I love to snowboard and these are my 3 favorite free apps for tracking a day on the mountain

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Forget a smartwatch, download one of these free apps

Screenshot of a smartphone showing the Strava app, Slopes app, and Ski Tracks app
(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

You don’t need to shell out several hundred bucks for a rugged, outdoor adventure smartwatch to track your next big ski or snowboard day (though there's at least one sub-$100 smartwatch capable of the task). In fact, you don’t need to spend any money at all.

I’ve been an avid snowboarder for more than two decades, and even though the Garmin Instinct 3 is my favorite wearable for keeping tabs on my runs, I also like to record my efforts on my phone as a second data source. For this, I rely on one of three free ski/snowboard tracking apps.

These tried-and-true apps capture key data points, like location, elevation, top speed, and number of runs, while you shred. Afterwards, you get a sleek, digestible post-mountain report to look over/brag about while you enjoy some well-earned après.

1. Strava

Strava Instant Workouts

(Image credit: Future)

Strava is my go-to app for tracking bike rides, walks, hikes, and occasional jogs. But it also supports a wide range of other activity types, including, you guessed it, skiing and snowboarding.

Best of all, you don’t need to pay for Strava Premium ($79.99 a year) to track your winter mountain adventure. Strava records your total vertical feet and distance, top speed, average speed, number of runs, elapsed time, and elevation.

A post-ride map lets you check out which runs you did, while an interactive speed chart allows you to pinpoint exactly when you hit your fastest cruising speed of the day.

2. Slopes app

Slopes

(Image credit: Breakpoint Studio)

Similar to Strava, Slopes is offered in both a free and a premium paid format ($34.99 a year). I've only used the free option, and it's impressively comprehensive... even more so than Strava.

Slopes records all the same metrics as Strava, including top speed, total vertical, and distance covered, and then some. You also get insights into your tallest and longest runs, a breakdown of ride time versus lift time versus idle time, and a cool, interactive post-ride map.

Additionally, you can add photos from your camera roll to the post-ride report and even tag friends to compare your efforts.

3. Ski Tracks app

Ski Tracks app

(Image credit: Ski Tracks)

Last but not least, Ski Tracks offers a similarly comprehensive set of metrics and interactive post-ride maps to Slopes. It’s also free, with optional paid premium features ($49.99 a year). The free version includes insights into your speed, distance, vertical drop, slope steepness, altitude, and riding time for idle time.

There's an app for that

A photo of writer Dan Bracaglia in snowboard gear riding a ski lift

(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

Ultimately, all three of these ski and snowboarding tracking apps have proven accurate in my testing. They all also work with both Android and iOS devices. Equally important: none of them seems to be a major drain on smartphone battery performance in the cold.

Do you have a favorite free ski/snowboarding tracking app that I didn’t cover here? Give it a shout in the comments, and I’ll give it a test the next time I ride.

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Dan Bracaglia
Dan Bracaglia
Senior Writer, Fitness & Wearables

Dan Bracaglia is the Tom’s Guide editorial lead for all things smartwatches, fitness trackers and outdoor gear. With 15 years of experience as a consumer technology journalist testing everything from Oura Rings to instant cameras, Dan is deeply passionate about helping readers save money and make informed purchasing decisions. In the past year alone, Dan has assessed major product releases from the likes of Apple, Garmin, Google, Samsung, Polar and many others. 

An avid outdoor adventurer, Dan is based in the U.S. Pacific Northwest where he takes advantage of the beautiful surroundings every chance he gets. A lover of kayaking, hiking, swimming, biking, snowboarding and exploring, he also makes every effort to combine his day job with his passions. When not assessing the sleep tracking and heart rate accuracy of the latest tach gadgets, you can find him photographing Seattle’s vibrant underground music community.

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