8 Must-Have Ski and Snowboard Apps
Skiing and riding any mountain is better with tech. Sure, snow reports are handy, but the latest ski apps help you to keep up with your friends, provide tips for mastering terrain, and will provide you with free discounts to help you save money on your ski vacation. Whether you’re an expert or novice skier, these apps can help you to make the most of your winter getaway.
OntheSnow
Weather and snow conditions can make or break your ski day. This app allows you to set up powder alerts on snow conditions and weather for thousands of ski areas around the world. You can also view trail maps of each mountain. The app is free to download and works with both Android and Apple operating systems.
Waze
Nothing is more annoying than spending most of your travel time in bumper to bumper traffic on the way to your ski destination. Waze uses crowd-sourced data to map out the most efficient route to the mountain in real time. It also helps to track your group members so you know when they’ll arrive. The app is free and is available for both Android and Apple devices.
Skier Deals
Provides free discounts that save money on vacation costs at ski destinations across North America. This snowboarding and skiing app is designed with features to help you quickly find deals on all aspects of your vacation – lift tickets, lodging, dining, ski and snowboard equipment rentals, transportation, and activities. The app is built with one-tap save and call features so that you can load the savings before you go, and redeem them from your mobile device when you’re on the mountain. It also provides snow and weather reports for each ski area that you plan to visit. The app is free and available to both Android and Apple users. But even if you forget to download the app before you go, the website is mobile-friendly and it’s easy to find your ski destination and the various categories where you can save money.
Epic Mix & Epic Mix Time
If you’re skiing any of Vail’s portfolio of resorts, Epic Mix covers everything from providing lift ticket wait times and retail discounts, to tracking your speeds and reviewing your ski day in images. The app compiles data from each of the Vail Mountains you visit. The latest version includes Epic Mix Time which estimates your wait time for lift lines. The app is free on Google Play and iTunes for use by Android and Apple devices.
SnoCru
Tracks all your trail stats throughout your ski day, including your speed, vertical, distance and time. The app not only tracks stats, but it also provides detailed snow and trail conditions at the mountain you’re on, along with those nearby. Pebble users can control the app from their smartwatch, eliminating any need to reach in pockets or remove gloves. End at the end of the day, the free Android and Apple app provides information on the places to meet up for an après with other boarders and skiers.
Trace Snow
Formerly known as Alpine Relay, this app runs in the background while tracking your runs – location, speed, jumps, airtime with detailed maps. What’s different about this app is that it can sync with your GoPro footage to automagically find your best replay clips, with no editing necessary! Available for Apple and Android, the app is free.
SkiLynx
Trying to reconnect with your posse after being separated while skiing is tricky because no one checks their messages while they are on the hill! The app syncs with the resort’s trail map to pinpoint your exact location on the mountain, and also your friends’ location at any given time. Unlike other apps, SkiLynx only shows your friends, not all users, and has a one-tap chat feature so that you can communicate easily with your group. This feature-rich app tracks your stats –total runs, total miles—and provides lift status and weather updates.
The app, which premiered with ski resorts in California, now includes top resorts in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. SkiLynx 2.0, released this season, includes new social features such as a Facebook login, and the ability to post your favorite runs, your ski day or your entire ski season summary to Facebook or Twitter with just one touch.
This social-rich app runs on Apple products, and is well worth the $2.99 in the iTunes store.
Snowflake
Is a unique location based meet-up app that allows skiers and snowboards find others of similar ability and style to ride with. Notoriously known as “ski town Tinder” the app has added a feature just for singles. The app is free, but only available for Apple users in the iTunes store.
The days of leaving your mobile devices in the lodge on ski day are long gone. Which ski apps can’t you shred without?