Whoah, what’s going on with the trail reports?
Yes, there are a few changes. The Reports have been successful because they are easy to use. So I am very cautious about making changes. But here are a few new features that I think will prove very valuable, while still keeping the Reports simple.
Easier To Add A New Location
Instead of having to select your location from a drop-down list, you can now either choose from a list or simply type in the name of the location. This makes adding a new location much easier. Important note: To keep things organized, please select a location from the list whenever possible. We don’t need eight different “Kincaid Park”s in the system. If you do add a new location, make sure to also add a marker on the map, so we know where it is.
Search
You can now search the reports! You can search for any text that is included in the location name or the report itself. Want to see reports for Hillside? Type “Hillside” (no quotes) into the search box. Want to search for crust skiing? Type in “crust.” The search algorithm is pretty basic, but it should help you find what you are looking for.
The Map
Want to know the latest conditions nearby? Now it’s easy by glancing at the map. I think once you play with the map a little bit (try a few searches!) you’ll see how powerful a tool it can be.
More Activities (aka Other Sports)
I’ve had a lot of requests over the years to create forums like Cross Country Alaska’s Ski Trail Reports for other sports. This sounded like a great idea to me, but I couldn’t possibly maintain separate forums for each sport. So instead, I came up with a compromise: I expanded the current Reports to include other sports, while still enabling clubs to display only the reports for their sport. The Cross Country Alaska Ski Trail Reports haven’t really changed, but now users have the option of tying into a network of reports from other sports as well. I think this is the best of both worlds. One of my goals is to encourage sharing of information between different sports/user groups. When you enter a report, please select not only the sport you were doing, but also any other sports that might find your report helpful.
Hopefully these new features will enhance your experience with the Outdoor Reports, and help you find what you are looking for, faster. I’m always open to new ideas and suggestions, so please send me feedback.
