New Smartphone App for Skiers – "Ski Nav"

A new free Smartphone app “Ski Nav” has been released this season. It’s a simple interactive piste map that lets you get directions like a sat nav. The view is angled like the official paper maps, and both the large Three Valleys map and the smaller Courchevel one are included. There’s a dem available on their home page at ski-nav-app.com

Entering Courchevel 1850 as a destination, you get sent up the La Tania bubble and the Dou des Lanches chair. This should should take 22 minutes, though you can change your speed in the settings. There are preferences for certain types of lift or piste too, and if you avoid chair lifts, you instead get sent via Le Praz to take the newly-installed gondola to 1850 from there.

Now, which crossing is best to head over to Méribel-Mottaret? It suggests Dou des Lanches again then Boulevard de la Loze for a 50-minute cruise. Avoiding greens completely, you are instead directed up the Bouc Blanc towards the Saulire crossing and some of the steeper runs on the far side. And what about the zip wire at the far side of Val Thorens? It’s an ambitious journey but Ski Nav reckons you can get there in under two and a half hours skiing at a very modest 15 kph, and less than 2 hours on the way back.

According to the developer, location sharing is coming in the next update. That would mean seeing your friends or  family on the map and allow you to split off and meet back up again easily. Also planned are directions via notifications to allow checking the route on your phone without taking your gloves off or on a smart watch. The app is available for iOS and Android and is free to download with free routing.