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Uber can find a ride to carry your skis in 23 regions
You can't often rely on ridesharing services for skiing trips. Few cars will have a rack, and even drivers of larger vehicles might balk if you try to stow your gear in the back. With Uber, at least, this won't be a problem going forward. It's debuting an Uber Ski feature that guarantees a ride with either a roof rack or sufficient cargo space to carry your skis or snowboard. You'll pay a surcharge, but it'll beat having to rent a car (or depend on the generosity of a friend) to hit the slopes or the trail.
In case of emergency: The tech that might save you
Nature is beautiful, but it can also be unpredictable and dangerous. Here's the gear that might save you when you're spending hours hiking, camping or adventuring outdoors.
NBC Sports adds ‘Snow Pass’ to its hyper-specific streaming options
NBC Sports announced "Snow Pass" today, which is the latest in hyper-specific sports streaming packages on NBC Sports Gold. Snow Pass includes over 700 hours of live coverage for seven winter sports: alpine skiing, nordic combined, ski jumping, cross-country skiing, freestyle skiing, biathlon and snowboarding. The new streaming options is available now for $69.99. The pass runs through April 2019, but it's only available in the US.
Exoskeleton for skiers gives your knees robotic boost
Skiing and snowboarding aren't gentle on your body, especially if you're taking on a challenging run or plan on a long day. Now, however, technology might ease your burden. Roam Robotics has unveiled an exoskeleton built expressly to reduce the burden on your knees. Sensors in the exoskeleton gauge your intent and use a mix of air bladders and fabric actuators to automatically tweak the torque in your knees. There's a manual option, too, if you know what motion to expect.
Robots had their own skiing competition at the Winter Olympics
The Olympics aren't just an event for the most talented athletes to strut their stuff on the world's stage. No, The Games are where robots can find honest work and leisure, too. Some 85 robots (spread across 11 different models, humanoid and otherwise) have been serving drinks, cleaning floors, swimming around fish tanks, guiding lost visitors at the airport and even skiing according to regional publication Korea JoongAng Daily. "We applied three yardsticks in choosing the robots to use at The Games -- how stable, new and useful they are going to be," Park Hyun-Sub, of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology said.
PiQ puts AI to work in the 'world's first' smart ski
Baseball bats and tennis rackets aren't the only pieces of sports equipment that are getting smarter these days. Ski maker Rossignol and consumer electronics company PIQ announced on Monday that they have created the world's first "connected" ski. Behold, the Hero Master.
In & Motion's Ski Airbags aim to save your spine
If there's one thing that terrifies a downhill skier, it's probably the risk of making an awkward landing on rock-solid ice. That's the issue that French company In & Motion is looking to solve with the Ski Airbag Vest. It's essentially a wearable airbag that'll inflate to prevent people from denting their organs should things go wrong. It's here at CES that the firm is showing off the technology for the first time, and if you're in the skiing fraternity, it might just be the gadget to save your life.
Drone camera almost takes out a skier on live TV
Another day, another UAV causing headaches. This time around, a falling drone camera almost crashed into Marcel Hirscher, a four-time World Cup skiing champion and Winter Olympics medalist, during a slalom race on Tuesday in Italy. The drone, which was carrying broadcast equipment, hit the snow at full speed while Hirscher was in the middle of his run and, luckily, missed making contact with him by a mere couple of feet."This is horrible," he said after the fracas, according to the Associated Press. "This can never happen again. This can be a serious injury." And people wonder why the FAA wants to keep a close eye on consumer drones.
Rossignol and PIQ team up to track your skiing performance
PIQ has teamed up with Rossignol to give you all the skiing metrics you probably never thought you needed. The 13-axis ski sensor, which is identical to PIQ's golf and tennis models, comes with a special strap that attaches it to any ski boot. It can then measure stats like edge-to-edge speed, G-force and carving angle, while giving freestyle skiers air time, G-force at landing, rotation and more. As with other PIQ models, you can check stats immediately from your Android or iOS smartphone via Bluetooth, but if you don't carry a phone during mogul practice, it'll store the data for later.
Improve your ski trip by using Ski Nation
We are right in the middle of the ski season and I am sure lots of you are planning ski vacations, ski weekends, or just a day or two on the slopes. Ski Nation will make that planning easier for you and provide you with live information directly from more than one thousand ski resorts and areas. This free universal app runs on iOS 7.0 or later. Once you complete the simple registration process Ski Nation will give you access to ski areas in the United States and Canada. Users can select one of the resorts or areas to receive detailed information about the current conditions. You can sort the ski areas by types of skiing available, alpine, cross country, or ski jumping. The list can also be displayed by the name of the resort, the country it's located in or what state it is in. Ski Nation lists the resort's website URL, mailing address, and current temperature on the resort home page. From there users can delve deeper to access the ski areas' trail maps, a snow and trail report, and a map showing the location of the resort. The most useful data is in the Snow and Trail report. Here users will find information on the current snow conditions such as the average depth of the base, the primary surface conditions, and the latest and most recent snowfall information. Additionally the report lists details on how many lifts and trails are available, the total acreage available for skiing and the resorts operational hours. For snowboarders and freestylers, Ski Nation provides information on what pipes and parks are open and where they can be found on the mountain. Ski Nation tracks where you ski and how many days by issuing users pins from the resorts you visit. The app awards you a pin for each day you spend skiing at the resort or you can collect pins from previous trips. All these can then be shared with friends right in the app via the major social network outlets and email. About a month ago, I reviewed the Ski Buddy app. Users might consider grabbing that app along with Ski Nation. The Ski Nation app prepares you for your day and assists you in getting around. Ski Buddy is aimed at tracking just what you do during the time you spend on the mountain. Ski Buddy records all of your runs and provides information on your downhill speeds, the distance you travel, the change in elevation from the top to the bottom of your run and how many runs you do each day. It provides all this data in real time and has an audio alert users can hear through ear buds or headphones. Ski Nation offers a lot of information you will need to know to get started on your trip and as such is worth downloading before your next ski trip. Combining it with Ski Buddy should give you all you need to enjoy your time on the mountain.
Slopes 1.4 hits the app store with Health Kit integration and more
Slopes is a powerful winter sports companion app for iOS that provides snowboarders and skiers with 3D maps of their routes and stats of their runs. When we previously covered the app we were impressed with its functionality, but its latest update has taken Slopes to a new level of usefulness. Slopes 1.4 introduces a new Today widget featuring stats on your current day and your previous run, new Health Kit integration, and full support for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. The Today widget will come in useful for checking your stats on the slopes without having to fully unlock your device. Health Kit integration allows you to see how many calories you've burned during your ride and have that information shared with the Health app. In addition to now supporting the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the developer has also changed the 3D run graphs to take advantage of all that screen real estate. 3D run graphs are now full-screen only, making the maps bigger and easier to read. Slopes sells for US$4.99 in the app store. You can download it by clicking here.
Get live updates with Ski Buddy and Ski Buddy Plus.
I have seen a number of apps for skiers and other downhill enthusiasts like mountain bikers and longboarders. These apps normally record your speed, the distance you travel, changes in elevation, and the time it takes you to complete your run. Ski Buddy, a free universal app does all that plus the app provides you with live audio updates via headphones during your run. Ski Buddy Plus costs US$0.99. Both run on iOS 5.0 or later. Let's take a look at the free app first. Users need to have GPS turned on their device. Once you open the app, you will hear a message indicating the status of your GPS fix. As soon as you get the OK message you can switch on Ski Mode and take off downhill. If you want to try and look at the screen of your device as you ski, you will see the values change. The display shows current speed, top speed, distance traveled, current elevation, time of day, plus longitude and latitude. Users also receive audio updates on speed, distance, and elevation. At the bottom of the hill turn Ski Mode off and the app announces your top speed during the run. Users can set up the app on how often they want the audio updates. You receive speed updates for each five or ten miles per hour increase, distance traveled at one, five, and ten miles, and elevation changes of 100, 200, or 500 feet. Or set any or all of the audio updates to Never. Ski Buddy Plus does all of the above and a lot more for your US$0.99 investment. First the display's colors can be customized. Additionally, the app detects the beginning and end of your runs. At the top of the hill, once you hop off the lift and start moving the app begins recording a new run. Then at the bottom, once you stop, an audio announcement provides you with specifics of the just completed run. The process repeats itself on each subsequent run you make. Each run in recorded and you can check a stats page to explore in more detail all of your runs. Additionally your runs can be checked out on a map that will show just where you went on each run. The paid app also offers users a choice of voices, either male or female, plus it integrates with a built-in music player so you can listen to your favorite music with Ski Buddy Plus still running in the background. Getting audio updates while skiing is an interesting update from what you receive with similar apps and so I think Ski Buddy is worth a look. However, you actually to get a real bang for your buck with the upgrade to Ski Buddy Plus so invest the dollar and add a new dimension to your next ski trip.
Race to the bottom with Social Downhill
Ride, Run, "n" Record is now Social Downhill. This free universal runs on iOS 7.0 or later and is intended for gravity sports enthusiasts. So if you are a longboarder, downhill mountain bike rider, skier or snowboarder, you should take a look. The latest update has a new name, is totally redesigned, and provides some new features for users. The app records users' runs and tracks the path, max speed, average speed, distance, and time. You can choose standard or metric measurements and at the end of the run find out just how you did. Social Downhill offers users a choice between Auto Stop and Manual Stop. With Auto Stop, the app records your run automatically. Just choose auto when you are ready to begin, kick off and head down the hill. The app will begin recording and won't stop until you come to a complete stop. Or you can choose the manual method. With this selection, it begins when you start your run but doesn't stop until users tap "Finish" at the end of a run. So if you should fall or have a brief stop on the way down the app keeps recording. When you have completed your run the app shows you the path you took and you can choose to overlay the path on a standard map or satellite image. The app drops pins along the entire route and provides you with your speed at that point and/or the running time into the run. You also get a star to indicate the max speed you reached and where it was achieved. Users can zoom in on the map to get a closer look at each point along the route. After you check out how you did, use the app to upload your run and then compare yours to others. Just choose two runs and receive a map showing both runs with pins so you can check out the speed or time each user reached at certain points along the run. The two runs are indicated by different color pins. Call up the stats page and get detailed breakouts of both runs. Additionally by checking out the posted runs online, users can find new and different places to check out and head downhill. Overall Social Downhill provides gravity sports enthusiasts a very easy and visual way to record and track their downhill adventures. I would think if you go out with a group of people this app is a great way to compare just how each of you did with the others and earn bragging rights or maybe decide who buys the beverages when you sit down later to discuss the excitement.
Friendly competition on the slopes by using Lines
We had the first big snow storm of the season and some ski resorts are already open and others are getting ready for the season. That means you and your friends need to be preparing for the first ski trip of the winter. As part of you preparations, I recommend you download Lines onto your phone. Lines is a new app for skiers and snowboarders that allows you to turn the trips with your buddies into a friendly competition. Lines is just for iPhones and runs on iOS 7.0 or later. If you and your friends are like most groups I know, everything you do becomes a competition on some level whether it is downing a few cold ones or shooting some hoops in the back yard. Guys are competitive by nature and now with Lines your ski trips can become single day or trip long contests based just on your skiing. Once you complete a free registration on the app, you can strap on your skis or board and hit the slope. Set up a new Ride and hit the start button. Lines tracks a variety of elements while you ski or snowboard and awards points. The app measures how far you ski. And you get points for that. What was your maximum speed? You earn points for that too so the faster you get down the hill the more points you receive. How big was the vertical drop? The steeper the slope the higher the points awarded. You can also earn points for the number of runs you make each day, how many jumps you take, and how much time you spend in the air after jumping. At the end of each run, save the data and Lines will compile a running total of all the categories. Once the run is saved, you can go back to check the data and Lines also inserts a map showing your run on the mountain. At the end of the day while sipping a refreshing cup of cocoa or another drink of your choice you and your friends can check out your profiles and compare all the various areas plus the all important points total for the day. Find out not only who scored the most points but who skied the longest distance and went the fastest. You and your friends can set up your own group within the app and keep track of how each of you are doing if you some times ski alone or with a different set of people. You can also check other users from around the world. The developer is an English company and all the groups I saw were in the UK but you can change that. Download Lines and get your friends to join you and let's find out who the champion skier is in your group. Maybe you can even find a way that the low total buys those refreshing drinks at the end of the day.
Get ready to hit the slopes with Ski & Snow Report
Some of you are actually looking forward to the arrival of winter and all that snow. Those of you in this group are probably active winter sports enthusiasts. It won't be long now, in fact, at least one Colorado ski resort has already opened one lift and trail. If the weather cooperates, most of the rest will be opening over the next month in anticipation of the Thanksgiving weekend. Now you can get ready for the ski season with the Ski & Snow Report app. This free universal app runs on iOS 7.0 or later. Ski & Snow Report has just about everything you will need to know before you take off on a skiing weekend or vacation. The app features hundreds of ski resorts from Maine to Idaho and all points in between. Once you find your destination resort you can check the weather, snow depth and condition, how many lifts and trails are open, when the most recent snow fell, and first hand reports from other skiers already on the mountain. Users will also find the latest weather information in the Ski and Snow Report app including temperatures, sky conditions, wind speeds and directions and the chance of more snow. The app also provides a seven day forecast so you can start checking early in the week if you are headed out on the weekend. One new feature included in the latest version of the app is the cost of lift tickets for daily skiers of all ages with breakouts for children, juniors, adults, and seniors. The Ski & Snow Report also provides information on any specials available like a two or six day passes. Users will be able to see trail maps for the resort. These are in color and can be enlarged on your phone so you are better able to see the trails, facilities, and other markings on the map. Other features in the app are web cams from most of the resorts, a guide to the latest gear available broken down by type and manufacturer, and the ability to receive notifications of new powder falling. Users choose the resorts they want and set a new depth of powder so you are always up to date on the latest conditions. This is a real plus if you are an avid skier and live close enough to get way with short notice. Overall Ski & Snow Report provides skiers plenty of information to plan a weekend or vacation on the slopes. If you are looking ahead to the start of this winter's season grab this app and get ready. Now all you need is for the weather to change and to start dumping large amount of snow on the mountains,
Open-world skiing game Snow drifting to PS4, Oculus Rift
Swedish developer Poppermost will bring its open-world skiing game Snow to PlayStation 4 as well as PC, which gets additional Oculus Rift support. Snow arrived on Steam's Early Access service in October and is expected to move into a closed beta phase by the end of the year as a free-to-play game. The game is console-exclusive to the PS4. Those that want to check out the Early Access version on PC can pick up founders packs with alpha passes and in-game items, ranging from $15 to $60. Poppermost crammed eight square kilometers of open space and alpine terrain into its first game, which is powered by Crytek's Cryengine. In Snow, players thumb through hundreds of items in the game's catalog to equip their riders with 11 pieces of gear simultaneously before hitting the slopes to perform tricks. [Image: Poppermost]
Weekend App: Ski Tracks logs your performance when you hit the slopes
Winter is still going strong in most parts of the country, which means there is plenty of time to hit the slopes before the big spring thaw. If you have plans to go skiing in the near future, then you should definitely check out Ski Tracks from Core Coders. Ski Tracks is a tracking app that uses GPS to help you analyze your skiing. Just turn it on while you are skiing, and the app will track your runs in the background using location, speed and elevation information. It supports alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and a handful of other outdoor winter sports. You can view statistics about each run as well as a summary of each day you spend skiing. Stats including altitude, vertical, slope, duration, and speed. Data is presented in a combination of tables and charts that make it easy to analyze a run right from the trails. You also can wait until you are home and take a deep dive into each run, looking at them individually or comparing them throughout the season. Besides stats, Ski Tracks also lets you take photos that you can add to a track/run. This is a great way to remember an extra steep descent with knee-busting moguls or a memorable moment with friends. There's also a music feature that taps into your iTunes library, allowing you to listen to tunes while you ski. The run-by-run statistics that Ski Tracks compiles while you ski are useful for the casual skier who wants to remember the day and indispensable to the competitive skier who wants to improve their times. The app is easy on your battery allowing you put in a full day on the slopes and still have some battery left for the drive home. About the only feature missing from Ski Tracks is a ski resort database that auto-recognizes the location and trail that you are skiing. Ski Tracks is available for the iPhone from the iOS App Store for 99-cents.
Magellan's Echo smartwatch now tracks your golf and skiing adventures
Magellan reckons that many smartwatch buyers are fitness mavens, and it's catering to that health-minded audience today with a big upgrade to its Echo Smart Sports Watch. The iOS-compatible wristwear now tracks data for a much wider range of activities beyond running, including golf, hiking and skiing; you won't need a dedicated device or special watch apps to get stats for that black diamond ski run. As before, the Echo offers basic control over both music as well as athletics apps like Strava and Wahoo Fitness. If you're interested giving the upgraded watch a try, you can pick one up today for $149 by itself, or $199 paired with a heart rate monitor. Android users should get Echo support sometime early this year.
Bing Sports and Weather apps for WP8 add notifications for more sports, weather
Plenty of Windows Phone owners enjoy sports beyond American traditions like baseball or football. If that describes you to a (golf) tee, you'll be glad to hear that Microsoft has updated its Bing Sports and Weather apps with you in mind. The Bing Sports app now tracks 30 more sports, including Champions League soccer, LPGA golf, NASCAR, rugby and tennis; it follows individual players and sports, too. Bing Weather, meanwhile, now displays skiing conditions for hills around the world. Neither upgrade is revolutionary, but they're enough that fans of snowy slopes and stock cars will want to visit the Windows Phone Store today.
Insert Coin: Neva smart ski poles keep you connected while shredding powder
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. Hitting the slopes means ditching your phone for a few hours, or risking losing it while bombing down the mountain. More troubling than an AWOL handset, though, is getting yourself lost in the backcountry sans smartphone while searching for fresh powder. An intrepid skier / software coder is well aware of this, and he's taken to Kickstarter to fund the Neva ski poles, which keep you safe and connected by wirelessly communicating with the Android or iPhone in your pocket. Incoming calls and text messages pop up on the built-in OLED display, and a finger swipe lets you answer the phone without lifting your gaze from the path ahead, as long as you've managed to mod your mitts accordingly. It's on you to decide which calls are really so pressing they need to be taken on your downhill runs -- though, to do so, you'll probably want to buy one of those Bluetooth-enabled jackets. The poles also display temperature, time and elevation, and the related smartphone app lets you toggle features such as calculating your slope angle and tracking your route. As far as Kickstarter pledge rewards go, the Neva project is quite generous. The base $1 donation gets you early access to the smartphone app, while stepping up to $120 earns you a pair of 7075 aluminum poles (only one is data-enabled), the app for Android or iPhone and a vinyl Neva decal. Of course, you could always shell out $2,500 or more and get a reseller pack of 25 Neva ski pole sets. While those are enticing offers for backers, the project has raised just $851 of its requested $100k -- and there are only 26 days left. Hit up the source link to donate, and check out the video past the break for a look at the poles in action.
