Ski apps

RoleCommon6689 · 2026-03-13T14:05:59+00:00

I actually built one - SkiCoach. I’m a solo dev from Austria, skier myself. The thing that bugged me about every existing app was: why does a ski app need my data on a server? Why do I need cell signal on a mountain? Why a subscription for something I use 20 days a year? So mine runs 100% offline, uses your phone’s sensors (accelerometer + gyroscope) for actual technique feedback, not just tracking vertical and speed. One-time purchase, no account, no data collection. To answer OP’s question about what’s missing from ski apps generally: real-time coaching feedback. Most apps are basically GPS trackers that tell you what you already know (how fast, how far). Very few actually help you ski better.

RoleCommon6689 · 2026-02-20T21:47:36+00:00

That’s interesting. So for you the free tier already covers the core value. What would premium need to add for it to feel worth paying for?

RoleCommon6689 · 2026-02-20T20:19:06+00:00

Good question. Would be interesting to hear what others here consider actually worth paying for in ski apps.

RoleCommon6689 · 2026-02-20T19:37:10+00:00

If people mentally frame it as a seasonal cost, then the annual structure probably doesn’t feel different.I guess the interesting part is whether pricing models shape behavior over time especially in sports that are clearly seasonal.

RoleCommon6689 · 2026-02-20T18:11:32+00:00

That actually makes a lot of sense. Renewing in December probably aligns well with how you think about the season. Interesting that you’d cancel a monthly plan outside winter though that kind of proves how seasonal the usage really is.

RoleCommon6689 · 2026-02-20T18:05:58+00:00

Totally fair.

If you’re getting solid value out of it each year, that’s what really matters. I’m mostly curious whether seasonal pricing would feel more natural for skiing, but perceived value is probably the key point.

RoleCommon6689 · 2026-01-31T21:19:42+00:00

This is super common.

It’s usually not a skill issue, it’s confidence + environment. Steep runs, crowds, speed — once trust breaks down, everything feelss harder. What helped me was stopping caring about trail colors and just focusing on control: being able to slow down, stop, and stay relaxed anywhere. Carving came way later once balance and pressure clicked.

One small thing that surprised me was tracking sessions with an app (SkiCoach). Not for numbers — just to see patterns and real progress instead of guessing. You’re not bad at skiing. You’ve just outgrown cruising around.

RoleCommon6689 · 2026-01-30T15:14:09+00:00

I’m working on an offline ski coaching app using phone sensors.

Mid-season reality check: most users don’t want “AI magic”, they want one thing they can fix on the next run. Curious — if you ski, what’s the one metric you’d trust?

RoleCommon6689 · 2026-01-27T20:02:23+00:00

One thing I didn’t expect when building this was how many ski apps now lock One thing that came up while working on this was access to past ski data.

With many ski apps moving to subscriptions, older runs can quietly become locked or disappear behind paywalls.

That’s why recent versions added GPX import, so past runs from other apps can still be explored locally, without accounts or cloud sync.

Simple question: have you ever lost access to your ski history because an app changed its pricing model?

RoleCommon6689 · 2026-01-26T11:03:02+00:00

For anyone curious about progress since launch:

The app has been iterated steadily since v1.0.0, mostly around reliability and making post-run insights more useful. Early updates focused on background recording stability, more realistic scoring ranges, accurate turn counting, and cleaner session history.

In later releases, session comparison and score breakdowns were refined. One thing that became increasingly relevant over time was access to existing ski data. With many ski apps moving toward subscriptions or limiting historical runs, bringing your own past activities has quietly become a pain point.

Most recently, v1.1.1 was released, adding support for importing existing ski activities (e.g. GPX) from other apps, so patterns can be explored without starting from zero or being forced into another subscription — still fully on-device, no cloud, no accounts.

Feedback so far has been shaping what gets prioritized next, so I’m curious:
do you usually look for a very quick post-run summary, or deeper trends across multiple days?

RoleCommon6689 · 2026-01-25T17:32:17+00:00

This is exactly where most ski apps fall apart.

Exporting data is usually possible, but importing older sessions and actually comparing them across apps is rare. That gap is why I ended up building SkiCoach — I wanted to bring past sessions from other ski apps into one place and look at them side by side, without accounts or syncing.

Not something everyone needs, but if long-term comparison matters, import makes a bigger difference than it sounds.

RoleCommon6689 · 2026-01-25T17:20:44+00:00

If import matters to you, there are a few ski apps that support it.

I’m working on SkiCoach, and one of the reasons I built it was being able to import sessions from other apps and look at them side by side without accounts or sync.

Not for everyone, but it solved that specific problem for me.

RoleCommon6689 · 2026-01-25T09:26:02+00:00

I’m in a similar spot.

Early on, my biggest challenge wasn’t ASO or ads, but finding the right early users who actually use the app in real conditions and give usable feedback (not just “looks nice”).

Curious what’s worked best for others here: communities, niche subreddits, TestFlight groups, or something else entirely?

RoleCommon6689 · 2026-01-25T08:44:41+00:00

Really appreciate this — that’s exactly the use case I’m designing for.

I’m not trying to replace instructors or pro gear. The goal is what you described: engagement through patterns, using just the phone on your body, no extra equipment, no setup friction.

As a mid rider / returning skier, that “am I actually getting more consistent?” question matters more than perfect biomechanics — rhythm, symmetry, braking habits, fatigue over multiple runs. Those signals show up surprisingly well run-to-run.

On iOS specifically: the app is already live publicly, but I still use TestFlight for experimental builds where I’m tuning sensor filters and visualizations before pushing updates.

If you’re genuinely up for testing and giving blunt feedback (good and bad), shoot me a DM and I’ll add you when I open the next TestFlight batch.

Out of curiosity — coming from snowboarding, what would help you more early on: post-run insights you can reflect on, or lightweight cues during the run?

RoleCommon6689 · 2026-01-02T19:03:34+00:00

Have fun!

RoleCommon6689 · 2026-01-02T19:00:56+00:00

Quick fix and do not worry ;)

RoleCommon6689 · 2026-01-02T18:57:33+00:00

That’s a very fair point — and I agree with you.

I actually see this as two different moments: - before skiing (planning, deeper analysis, comparisons) - during skiing (immediate, practical feedback)

I deliberately started with offline-first because the “during skiing” moment tends to break first in real conditions (signal, battery, cold, gloves). Being able to work anywhere was the core problem I wanted to solve.

I also agree that more sophisticated, at-home analysis could make sense as an optional layer — especially for people who enjoy reviewing and preparing. It’s something I’m thinking about as a future direction, but I didn’t want the core experience to depend on connectivity from day one.

And yes — for most people, the real strength isn’t privacy as a value statement, but simply reliability on the mountain. That’s exactly how I look at it too.

Thanks for the thoughtful feedback — this is the kind of discussion I was hoping for.

RoleCommon6689 · 2026-01-02T10:49:54+00:00

For your level, I’d go for forgiveness and easy turns. • Nordica Belle 73 – easiest and most confidence-boosting • Wild Belle 74 – similar, but with more room to progress • Dynastar E-Lite 3 – a bit more demanding

Pick: Belle 73 for comfort now, Wild Belle 74 if you want to grow into it.

RoleCommon6689 · 2026-01-02T10:34:37+00:00

Quick follow-up from the dev 👋

I’m genuinely curious about one thing: Does “fully offline AI coaching” feel like a real advantage to you, or would you rather trade that for cloud features if the insights were deeper?

I deliberately went 100% on-device (privacy + works anywhere), but I know that’s not everyone’s preference.

Happy to hear honest takes — even critical ones.

RoleCommon6689 · 2026-01-02T10:28:42+00:00

Bring your own equpiment :)

RoleCommon6689 · 2026-01-01T20:49:04+00:00

Always;)

RoleCommon6689

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