Help us work on the human side of backcountry travel.
Teamwork and communication cause more accidents than a lack of snow science. It's the overlooked part of backcountry safety. We work on it through user research we share freely and through our community, which connects good partners and fosters teamwork.
What we're up to this season
SlabLab is a backcountry community app for people who value both safety and fun. Members find partners who share their style of planning, risk and communication, and keep learning from peers and pros in a moderated space. This winter we're adding features built around teamwork.
Community agreements
Members agree to a few norms before they post, so honest talk about decisions is the default, not the exception.
Help shape them →New ways to meet partners before the trailhead
Members can create and schedule meetups, like laps at the resort, a zoom, or a light tour, so you get to know someone before more committing tours.
Every backcountry social event in one place
See which SlabLab members are going, check their profiles, chat before and meet up after.
Trip reports
Lightweight shares: a photo and a sentence, on a map. It augments, not replaces, formal observations and it's a much better experience than posting reports on Facebook.
Helping beginners find their first course
We worked with NWAC to redesign the education section of their website, using surveys, interviews and prototypes with learners. The write-up isn't published yet, and the work will inform the National Avalanche Center platform. It's a great example of how we use Human-Centered Design to start with the people we aim to help, and design new solutions with them in mind. Here's a few things we learned:
Plain language beats branding
Names like “Know Before You Go” work once you know them. Beginners search for “intro” or “avalanche awareness.”
Little agreement on where to start
At every experience level, answers to “where does one start?” were all over the map. Clearer naming and a roadmap page helped point newcomers to the right first step.
Packed menus hide things
Menus packed to aid discovery can backfire. Trimming them helped surface the key links.
How we might work together
Every partnership looks a little different. If you see opportunity to support the human part of backcountry travel, please reach out.
- We'd love to promote your social and educational events in our forthcoming event calendar n the app, as well as on our socials.
- We're happy to build on the work we did with NWAC and partner with you on user research.
- We welcome you to post trip reports. In this way you can build recognition with our users, while providing them value. Your reports will show your company and can link back to your website. We can find easy ways to import reports you do already anyways.
- We have the ability to share coupons and discounts with SlabLab members. It's aligned with our mission to help our members continue their education. If you are able to offer a discount, we will help promote your company in app, in an email to new members and on social media.
- We have the ability to share coupons and discounts with SlabLab members. We love supporting local businesses. Our users do too! If you are able to offer a discount, we will help promote your company in app, in an email to new members and on social media.
- We'd love to promote your social and educational events in our forthcoming event calendar n the app, as well as on our socials.
- In our experience, students often wonder how to meet partners after a course and continue their education. We think SlabLab is a good answer to give them. If it's no please give us feedback!
- Our free Teamwork Toolkit has practices you can use in your courses.
- We have the ability to share coupons and discounts with SlabLab members. It's aligned with our mission to help our members continue their education. If you are able to offer a discount, we will help promote your company in app, in an email to new members and on social media.
- We welcome you to post trip reports. In this way you can build recognition with our users, while providing them value. Your reports will show your company and can link back to your website. We can find easy ways to import reports you do already anyways.
Have an idea? Let's talk.
Email us at hello@slablab.co, or explore more of what we do.