These apps can do much more than just track your day

Snowcookie is a smart ski technique tracker with three sensors capture speed, technique, carving and body position. (Getty Images)

My favorite new smartphone app this season is the one that communicates directly with my socks. (There’s a sentence I never imagined I’d ever write). Beyond dialing in the warmth of my toes from my fingertips, however, the app does little else to enhance my daily skiing experience. 

Skiers and riders are looking for more functionality from their apps these days, and developers are delivering. Tracking, analysis, navigation, coaching, socialization, weather, safety, news and information … there are apps for all of it. Here are some of the most popular, but note, while many are free to download and use, premium subscriptions often are required to unlock their most advanced features.

Slopes: GPS tracking delivers customized snow reports and digital maps, while also automatically detecting the lifts and runs you take all day long. Browse for the most up-to-date crowdsourced conditions reports, and add your friends to compete throughout the season for bragging rights on performance stats like number of ski days, runs, vertical, top speed and more. Opt in for live location sharing to see where you and your friends are on the mountain throughout the day.

OntheSnow: One of the world’s most downloaded snowsports apps, OntheSnow accesses snow reports from more than 2,000 mountains worldwide. Customize your screen to track and compare snowfall totals from your favorite destinations, view and upload firsthand reports and photos, and check out the webcams and weather forecasts. Set a powder alert to receive a notification when your favorite resort is getting hammered.

FatMap: A must for mountain enthusiasts, FatMap’s resort and backcountry skiing maps offer advanced terrain analysis tools, including slope, elevation, avalanche data and more. Navigate trails while skinning or skiing by locating peak names, roads, footpaths, rivers and other points of interest featured on the app’s advanced satellite terrain maps. Create and share custom waypoints, locate yourself on the map at any time, record and re-live your adventures in 3D in the app or by syncing with Suunto, Garmin or Strava.

SkiLynx: Create your own private ski group for the day and see what run or lift everyone is on in real-time on the resort map. Chat with your group with just a tap, using customizable, quick messages from your iPhone or Apple Watch. 

EpicMix: Vail’s official app is your one-stop informational hub for each of its 34 U.S. and Canadian resorts. Plan your day with in-depth resort information, including up-to-the-minute alerts such as lift status, wait times, grooming reports, snow conditions and more. Check on-mountain web cams, track your vertical feet for the day, the season, and your lifetime. Navigate with interactive resort maps, make on-mountain dining reservations and get up-to-date weather and snowfall information for every resort in the Vail network.

Ikon: Designed by Alterra Mountain Company for its Ikon pass holders, this app offers account management and on-the-snow features to enhance your experience. Monitor your days remaining and blackout dates, track ski stats, view weather and conditions reports, and create daily groups to see everyone’s location throughout the day and to send group messages.

Ski Tracks: As no data or phone signal is required to run the app, Ski Tracks is perfect for both frontside and backcountry skiers looking to use its navigational and safety features. Track your entire day on the slopes or in the woods by recording location, distance covered, maximum speed, vertical, and more. Import photos to share and file, along with all your stats, in the app’s unlimited cloud storage.

Cairn: Designed as a companion app for hikers, Cairn can help you stay safe wherever you are on the mountain or backcountry. Easily share your plans with family, use the app to find crowdsourced spots with cell coverage, download offline topo maps, live-track your route with GPS, see your stats and record your path to easily return to a new powder stash. Your safety contacts can receive notification automatically when you’re past due.

Matt Boxler can be reached at [email protected].