Well, at least they are the best in my opinion, but that is always subject to change! This is currently my favorite app combo for hitting the slopes. With these iPhone apps you can check resort conditions, get lift ticket deals, review trail maps, track your routes and record your speeds. Read on for the details!

In no particular order…

#1: Liftopia

Liftopia is nearly a one stop info panel for everything regarding your favorite ski resort. I use this app days before I even arrive at the mountain. Liftopia offers a slick interface to navigate to your favorite resorts, find cheap lift tickets and work out the details. You can start by searching where, when and how many days you want to hit the slopes, or simply go to your Favorites if you already have some chosen. From the main resort profile you can get driving directions, view the trail map, trail difficulty levels, resort description, list of amenities, and reviews under the “about” tab. The best feature is under the “Deals” tab which lists any current sales for lift tickets, rentals or classes. The next page is “Conditions” which offers details about weather, snow conditions, number of lifts and trails open, hours of operation, elevation etc. Having all this info so easily accessible is just awesome. You can quickly compare between resorts or check up on them without having to struggle through their often abysmal mobile formatted websites. Liftopia is a free app for iPhone and you can get it at the iTunes store here!

#2: iTrailMap

This app’s functionality is much more simple and straightforward compared to the previous, but that’s what appeals to me. iTrailMap simply downloads and displays trail maps for your mountain of choice. You can use Liftopia for the same function, and there’s honestly not much difference. I do think iTrailMap might be using a slightly higher resolution pdf’s, and sometime you can see that one app might be using a newer, more updated map than the other. I just like to use this when I’m on the hill and geared up, gloves off and don’t want to waste time with a complicated app. This gets you to the trails map, you pinch and zoom to check out routes and you’re done. If you ever find yourself on a new mountain without the classic folded up paper trails map, this may come in handy. You can get it for free on your iPhone form the iTunes store here.

#3: Ski Pursuit

Ok, so I may have saved my favorite for last. This app uses GPS to track your runs, and if you’re a speed junky like me you’re gonna love it too. It has a super slick interface, its simple to use and it gets you all the stats you need. After you record a run you can view your max speed, avg speed, duration, distance, altitude changes and more. Each run is stored in your history for bragging rights and epic Facebook statuses. The app is made by the winter sports company Rossignol and I applaud them for doing such a great job. I have used a few other apps that will record your speed but none have given such focus to us snow-loving mountain folk. (Check out Runtastic for comparison. I used that for a season but there were just so many other features it got annoying.) There are some handy features in Ski Pursuit’s settings that really tailor it perfectly to skiers and snowboarders. You can adjust a countdown to give yourself time to put the phone away and get prepared, and you can also adjust a speed threshold if you would like it to stop automatically. This really helps with any sort of battery drain.

I have been skiing and snowboarding my whole life. I may not be the most adept in the terrain park, but I love cruising at high speeds until my legs start burning up. This app is awesome for letting you know just how fast you really are, plus, it has a big red button. Can’t go wrong there. Check out Ski Pursuit for your iPhone on the app store, it’s free!

If you enjoy these articles about outdoor apps, let me know! I have plenty more on the way, but if there is something specific you are looking for just mention it in a comment and I will be happy to give a recommendation.