I took the Apple Watch Ultra 3 vs Garmin Instinct 3 snowboarding

Close-up of the Garmin Instinct 3 while snowboarding

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

Garmin and Apple make some of the best smartwatches money can buy in 2026, including rugged, outdoor-centric models like the Garmin Instinct 3 and Apple Watch Ultra 3.

The Garmin Instinct 3, launched in early 2025, remains one of my all-time favorite smartwatches for tracking my adventures in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The Apple Watch Ultra 3, meanwhile, is easily one of, if not the, best tough-built full-featured smartwatches for extreme sports lovers (and those who aspire to be).

Close-up of the Apple Watch Ultra 3 vs Garmin Instinct 3 — (Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

As an avid snowboarder with more years of experience than my whacky riding style might suggest — shredding both the icy, rocky wonderland that is the Northeast U.S. and the fluffy, free-spirited mountains of the Pacific Northwest — I'm nothing short of obsessed with tracking my winter mountain efforts with the latest, greatest wearables.

For the past year, the Instinct 3 has been my go-to on the slopes. Can the Apple Watch Ultra 3 dethrone it? I decided to find out during a recent ski mission to Whistler Blackcomb Mountain in British Columbia, Canada.

Despite somewhat socked-in conditions and a lack of recent accumulation, the snow was soft, forgiving, and most importantly, ample. After nearly three straight hours of fantastic riding, I called it a day.

With my merino wool layers shed and après in full swing, I decided to check in on my stats. Ultimately, one smartwatch thoroughly proved to be the superior winter sports performer. Find out which, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 or Garmin Instinct 3, below.

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Apple vs Garmin: post-workout stats
Header Cell - Column 0	Apple Watch Ultra 3	Garmin Instinct 3	Strava
Total vertical descent	7,610 feet	13,957 feet	13,948 feet
Max speed	n/a	30.0 mph	34.3 mph
No. of runs	8 runs	8 runs	8 runs
Total ride time	1 hour, 54 minutes	2 hours, 34 minutes	2 hours, 34 minutes
Average heart rate	142 bpm	134 bpm	n/a
Max heart rate	179 bpm	176 bpm	n/a
Total calories burned	1,132 calories	1,043 calories	n/a
Device battery usage	24%	1%	n/a

The Instinct 3 tracked my entire day riding... the Ultra 3 didn't

As is likely evident from the chart above, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 did't quite track my entire day of riding, despite clocking the same number of runs and almost the exact same amount of vertical descent as the Garmin Instinct 3 and my control, Strava.

It wasn't until taking the lift up for what would be my final run that I noticed the Apple Watch had stopped tracking my snowboard session and instead, for some reason, started tracking a walking workout instead. Had I taken a long break between runs, say, to enjoy some hot cocoa, this might make sense, but that wasn't the case.

Obviously, there are ways to lock your Apple Watch to avoid such hiccups, which I have to assume resulted from unintended button mashing while putting on and taking off my gloves.

Nevertheless, the Garmin Instinct 3 recorded my entire day of riding while the Apple Watch Ultra 3 fell short.

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 didn't record a top speed

A scenic photo of Whistler Mountain in British Columbia at sunset — (Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

At the end of an epic day of snowboarding, there are generally three metrics I care about most: total descent, total ride time, and my top speed. Unfortunately, the snowboard tracking in the standard Apple Watch workout app neglects to make the final data point easily viewable.

Garmin and Strava, meanwhile, present your top speed front and center and even make it easy to figure out where and when on the mountain you achieved such quickness. Both options additionally provide data points for your average moving speed and total elapsed speed for those trying to maximize runs.

Garmin's battery performed better than Apple's in the cold

A selfie of senior writer Dan Bracaglia snowboarding — (Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

The Garmin Instinct 3 is an undisputed battery life king. And even though I was using the AMOLED model versus the solar-powered option, over the course of my 2.5+ hours of riding, the Instinct 3 used just 1% of its battery.

By comparison, despite clocking out early on the tracking, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 managed to burn through nearly a quarter of its total battery capacity.

I prefer the Garmin Instinct 3 to the Apple Watch Ultra 3 for snowboarding

Garmin Instinct 3 on a user's wrist shown up-close in between a ski glove and jacket — (Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

Ultimately, with a longer-lasting battery, a greater variety of post-workout metrics, and a design that's less prone to accidental button-pressing, when it comes to tracking a day of snowboarding with Apple Watch Ultra 3 versus the Garmin Instinct 3, I'll almost certainly be reaching for the Garmin the next time I hit the slopes.

What's your favorite smartwatch for tracking ski and snowboard adventures? Let me know if the comments below.

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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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