8 Apps All Skiers Should Have

This season, ditch the bulky trail maps, avoid backcountry mishaps and know exactly when and where the powder falls by downloading apps to keep your turns steep and deep yet safe and streamlined. Read on handy ski apps allow savvy skiers and riders to maximize time on the slopes. Consider downloading if you want to avoid lift lines and/or avalanches while conquering any mountain you choose. 

Ski Tracks - $0.99 – iPhone and Android

This app allows you to track everything about your ski day—from altitude and slope to max speed and duration. While the interface isn’t anything to write home about, the massive amount of data it’s able to track (even when you’re not connected to the internet) is enough to give it a shot.

Best Feature: Won’t drain precious battery life as quickly as some other options.

For Android >       For iPhone >

Liftopia – FREE – iPhone 

Liftopia is free for download on Apple devices and provides local snow and ski reports, but the real utility is the fact that you can save money on the slopes. Liftopia offers discounts of up to 80 percent on lift tickets and rentals at ski resorts worldwide. You can also find exclusive offers for lessons and accommodations. 

Best Feature: It’s free and saves you money!

For Android >       For iPhone >

Trace Snow – FREE – iPhone and Android

Another app that catalogs an impressive amount of tracking features is Trace Snow (formerly Alpine Replay). This app allows users to track their entire day on the mountain. Measure speed, airtime, calories, distance, vertical, time and much more—then share your stats with friends or push to Facebook. 

Best Feature: Keeping your friends updated with (hopefully) impressive stats. 

For Android >       For iPhone >

iTrailMap 3D - $4.99 – iPhone 

iTrail Map 3D is one of the most versatile electronic map platforms out there. The app allows you to see yourself on a 3D mountain as well as to pan, zoom and rotate through terrain. Track GPS location, download available trail maps and record stats like vertical and distance. Though the full version gives you access to more than 700 resort maps worldwide, if you still can’t justify spending $4.99 on an app, it is available in a free (non 3D) version.  

Best Feature: 3D mapping and panoramic views of your favorite mountains 

For iPhone >

SnoCru – FREE – iPhone and Android

The creators of SnoCru designed an all-in-one ski and snowboard platform to do everything from interacting with friends to checking global snow reports and monitoring skiing stats. SnoCru integrates social media with an advanced tracking system to give the user some (shareable) peace of mind on the mountain. 

Best Feature: Creating your own “cru” for friendly competition on the slopes.

For Android >       For iPhone >

Vail’s EpicMix App – FREE -- iPhone and Android 

Vail Resorts produced the EpicMix app to accompany the Epic season passes for Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Canyons, Park City, Heavenly and more. The intuitive app logs a user’s entire day at the mountain, using an embedded chip in the pass, which is scanned at every chairlift. Track vertical feet, days on the mountain, runs taken and more while earning badges and winning challenges against other users. 

Best Feature: Having an EpicMix photographer snap photos of you and your friends at the summit, which are automatically added to your app.

For Android >       For iPhone >

On the Snow – FREE – iPhone and Android 

On the Snow is a perfect starting point for the skier looking for reports on conditions and weather. The app tracks the conditions and snow reports of over 2,000 ski areas. The app also offers crowd-sourced reports and information from other users and live webcams so if lift lines are already slammed, you can sleep in and catch the late shift. 

Best Feature: Powder notifications to let you know when your favorite mountain gets fresh snow.  

For Android >       For iPhone >

Ullr Lab’s Mobile Avalanche Safety Tools-- $9.99 – iPhone  and Android

Ullr’s MAST app is one of the most important weapons you can add to your snow-safety arsenal (after beacon, shovel and probe, of course).  Ullr Labs stacked this app with snow science necessities, including: GPS, compass, downloadable avalanche forecasts, snow test features, clinometer (measures angle of a slope), intuitive warnings that flash during high-risk scenarios and a camera feature that allows you to take photos of your line and see the slope angle, latitude, longitude and more. Make your backcountry adventures safer than ever with MAST.  

Best Feature: Allows you to record terrain, weather, snowpack and stability conditions even without a cell signal.

For Android >       For iPhone >