I suspect mid-December already feels like a long time ago for Stowe Mountain Rescue, when they posted to Instagram with a screenshot of one of their preferred mapping apps and a reference to a backcountry rescue they had just been involved in. Then in mid-January, the pros again affirmed the benefits of having a GPS-enabled map and knowing how to use it when you are backcountry. I support their sentiment completely, which is why I’m spending this winter trying to settle which of the many options available works the best for me – and why I’m sharing the insights here.
In our last newsletter I mentioned a few of the traits I wanted in a mapping app for backcountry skiing and I named a few that I was going to be experimenting with. This time around I’m going to provide a broad update and try not to name-names too much because I’m sort of still in the middle of the process, too early to draw conclusions. I’ve also considered a bunch of new options.
First insight: there are a lot of fully functional choices out there. Gaia GPS, Trailforks, Caltopo, OnX Backcountry, Outmap, Relief Maps, Backtrack, Strava, PeakVisor, and Contours are all apps I’ve looked at. Their strengths and weaknesses will depend on user preference, but it seems like they might all generally “work”.
Second insight: Most of these tools start out free but reserve access to key features for Pro subscribers, and some of these subscriptions get pretty expensive. About $80 or $100 a year – or – $15 a month seems pretty common. If the alternative was sacrificing safety in the backcountry or being lost on the side of a mountain at night, I don’t suppose that’s a huge expense, but…in the spirit of keeping the number of costly subscriptions I have in my life to a minimum, I’ve already checked more than half the apps off of my list.
Third insight: some of these apps share information like crazy. Again, I won’t name-names right here, but I will suggest that whenever you pick up one of these tools, find the privacy settings and customize them for yourself. If I didn’t feel an app would give me the option to keep my activity private, it came off the list quickly.
Finally, of all the features available, I’m figuring out which ones are most important to me through experiment. Right now my favorite is Contours because of its ease of use and it being relatively inexpensive and supportive of either sharing publicly or keeping info private. I can plan routes, download maps, and make reliable recordings while I’m out and share them when I want with whom I want. On the other hand, if you are a person who wants to see a lot of trails already uploaded and shared by other people, this might not be your choice.
For now, I’m going to end by reminding you that whichever apps you are using, don’t forget to have a paper copy and a compass in your pack in case of emergencies – because none of these apps is going to help you if you have a dead battery or similar technology failure.
Pott is a Mad River Valley Backcountry Coalition board member
