Good to know

• How much does it cost?

  The core features are free and always will be. We want a place that is accessible for anyone in the community to report and know when the mountain is out. There is also an optional Super Watcher subscription that adds a few perks and helps cover our hosting and development costs, but everything essential stays free.

• How does it work?

  Basically we have built some software that allows you to send in a report of The Mountain out status and then we update the map based on recent reports. We have certain thresholds set in place and anonymize and randomize user data to keep everything privacy focused.

• Will you ever open up the API for public use?

  Yes we might, although based on usage to cover maintenance and upkeep costs it might cost money after a certain point.

• Really - just two brothers did this in their spare time?

  Yup - and we will take that as a compliment!

• Will my house show up on the map?

  No, we have built this with privacy in mind. We use an open source library (H3: Uber’s Hexagonal Hierarchical Spatial Index) to approximate your location. Furthermore, we don’t send GPS information to our servers. We submit an approximate area (an H3 resolution-10 hexagon, about a city block across) to the server with the report. Additionally, when displaying this on the map we use larger areas until there are enough reports to break down the large area into smaller ones. We plan to use 3-5 resolutions of granularity.

• Is there a smartphone app?

  Yes. The iOS app is available now: download it on the App Store. Android is next on the roadmap; sign up for Android availability and app updates.

• What does the iOS app do?

  Pretty much what the website does, but native and faster on your phone. Submit reports with your camera, check the live hexagon map, browse webcams, and see the latest community reports, all in a few taps. iOS is first; Android is next on the roadmap.

• Does the iOS app track my location?

  Same deal as the website: we compute a coarse hexagonal location on your device (an H3 resolution-10 hexagon, about a city block across) and never send your raw GPS to our servers. Photos are stripped of all EXIF data (including any embedded GPS) before they leave your phone.

• How do I report a bug or give feedback?

  Just shake your phone. A bug report sheet pops up where you can describe what happened and attach a screenshot. It goes straight to us. You can also tap "Contact us" in Settings. TestFlight preview users can also use TestFlight's built-in feedback button.

• Will the app have any paid features?

  Reporting, the map, status, and webcams will always be free. There is an optional Super Watcher subscription for people who want extra perks and to support the project. It is available now and includes First-out alerts and Mountain-out alerts (push notifications) plus theme options. A Super Watcher member badge and alternate app icons are coming soon. Everything core stays free.

• This is amazing, how can we support you?

  If you would like to help build the apps, pitch in.

• Why did I get a browser location permission error when I try to submit a report?

  We need your location to add your report to the map and sometimes this permission is disabled. If you’ve recently denied the request (or denied the request from another site), you will need to go into your browser settings to allow permission to share your location. Here's how to do that on iOS, and Android. Also you can have site-specific location sharing in both iOS and Android browsers.