By Carissa Bluestone
Skiing is a technical sport, and between snowfall sleuthing, route mapping and run tracking, even weekend warriors could use an app or two to plan their trips.
In addition to these apps, check out the ones offered by your favorite resorts. Whistler Blackcomb, for example, has a beautiful app with weather reports, maps, an events calendar and webcams that will someday soon also function as your lift ticket.
Start the slideshow to see our app reviews…
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- There are quite a few snow report apps on the market, all of them offering similar functions, but <a href="http://www.rei.com/apps">REI Snow Report</a> is the best. It’s the most user-friendly—much more attractive and better organized than North Face’s competing app—and provides a bevy of info. For each resort, you get current temperatures and conditions, a weekly forecast, and webcam streams. To back up the resort’s stats, you can browse firsthand reports and the resort’s Twitter feed. Powder alerts ding your phone when your favorite spot get fresh snowfall. <em>Free. iPhone and Android.</em>
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- <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cac-avalanche-bulletins/id348430895?mt=8">This app</a> could save your life. The Canadian Avalanche Centre provides warnings, incident reports, and extended forecasts. Enable the alerts to get updated info as soon as the CAC posts it. (Note: Parks Canada also provides great updates, but only on the <a href="http://avalanche.pc.gc.ca/mobile/index-eng.aspx?d=TODAY">mobile version</a> of its website.) <em>Free. iPhone only.</em>
- CAC Avalanche Bulletin
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- Skiing magazines love <a href="http://www.bigairsoftware.com/">iTrail Map</a>, and you might too, if you love maps. The app has some run-tracking capabilities, but they’re not as comprehensive or fun to use as dedicated run-tracking apps, so the draw here really is, well, maps. The free version provides on- and offline access to the resort-issued trail maps you would find on many resort or run-tracking apps, so pony up the $4.99 for 3D beauties uncluttered by banner ads. <em>Free or $4.99. iPhone or iPod Touch.</em>
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- The most comprehensive and cleanly laid-out run tracker, <a href="http://www.corecoders.com/CoreCoders/skitracks.html">Ski Tracks</a> records it all— speed, altitude, distance, time—all while managing your iPod. Set up a playlist, take photos and add notes about the run, or just put the phone in your pocket and let it document your awesomeness as you career down the slope. Tip: check your settings before you start, as you’re automatically opted in to share your run data and photos with Ski Tracks. <em>Free or $0.99 for full version (recommended). iPhone only.</em>
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- <a href="http://www.navionics.com/MobileSkiFeatures.asp?MobileType=iPhoneSingle">Navionics</a> is the little-bit-of-everything app, and it’s surprisingly pretty and user-friendly despite its large number of features. Choose from an alphabetized list of ski resorts to get snow reports, maps (trails only or trails with terrain overlays), plus a list of accommodations and services in the immediate area, including sport shops, warming lodges, ski schools, and first aid stations. Favorites lists help you keep organize everything. Run tracking features and a playlist manager are thrown in for good measure. <em>$0.99. iPhone only.</em>
- Navionics: Ski US & Canada
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