It was not a business decision to create Propagation Labs -- in fact there is very little monetary incentive for building high-tech tools for a small community often with limited resources. The inspiration for Propagation Labs came from a desire and ability to make a difference in a community that has had a large impact on our lives.

As backcountry skiers/splitboarders we recognize the gravity that decisions have in avalanche terrain. Most of the people that we encounter in the backcountry skiing community seem to have experienced or been affected by a tragic accident in some way. Avalanches are far from predictable, and accidents are often unavoidable, but when our friends' and loved ones' lives are at stake, we are going to use every tool in our toolbox to make the right decision -- even if we have to build some of those tools ourselves.

Like most skiers, we were fascinated by snow and snow structure; avalanches offered an even more interesting problem. Digging (metaphorically and literally) into this problem we came to the conclusion that snow science and avalanche prediction are limited by quantity and quality of objective data. This leads to less accurate models and prediction and affects the entire industry. As skiers, we were taught to put our heads and hands in the snow to gather objective data, but as engineers we couldn't help but see a better way of doing things, which is why we created Propagation Labs.

We believe that with better tools, we can empower a variety of snow professionals to excel in their respective fields. With objective, geotagged data, avalanche forecasters and snow safety teams will be able make more helpful and informed forecasts. With faster data, guides can take the measurements they need to keep their clients safe without sacrificing their time. With a large database of objective data, snow scientists, researchers, and hydrologists will be able to build better models that will bolster our understanding of snow and water and can hopefully be used to help fight the effects of climate change.

We want to create products that engender better data, sound science, and safer powder turns.

Learn more about us and Propagation Labs on our recent interview with The Avalanche Hour Podcast