What kind of Smartphone (or Dumbphone) do you use when you ski?

What if you carry one, say a smart phone, but just for emergencies, never use any of the "smart" features on the mountain?

I don't use any phone when I'm skiing, because I'm too busy...........skiing.

 

On the mountain, I keep a virtually indestructable dumb phone in my pocket and switched off in case of emergencies. If I'm not in an emergency situation, I'm using my eyes and ears to enjoy my surroundings.

My iPhone gets tucked in the soft pocket in my pack. No apps. I don't need a program to help me quantify how good my day was.
 

I have an iPhone, and I have ski apps on it, but I pretty much never use them. I have fiddled with them very little ... just don't care enough, and never remember. Once I remembered to keep an app on, and at the end of the day it told me my top speed was something like 14 mph and my average speed was 65 mph. (ie, even if switched, didn't make any sense). I use the camera. And the texting capabilities, for kid stuff or meeting others. Forecasts are nice, but that's for before skiing, really. You usually can tell what the weather is when you are outside, I've found....

 

But I'm really not that invested in tracking speed, vertical, whatever. 

I carry my iphone but I haven`t use any special app... I think it`s too much work getting your gloves off and getting your phone from your pocket. But I would like to try someday, there are some cool apps that would show your speed and other things, but I think it`s more for fun that because it`s useful for anything!

 

I do use Foursquare though when I get to the mountain 

I do concede that a working GPS would probably a useful tool to have on board for any of those "emergency use" situations.  The camera is the tool on my phone that gets the most use, hands down. Can't remember the last time I used anything else or made a call while clicked in.

The camera on the iPhone 4S is a big improvement over previous versions, I must add.

It is a phone, a camera, and a way to check for texts and E-mail at lunch.  For navigating around a new mountain a trail map in the pocket works just dandy.

 

Business has dictated carrying a phone since the early 90s' and answering it, sorry if that is offensive.  A couple of those calls on a lift paid for a bunch of years of skiing, and somehow it made the rest of the day a little sweeter.  All in all it is pretty much just a phone while skiing.

Rotary. Can use with gloves on.

Dumbphone.  Biggest "extra" is the unused camera that I would gladly dispense with.  The only things important to me from a cell phone are network access (bars) and battery.  All I care about is when I need to CALL, it is there for me.  

 

Although I can see the attraction of carrying fewer rechargers with you on a trip for your PDA, GPS, camera, e-reader, phone, etc. etc., my feeling is that any time ONE feature goes kaput, you have to replace the whole thing or buy the GPS, etc. that just broke.  End result is you have all that stuff anyway.  I don't travel that much so the "all in one" concept doesn't hold that much allure.  I'd rather have the best GPS/camera/PDA/ereader/phone for the particular job than put up with mediocrity in any one of those just to have it all in one device.  I really don't get the whole concept.  

If it has been really dumping and it looks like a great powder day, then I go with Samsung G3.  The 4.8 inch width provides plenty of float in the deep stuff and the thin, sensitive Gorilla Glass top sheet provides just enough flex to let the tip float, but still hook up nicely.  For more of an all-mountain, everyday, go anywhere phone, then I get out the Nokia Lumina 900.  At 4.3 inches, I wouldn't recommend it for deep snow, but the unibody design is quite well sutied for busting through crud and will handle the hardpack with ease.  Not the greatest at any one thing in particular, but put it all together and it can take you anywhere on the mountain.  Some do find the bright blue graphics just a bit off=putting.  When I'm focusing on frontside carving, it's the Blackberry Bold.  It does one thing and it does it well.  When I'm laying out trenches, it's got all the edge hold I need.  Biggest rap against it and the reason I don't use for Master's racing anymore is it's old technology and there are faster models out there.

 

Just my .02......

 

 

 

^

Tag, custom or factory recommended tuning?

I use GPS Essentials (a lot), Strava (some) and Alpine Replay (a little). Mostly this helps me show friends where I toured and also lets me see alternative routes after the fact. I don't really care about tracking when I'm in the resort, just backcountry and mt. biking.

 

For biking, I can track my performance as a gauge of my skill and conditioning. I'm not interested in comparing myself to others.

Company provided  Blackberry Touch. Using only e-mail client and calling button. Taking awful pictures sometimes. The best part - AT&T has very poor coverage at Mt Hood Meadows so having it with me is of an academic value...

iPhone now but am plannig to go back to all windows when Win8 comes out later this year. Probably a big screen Samsung. I guess I am the only person in the world who does not find Apple stuff easier to use than Microsoft.

iPhone plus Ski Tracks.  Awesome app, great tracking, stats, displays.  And with the iPhone 4s, pics and video quality are are fabulous, even got an app for slo-mo 60fps video.

 

Phone with a bigger screen?  Meh.  Not like I use a purse, so carrying a huge phone around in my pocket only means it's gonna break when I sit down.  iPhone size is perfect for a guy on the go IMHO.

I have a 4 year old casio gzone that comes with me all over, but really only works for  a few miles near town. Once i am in the mountains, including at the local resort, I never have signal anyway. I have dropped it in the dirt and sand, put it through the washing machine, dropped into the stream, and left it in an open exterior pocket on a powder day. Still going strong. Speaking as a guy who plays outside, the big thing in personal electronics is not the smart phone, its the rugged phone (shrugs off water, dust, shock, scrathes). I am surprised that no one here (besides me) has mentioned them. 

Edited by tromano - 7/6/12 at 10:42am

 

I am with you on the Casio gzone!  When we got my wife's phone a few years ago, we could get a second one free.  I already had a "smart" phone through work so asked if they had one that was more rugged.  I was surprised to see the gzone was the same price as the smart phone.  Long story short, free gzone and the thing is a tank.  I am still amazed at the battery life on the thing and it has gone through its own hell on earth.  I believe many are probably turned off by the price compared to flashier phones but Casio put the money where it needed to go for it's audience, to make the phone rugged.

I have a bottom-of-the-line GE cordless phone (I bought it brand new ten years ago) that rests in it's charger at home when I ski, It features redial and can store up to nine numbers in memory! It is paired with a Casio Phone Mate answering machine (the kind with mini cassette tape), which I bought used at Bargain Mart (a small thrift store which supports some manner of church high school, I go there for all of my used telephone needs).

Edited by volantaddict - 7/6/12 at 7:57pm

No phone, but my big brother taught me how to whistle quite well back in '64.

Likewise I carry a motorola flip phone, has a cheesey camera which is handy now and then but mainly bought for rugged construction. Sits in my pocket pretty much ignored, there for emergencies.  I pay money for something that is supposed to be "rugged" it had better be. Not intentionaly rough but I also expect the equipment to hold up. tromano I agree 110% that when I buy I choose durability (and sometimes have to pay more even though less frills) no matter what it is.

iPhone 3GS, started using Ski Tracks, however the battery would drain before the end of the day, so I keep a phone charger in my backpack.  In the end I ended up not using the app that much.

 

I like iTrailmap 3d, not when I'm skiing but just to reference trail maps of different ski areas.  Kind of a summer obssession, and when I'm headed to a new ski area.

 

Snow Report (North Face) get checked frequently in the mid-week during ski season.

Smart phone, no apps.

 

I'm still just using it as a phone and web browser. Skiing or otherwise.

I use a Casio G'Zone rugged phone.  I spend a lot of time outdoors with my activities, (skiing, disc golf, motorycling etc) so I wanted a phone that was weather and shock resistant.  I also wanted a phone with internet and tether capabiities so I could gain internet access on my netbook that I carry when I travel.  As I don't care to surf or read my email on a 2 inch screen, I only have that feature turned on when I need it for travel.

 

So far it works for me though I do have to admit that some of the apps for skiing are pretty cool.

 

Rick G

Samsung Windows phone, no apps, decent camera

Currently a BB 9700 Bold (waiting for contract to run out) to replace with something new (most likely not BB) as OS seems to have degraded with revisions.  Shame on you RIM, you're dropping the ball so to speak.  Andriod devices, with google starting to charge for OS in a few years may show a similar fate as BB. This is a concern as I keep my phones about 3 years.

 

Likely to look at iPhone (maybe 5).  Seems to have best apps, for what I am looking for (skiing and swimming). 

As such won't include my vote on this one as I define myself really undecided for the reasons noted above.

 

Trekchick, look forward to seeing the final results of your poll for the info value alone .