Advertisement

Apple Watch Series 3 will track your shredding on the slopes

Just in time for... spring?

Fancy yourself a skier or snowboarder? Don't let winter's impending conclusion distract you from news that your Apple Watch Series 3 can now track those snowy workouts and put them toward your daily activity goals. Apps including Snoww, Slopes and Ski Tracks will take advantage of the Watch's built-in GPS and altimeter.

Apple says that in conjunction with those apps, the Watch will log your total vertical descent and horizontal distance (perfect for cross-country skiing), calories burned, average and maximum speed, number of runs and total time spent on the slopes. And of course, you'll be able to start a few of the apps with Siri voice commands.

What's a little weird though is that instead of adding these features directly to the Health app itself, Apple is relying on third-parties to make use of the functionality. This might all change once watchOS 5 rolls around, presumably, this fall. Regardless, the updated apps are on iTunes right now. There's always time for a trip to Vail this summer, right?