Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Outdoors

3 things you should always do on your iPhone before you go skiing or snowboarding

Follow this smartphone checklist before hitting the slopes

Tom Kilpatrick
By
Skiers and snowboarders ride down the mountain
Joshua Sukoff / Unsplash

Smartphones. Love them or loathe them — it’s hard to imagine how the world operated before them. The level of connectivity we have now was unimaginable even in fairly recent years. Forget your iPhone when you’re heading out the door, and it’s like you’ve left a kidney behind — that empty space in your pocket where your phone should be burning a hole all day.

In the outdoors, smartphones are essential for emergency situations, often used for navigation, and of course, taking the all-important photos — if it’s not on social media, did it really happen? But there’s so much more to your smartphone, and when it comes to ski days, you can achieve most of your planning right from the comfort of your handset, all while enjoying a cup of coffee or sitting on the John. Here are the most important things to do on your smartphone before you hit the slopes.

skiing snowboarding goggles gear
Fezbot2000 / Unsplash

Check social media

No, not like that. Get off the memes. But you should be following whatever resort you’re skiing at, and if there’s a page for the area, probably give that a like, too. While we’re at it, it’s probably best to make sure you’re following your preferred snowboarding brands or ski companies as well. You never know when they’re running a competition, after all.

Recommended Videos

This is all for good reason, though. Resorts love to show off on social media. They’ll push photos that show how much snow they’ve had and how awesome their new terrain park is. But they’ll also use their social media channels to issue weather warnings, give updates on lift status, and tell you which runs are open that day. Resort pages are a great place to find out about events, too — I just remembered to check my local resort and found out there’s a splitboarding event this weekend.

A cell phone being held in a hand in front of a laptop.
Hakan Egne / Shutterstock

Check out your apps

Here are some must-check ski apps to hit up before you head out the door:

  • Slopes – I’ve been using this for the first time this winter, and it’s a game-changer. Not only do they have a snow forecast — more on that in a moment — but they take real-time updates from visitors to the resort. Find out from real people whether the resort is deep in fresh pow or whether you should pack the groomer skis today.
  • Open Snow – That forecasting service that Slopes use? It’s this one. This is my first winter using Open Snow, too, and if there’s a sleeker forecasting service out there, I don’t know it. Open Snow is reliable, super clear with its information, and has webcams at loads of major resorts, so you can check it out for yourself. There’s also an avalanche forecast for those heading out into the backcountry. Remember to save your favorites to your home page for easy access.
  • OnTheSnow – This comprehensive ski app that offers everything from snow reports and trail maps to webcams and social media integration. It also has a built-in ski tracker that allows you to track your runs, distance, and vertical gain.
  • Ski Tracks – This ski tracker app is known for its accuracy and detailed statistics, which include your maximum speed, average speed, and total time spent skiing. Ski Tracks also allows you to create and share your ski tracks with friends.
  • FATMAP – This app is for backcountry skiers and snowboarders. It offers detailed topographic maps, avalanche forecasts, and weather data. FATMAP also has a built-in GPS tracker that allows you to track your location and record your routes.
  • The Weather App – This is just a quick one because Open Snow also has a weather forecast alongside the snow forecast, but check your weather app. It might give you more localized weather, and it’s always good to get a balance of forecasts. If they agree, you’re probably onto a winner. If they don’t, be prepared for a mixed bag.
Saga Monarch 3L Snowboarding Jacket and Pants
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Set up your phone for the day

You’re going to crash, right? That’s fine. We all crash. But before you head onto the slopes, make sure that your iPhone’s fall detector setting is turned off, okay? That way, you won’t pocket dial 911 while you’re shredding that groomer.

Related

While you’re here, consider closing any apps you aren’t using and turning off Wi-Fi if you don’t need it. If your phone is constantly searching for a connection, it’s draining valuable battery life. I always keep my phone in the pocket of my insulated jacket rather than my outer shell, too. The extra body heat keeps my battery from draining in the cold and means I have my phone when I need it.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Tom Kilpatrick
Tom Kilpatrick
Contributor
A London-born outdoor enthusiast, Tom took the first ticket out of suburban life. What followed was a twelve-year career as…
Ski resort madness: A parking spot in Whistler, BC, sold for six figures because it’s right next to a lift
Whistler skiing is competitive on and off the slopes
Whistler Blackcomb mountain profile

As skiers and snowboarders, we’ll do anything to get to the goods. For some, that means living in an RV in a resort parking lot. For others, luxury slopeside accommodations are the pick. But in the end, it’s all about first tracks.

Recently, someone took that to a new level, paying an exorbitant price for a parking spot in Whistler, BC, Canada. For the cost of a house or multiple vehicles, a snow sports enthusiast went all-in on mountainside convenience. It’s an example of the sometimes extravagant nature of winter pastimes, as well as a lesson in supply and demand. 

Read more
The 10 best ski resorts and mountains in the U.S.
Where to get out and play in the winter snow
Jackson Hole Wyoming skiing

When figuring out vacations, many people think of warm tropical locations with sandy beaches and surfing. There are those, however, who love the cold and snow. These individuals wait every winter to hit the top ski resorts in the U.S. They travel from location to location testing out the powder on every slope.

If skiing is a hobby or your favorite activity, then these quaint ski towns and shops will be of interest—  some for their epic mountain terrain, and some for their deep, fluffy powder. These are the best of the best places to ski in the United States. Check out our list of the best U.S. ski mountains and resorts that are perfect for every kind of skiing and snowboarding.

Read more
Snowboard types, explained: All Mountain, freeride, freestyle, park, powder, and touring/splitboard
Pro tip: Consider what kind of rider you are, then pick a board
A man snowboarding across an open mountainside ready to drop-in.

If, like us at the Manual, you love nothing more than geeking out on all things snowboarding, then you're probably up on different snowboard types. You can take one look at a snowboard's profile and tell whether it's designed to shred the whole resort or to get sendy in the backcountry. You know what camber and rocker are, understand flex profiles, and probably have a quiver in your garage to pull from.

But we also remember those days when all of this seemed a mystery to us when we couldn't quite get our heads around why people had so many snowboards — other than because we love collecting gear — and what made them pull out different boards for different days. When you first step off the rental setup and onto your snowboard, the whole winter world changes, but only if you have the right board. Like all adventure sports, snowboarding has an element of 'different strokes for different folks,' but you should at least start in the right ballpark for conditions and your riding style. These are the different types of snowboard.

Read more