Anyone wear an altimeter watch while skiing/boarding?

gores95 · Oct 6, 2005

I guess I have too much free time...I think it would be neat to have a watch that tracked altitude and temperature, along with a compass. I would also like it to be waterproof. Something I could also wear while jogging.

Anyway does anyone own or use this type of watch? Is it a hassle to keep taking off your gloves to see the watch? Suunto, Casio, Nike are some companies that make these. Any suggestions or are these overrated?

Thanks,

Marc

dmc · Oct 6, 2005

If your a vert counter - then you need one..

I've never been into the whole vert count thing..
Some people measure their day by the amount of vert they get - I use a different system...

I would like to get a GPS so I can mark drops and glades - etc....

hammer · Oct 6, 2005

dmc said:
I've never been into the whole vert count thing..
Some people measure their day by the amount of vert they get - I use a different system...

I for one am not into any kind of skiing "metrics" :x

My system is simple -- I measure the day by the size of the grin on my face...

In any case, I wouldn't mind having a watch with altitude and temperature. I'll have to see how much they cost...

ctenidae · Oct 6, 2005

I want one, too. Closest I've gotten is a $10 thing from Discovery Channel Store that's a clock and thermometer. I do want one of the altimeter watches, though- there's one, can't remember the brand, that stores the whole day, and you can download it to your computer. Not useful, but fun. Once, probably. How many graphs of a ski day can you have?

bvibert · Oct 6, 2005

hammer said:
dmc said:

I've never been into the whole vert count thing..
Some people measure their day by the amount of vert they get - I use a different system...

Click to expand...

I for one am not into any kind of skiing "metrics" :x

My system is simple -- I mesaure the day by the size of the grin on my face...

In any case, I wouldn't mind having a watch with altitude and temperature. I'll have to see how much they cost...

I'm not into keeping any metrics either, the only reason I know how many times I've been at the end of each year is because I count my lift tickets (the scanning system at the place I work kept track of how many days I used my employee pass..). The being said I wouldn't mind having a watch that kept track of altitude and temp because it would be neat to look at every once and a while. They cost way more than I could justify though....

hammer · Oct 6, 2005

I just had a quick look and it looks like the watches have altimeters in them. The only problem, then, is that you have to "calibrate" them to the local pressure conditions (just like an aircraft altimeter).

I guess if you are at a ski area and you know the base elevation, you can do that at the beginning of the day. It wouldn't be as accurate as GPS, however...

ctenidae · Oct 6, 2005

You can always just set the base area as 0 altitude, since you're measuring vert from that spot, anyway.

Brettski · Oct 6, 2005

I always wanted one....but I figure I had a good day if I'm toast at the end and the beer is outstanding (definition: A beer is always outstanding after a good day on the mountain)

dmc · Oct 6, 2005

Brettski said:
I always wanted one....but I figure I had a good day if I'm toast at the end and the beer is outstanding (definition: A beer is always outstanding after a good day on the mountain)

sweet sweet reward...

ctenidae · Oct 6, 2005

Beers are outstanding (or even required) after a bad day on the mountain, too.

tree_skier · Oct 6, 2005

I have a Suunto and do ski with it but don't count vertical. It was free to me. I don't think I would buy one.

hammer · Oct 6, 2005

ctenidae said:
You can always just set the base area as 0 altitude, since you're measuring vert from that spot, anyway.

Unfortunately, the relationship of pressure to elevation is nonlinear, so you may not get the results you expect...

I guess the error wouldn't be too bad at lower elevations, but I wouldn't try that on a trip to the Rockies.

Also, isn't any injury-free day on the mountain a good day?

ctenidae · Oct 6, 2005

Unfortunately, the relationship of pressure to elevation is nonlinear, so you may not get the results you expect,

True, true. You can calibrate at home, I suppose.
Okaqy, this is getting comlicated, and threatens to take all the fun out of the graph that I could get, if I had one.

Spoilsport, with your science and logic.

Brettski · Oct 6, 2005

I don't know...there was this 80 degree day at Windham on Presidents day one year...waiting in 40 minute lift lines is no fun...plus they had just installed the "new" quad and didn't know what they were doing...that was the fewest runs in a single day I ever had....plus we got lost on the way up...

Hey what did I know....this had to be '93

I'm much smarter now....

When I cracked my ribs at Cannon I had a better day...just a hairline....only took one day off afterward...just don't raise your arms and your good to go.....the collar bone break was a different story

dmc · Oct 6, 2005

ctenidae said:
Unfortunately, the relationship of pressure to elevation is nonlinear, so you may not get the results you expect,

True, true. You can calibrate at home, I suppose.
Okaqy, this is getting comlicated, and threatens to take all the fun out of the graph that I could get, if I had one.

Spoilsport, with your science and logic.

Just get a GPS - it does the same thing - right?

I still use compasses.. But I want a GPS...

ctenidae · Oct 6, 2005

I want a GPS, too, but it needs to be more for driving than hiking/skiing. Hiking I use a compass. Skiing, I go up, then come back down, then go back up again. Lather, rinse, wipe hands on pants.

dmc · Oct 6, 2005

ctenidae said:
I want a GPS, too, but it needs to be more for driving than hiking/skiing. Hiking I use a compass. Skiing, I go up, then come back down, then go back up again. Lather, rinse, wipe hands on pants.

yeah but cant you also track vert with a GPS?

ctenidae · Oct 6, 2005

You can, that's true, but I'm not carrying a $1000 car unit skiing. Lugging the car battery around would kill me.

You could probably just as easily keep track of the number of runs you do, and multiply. Close enough for government work.

SkiDog · Oct 6, 2005

I also have a SUUNTO Vector. Works great to measure daily "laps" and vert. Don't know that its EXACTLY accurate, but I gotta believe its close. Kinda pricey and BIG, but has the compass and therm, and baro but the therm NEVER reads right if you wear it on your wrist becasue its picking up body heat, so maybe you want to go with a device that you can wear on the outside of say the backpack or something. Maybe you could put the watch on the pack also? I never tried that as I have an elastic watchband so I can stretch it over the bulky ski jacket. I know they make a device (in PDA "type" form factor) that does the same things as the vector, and also measure wind speed for wind chill calculations, but I can't remember the name and I know its in the $200.00 range.

Its more of a "neat" thing for me, I don't measure vert as a guage for a good/bad day, like most others I measure the grin and the leg pain. If the grins big and the legs are spaghetti, it was a good day.

M

smootharc · Oct 6, 2005

Suunto S-6 Ski / Hike watch.

If anything, a great wrist alarm clock. Slope degree meter, time, date, and all the timing, laps, vert stuff you could want. More obsessive than that...plug it into your computer and compare with other obsessive's.

Temp is dubious. Barometric trend only good if you reset that day, I believe. For vert, must reset at base area with correct altitude, which changes with barometric deviation, so is often off, + or -.......

I like mine, if only to wear on sport weekends.

Anyone wear an altimeter watch while skiing/boarding?

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