Garmin Products Enhance Skiing and Snowboarding Experiences

Garmin offers a range of tools designed to support winter sports enthusiasts, from detailed tracking of skiing and snowboarding activities to safety features and enhanced navigation. Combining smartwatch capabilities with inReach devices, Garmin’s technology provides users with tools to track performance, access maps, and stay connected in remote locations.

Tracking Winter Sports

Several Garmin smartwatches include activity profiles tailored for winter sports such as skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and ice skating. These profiles track metrics, including time, distance, speed, elevation changes, and heart rate.

Downhill skiing and snowboarding activities focus on metrics such as descent speed, average speeds, and time spent on each run. For backcountry skiing and snowboarding in unpatrolled areas, compatible watches display speed, elevation, and time. Cross-country skiing profiles offer additional insights into performance, particularly when paired with an HRM-Pro Plus heart rate monitor, which provides real-time skiing power data.

Preloaded Ski Resort Maps

Select Garmin smartwatches, such as the fēnix 8 and Enduro 3, come with preloaded maps for over 2,000 ski resorts worldwide. These maps include detailed information such as trail names, difficulty levels, ski lifts, and elevation contours, allowing users to better navigate the slopes. SkiView™ maps are automatically enabled during ski or snowboard activities and are also available for other winter sport profiles like cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

Advanced Mapping Features

Beyond ski-specific maps, Garmin offers built-in TopoActive maps for enhanced navigation, including terrain contours and dynamic round-trip routing. Users can upgrade to Outdoor Maps+ for access to additional layers such as satellite imagery, public land maps, and campground locations. For snowmobilers, Garmin’s Tread 2 powersport navigator provides turn-by-turn navigation, snowmobile-accessible trail maps, and integration with a wired Handlebar Controller for easier map interaction while riding.

Communication and Safety with inReach

Safety is a priority for winter adventurers, particularly those heading into remote areas. Garmin’s inReach Messenger Plus and inReach Mini 2 devices enable users to trigger an interactive SOS to Garmin Response, a 24/7 emergency coordination centre. These devices also support two-way messaging, allowing users to update loved ones during emergencies. The inReach Messenger Plus further supports photo and voice messaging.

When paired with compatible smartwatches, inReach devices enable users to trigger an SOS directly from the watch. Built to withstand harsh conditions, these devices offer long-lasting battery life, with the inReach Messenger Plus lasting up to 25 days in low-power messaging mode and the inReach Mini 2 lasting up to 14 days with 10-minute tracking intervals.

Weather Awareness

Staying informed about weather conditions is crucial for planning winter sports activities. Garmin’s inReach devices provide detailed weather forecasts, while smartwatches such as the fēnix 8 series can send weather alerts when paired with a smartphone. These tools help users adjust their routes or seek shelter when needed.

Conclusion

Garmin’s range of winter sport-focused devices combines advanced tracking, mapping, safety features, and weather updates. Whether skiing on groomed slopes, navigating backcountry terrain, or snowmobiling, these products provide valuable tools to enhance performance and safety during winter adventures.

Source Garmin.com