Yahoo News Ski tech: the best gadgets and apps for your next snow adventure
There are only a few days left of this year’s Winter Olympics in PyeongChang but the feats of the Olympians have left us feeling inspired.
If you're heading to the mountains for a skiing holiday this year, make sure you don't take off without the necessary gear.
And we're not talking hats and socks - but the best gadgets and apps to have on your smartphone.
Here is some of the best skiing tech for this year’s Winter break.
1. SkiResort app
The SkiResort app is one of the most extensive ski apps available. It contains information on 5,100 ski resorts and ski lifts worldwide, as well as trail maps, daily snow reports, and mountain weather.
You can save your favourite regions and countries to load them directly, particularly necessary when it comes to snow reports.
Additionally, when you come back to your day job, there are 4,100 webcams and live streams to watch of the mountains, so it will feel like you never left.
2. Snocru app
So you’ve spent all day skiing and you want to challenge your friends to see who is the fastest on the slopes? Snocru is the app for you.
The app’s tracking technology means you can measure your speed, altitude, runs, and distance on your smartphone or smartwatch.
Handily, you can access Snocru’s tracking technology with or without an internet connection, so you don't have to worry about getting lost.
It recently added a new interactive heat map so skiers can visualise the runs they’re taking as well as the fastest speeds throughout the track.
Free, with in-app purchases, on iOS and Android
3. Mountain Hub app
Not just for skiing, Mountain Hub is an extremely useful app for all mountain-based activities. A real-time community-based network for the outdoors, the app offers access to conditions near you, as well as useful tools like maps and route tracking.
The terrain data is available to download before you go so you don’t have to worry about being caught without a decent 4G signal.
You can record your adventures and share them with the Mountain Hub community to make other people’s journeys better. And it serves as inspiration for your next adventure.
Available for free on iOS and Android
4. Helly Hansen Life Pocket jacket
Have you ever been out on the slopes and your phone battery has run out? It’s frustrating at the least and also fairly scary if you get lost and aren’t sure where you are on the mountain.
Norwegian outdoor clothing brand Helly Hansen has the answer. Enter the Life Pocket jacket. It looks like a normal skiing jacket but it contains the company’s signature Life Pocket to keep your phone alive.
Using thermal resistant and innovative construction, the Life Pocket stays two times warmer than a normal jacket pocket to keep it going even when the temperatures fall. Meanwhile, the LifePocket+ is engineered with a special aerogel developed by Nasa to keep your electronics warm and safe.
Price start from £182 on HellyHansen.com
The Life Pocket™ - Keeps Your Phone Alive for Longer // Choose Like a Pro
5. Carv ski wearable
Skiing appears to have been slow to catch on to the wearable trend but this year its speeding up. Meet Carv, a digital ski coach/insole which started as a Kickstarter campaign and has been used by the US and UK Olympics ski teams.
Carv is really easy to use. Simply insert the ultra-thin insoles and attach the ski trackers to your boots. Then, connect to the Carv app and away you go.
It tracks 35 metrics as you ski, including things like symmetry, balance and turn direction. Carv will even off you feedback about your angles and positions, just like a professional instructor world.
Prices start from £249 on GetCarv.com
6. Oakley Airwave 1.5 Goggle
Sunglasses brand Oakley insists that its Airwave 1.5 Goggles are not merely a goggle, they are a mobile dashboard. The goggle has GPS integration as well as Bluetooth, with a built-in heads-up display.
With the google, you can check preloaded maps, music playlist control and buddy tracking for the ultimate hands-free experience.
The Airwave display delivers crisp, widescreen graphics. As well, the goggle is fitting with Oakley’s O-Flow Arch technology to reduce nasal pressure for a balanced fit.
Prices start from around £300 on Oakley.com
