions page in Scotland. Once out on the mountain, this app nor any other forecasting tool like SAIS is never going be a substitute for your own dynamic risk assessment.