You don’t need to shell out several hundred bucks for a rugged, outdoor adventure smartwatch to track your next big ski or snowboard day (though there's at least one sub-$100 smartwatch capable of the task). In fact, you don’t need to spend any money at all.
I’ve been an avid snowboarder for more than two decades, and even though the Garmin Instinct 3 is my favorite wearable for keeping tabs on my runs, I also like to record my efforts on my phone as a second data source. For this, I rely on one of three free ski/snowboard tracking apps.
These tried-and-true apps capture key data points, like location, elevation, top speed, and number of runs, while you shred. Afterwards, you get a sleek, digestible post-mountain report to look over/brag about while you enjoy some well-earned après.
1. Strava
Strava is my go-to app for tracking bike rides, walks, hikes, and occasional jogs. But it also supports a wide range of other activity types, including, you guessed it, skiing and snowboarding.
Best of all, you don’t need to pay for Strava Premium ($79.99 a year) to track your winter mountain adventure. Strava records your total vertical feet and distance, top speed, average speed, number of runs, elapsed time, and elevation.
A post-ride map lets you check out which runs you did, while an interactive speed chart allows you to pinpoint exactly when you hit your fastest cruising speed of the day.
2. Slopes app
Similar to Strava, Slopes is offered in both a free and a premium paid format ($34.99 a year). I've only used the free option, and it's impressively comprehensive... even more so than Strava.
Slopes records all the same metrics as Strava, including top speed, total vertical, and distance covered, and then some. You also get insights into your tallest and longest runs, a breakdown of ride time versus lift time versus idle time, and a cool, interactive post-ride map.
Additionally, you can add photos from your camera roll to the post-ride report and even tag friends to compare your efforts.
3. Ski Tracks app
Last but not least, Ski Tracks offers a similarly comprehensive set of metrics and interactive post-ride maps to Slopes. It’s also free, with optional paid premium features ($49.99 a year). The free version includes insights into your speed, distance, vertical drop, slope steepness, altitude, and riding time for idle time.
There's an app for that
Ultimately, all three of these ski and snowboarding tracking apps have proven accurate in my testing. They all also work with both Android and iOS devices. Equally important: none of them seems to be a major drain on smartphone battery performance in the cold.
Do you have a favorite free ski/snowboarding tracking app that I didn’t cover here? Give it a shout in the comments, and I’ll give it a test the next time I ride.
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