Gear Girl’s Guide to Ski Tech

By Paula Colman Dec 4, 2024
There is great technology for skiers and snowboarders looking to get on, stay on and enjoy more of the mountain. Discover the best apps and electronics for mountain safety and comfort.
Gear Girl’s Guide to Ski Tech

“Tech is the last thing I want while skiing,” I hear again and again. 

Until…

”What’s that?” they say, as we wriggle onto the lift. The conversation typically ends with, “Cool! Can you send me the link?”

Yes, you can still ski and snowboard “unplugged,” but here are a few of my favorite technologies that have improved or enhanced my skiing, safety, and, dare I say it, even my mountain experience.

Ski Utah Snow Report

It’s not surprising that, once you sift through the games, there are dozens of useful ski apps you can—and should—have at your fingertips. Starting with the most obvious one, the Ski Utah Snow Report (free) provides updated snow conditions and weather forecasts for all 15 Utah resorts. It will also push customized powder alerts to your phone for any or all resorts for set snow thresholds at a time you chose so you know when and where to go to get the goods. The app also has a day counter to log your resort and backcountry ski days throughout the season allowing you to brag to your friends (Gear Girl clocked 76 days, in case you were wondering) and see where you spent most of your time, good information when deciding which season pass or multipass you should buy next year. The Ski Utah app also has ski bus information linking you to directions and schedules.

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OpenSnow

Weather forecasts for the Ski Utah app are provided by Evan Thayer and OpenSnow, (for Apple and Android) an essential app on its own for in-depth and long-range forecasts. From current weather to 10-day forecasts and live snowfall tracking (and fall color overlay) on 3-D maps, OpenSnow is a powderhound’s dream. There are free and paid versions (honestly, this is one of the few apps I happily subscribe to each season). A single subscription is available for $31.99 per year, but the smart pick is an All-Access Group subscription for $49 annually, allowing ANY FOUR PEOPLE (which the owner can swap out) to access everything on the site. With this, members can select and track the weather and snowfall at their favorite resorts WORLDWIDE or just those on their season passes, including multipasses. The app also contains summer and winter resort trail maps.

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UDOT Traffic 

The final app every Utah skier and snowboarder should have in her pocket is UDOT Traffic (Apple and Android). Gear Girl hates snakes, especially red ones, and the UDOT Traffic app helps me avoid the line of taillights heading up the Cottonwood Canyons on powder days. (I promise, you can make fresh tracks at 10AM or even 1PM, if you know where to go.) This free app provides up-to-the-minute traffic and road conditions for all of Utah’s highways. Using maps and almost live camera feeds, you can see exactly how much snow and traffic are on the road. It even shows you the content of overhead digital signs and where the snow plows are!

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Boot Heaters

Electric boot heaters are the things you didn’t think you needed until you have them. Then, my friends, you’ll never give them up! 

Many skiers and snowboarders start with external warmers. From rice-filled sleeves you microwave for a minute and pop into your boots to forced air devices that blow in warmth on the way up the mountain, their utility is short-lived. Yes, your toes are happy for the first 20 minutes, but what you want is circulation and comfort after four hours or more. 

Next up, people try heated socks. Many are budget-friendly (ranging from $20-$70). They stay warm throughout the day, but price tags comes at a cost: they are thicker than regular ski socks and have wires running through them, both of which reduce performance and comfort. Some are thinner and have external battery packs but end up as much or more than built-in heaters AND have to be washed every night after a long, sweaty day on the slopes.

The smart skiers and snowboarders will charge ahead—or cave in—and opt for boot heaters (approximately $300-500 per pair). These micro-thin footbeds are installed beneath your insoles and are connected to a battery pack that can provide levels of heat for comfort throughout the day. Not surprisingly, Gear Girl has the one with ALL of the bells and whistles — a long-lasting battery (up to 17 hours), 10 levels of heat (typically set at 7) that can be set to automatically increase warmth while riding the lift (think about that for a moment, and you’ll go, “Wow, that’s nice!”) and Bluetooth control via an app (so you don’t have to bend over and fiddle under your ski pants). With boot heaters, you’ll quickly realize how much longer you can comfortably spend on the mountain. Translation: tough-as-nails Hubby bought some the next season for himself.

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Carv

Carv is the little voice in your head…actually, helmet, that tells you how you’re skiing and how to improve. It is not a substitute for professional ski lessons; it’s designed for skiers (Gear Girl recommends Intermediate-to-Expert) that want to improve technique at any given moment on the mountain. 

Carv is a slim footbed inserted into ski boots connected to a battery pack. Over three dozen sensors send information via Bluetooth to an app (Apple and Android) on your phone providing real-time guidance and on-lift guidance for your next run. At the end of the day, Carv provides a Ski:IQ, an overall report card with a breakdown of how you performed in terms of balance, edge angle, outside ski pressure and other elements that make good skiers A LOT better. Carv even provides video recording and feedback. 

The newest version, Carv 2 ($299), features two small devices that clip simply onto any ski boots, including rentals, providing gyroscopic data to the app. Both the device and subscription ($149 annually) are required, but together are less than the price of most ski lessons or clinics. Gear Girl often uses Carv when skiing green runs with family members and friends, using the time and low-angle corduroy for practicing the fundamentals to getting on edges.

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Comms

Although the quiet is often the best part of skiing and snowboarding, there are times when Gear Girl wants to crank up the tunes (80s Alternative preferred) or simply let Hubby know she’s strayed into another powder stash. Helmet audio systems range from wireless drop-in head headphones to multi-user intercom systems with a broad range of features and prices. 

“Won’t my AirPods work?” some inquire. Oh, they’ll work on the mountain, but when you put on or take off your ski helmet, those little white buds will be perfectly camouflaged in the snow. That’s a $250 lesson you won’t forget!

Instead, Gear Girl recommends headphones (aka chips) that are connected by a small wire and drop into the ear pads of the helmet. Yes, that’s what that zipper on helmet is for! These pair with most smartphones and can typically be used to listen to music, send and receive calls and texts and even activate Siri or other personal assistants.

The other, and arguably better, option is an intercom system, such as Cardo Packtalk Outdoor ($249 single, $449 duo, $799 family 4-pack). Cardo has been making in-helmet audio systems for motorcycles for years. So, it’s not surprising that the one it designed for skiers and snowboarders is an industry favorite. Unlike typical headphones, Cardo is an always-on intercom (yes, you can mute it), allowing you to talk with your partner or group of up to 15 people on the mountain. Lose someone? Not with Cardo. Its range is impressive, up to 1km/0.6mi between two users and 5km/3mi for a group. 

This is what sold Gear Girl. She and Hubby were roaming beyond Catherine Chutes at Alta. The good Hubby went over, down and around to shoot video of her floating through (some pretty epic) powder. Waiting, waiting, Hubby could hear Gear Girl chatting it up with some visitors from Boston. He tried to phone to say, “My fingers are freezing. Get going!” But there was no cell service that far beyond the gate. 

Cardo, with its patented “mesh” communication system, doesn't rely on cell coverage and, especially with multiple users, can extend its range over varied terrain. Moreover, it features hands-free and Natural Voice Operation, i.e., no frozen fingers! Cardo has become Gear Girl’s best relationship as well as a communication tool.

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Although you could go full-Luddite and reject technology on the slopes, like most areas of your life, tech has its virtues. It can help us quickly determine which resorts received the most snow and weather and traffic conditions in real-time. It can keep our hands and feet toasty warm no matter the temperature, allowing you to spend more hours outdoors, more comfortably. It can ease your mind by coaching you individually or guiding your family or friend group. Today’s tech is designed to get you outdoors and experience and enjoy more of the mountain.  

“Hey Siri, send message.”