Strava heatmap

[Hawk]

The issue I have with strava is that people are oblivious to the potential ramifications of mapping and publishing their roots. In some instances, your root should stay more discrete as to not bring attention to it. I have had more that one experience of areas or trails being closed because land owners or groups have used strava to see that people were trespassing. Once at a back country area on private property and several areas in the Boston Area for mountain biking. I really don't get the mind set of publishing where you go to the world. It's just a big "hey look at me". But in some circumstances, ego has killed good discrete areas that others have shared for years.

 

[Hawk]

This is awesome. I can find all your stashes

Even with this, you and Howie will still get lost in a thicket of pine trees. ;-)

 

[Glenn]

This is really cool! Thanks for sharing.

 

[cdskier]

The issue I have with strava is that people are oblivious to the potential ramifications of mapping and publishing their roots. In some instances, your root should stay more discrete as to not bring attention to it. I have had more that one experience of areas or trails being closed because land owners or groups have used strava to see that people were trespassing. Once at a back country area on private property and several areas in the Boston Area for mountain biking. I really don't get the mind set of publishing where you go to the world. It's just a big "hey look at me". But in some circumstances, ego has killed good discrete areas that others have shared for years.

You raise many valid points. I use a GPS app (not Strava) but I use it only for myself and don't share it with anyone. I don't quite understand publishing it either. Are there that many people that publish via this Strava app? I was sort of under the impression this map was generated simply from people that use Strava and not necessarily that they chose to intentionally post/share their routes. (But not being familiar with Strava personally I really have no idea how it works).

Also, just because someone went a certain way doesn't mean it is safe for others to do so as well. For all we know the person that went that way ran into trouble and had to backtrack or otherwise get themselves out of a bad spot. (Although if you see lots of people going a certain way that's probably different and a bit safer). But if people try to use this to find real "secret" stuff that very few ski, it could be risky.

 

[Pez]

I had to google strava

seems dumb.

 

[Hawk]

You raise many valid points. I use a GPS app (not Strava) but I use it only for myself and don't share it with anyone. I don't quite understand publishing it either. Are there that many people that publish via this Strava app? I was sort of under the impression this map was generated simply from people that use Strava and not necessarily that they chose to intentionally post/share their routes. (But not being familiar with Strava personally I really have no idea how it works).

Also, just because someone went a certain way doesn't mean it is safe for others to do so as well. For all we know the person that went that way ran into trouble and had to backtrack or otherwise get themselves out of a bad spot. (Although if you see lots of people going a certain way that's probably different and a bit safer). But if people try to use this to find real "secret" stuff that very few ski, it could be risky.

If you don't make your strava post public, it will not show up on the heat map. It is kind of like instagram or Facebook. You either make your account public where anyone can see, post your ride or ski as public or you are private and people have to gain access like friending. That is my understanding from my friends who use it. I do not. Actually, I have no social media accounts. Nothing. It keeps my life simple and focused with very little distraction.

 

[ironhippy]

Also, just because someone went a certain way doesn't mean it is safe for others to do so as well. For all we know the person that went that way ran into trouble and had to backtrack or otherwise get themselves out of a bad spot. (Although if you see lots of people going a certain way that's probably different and a bit safer). But if people try to use this to find real "secret" stuff that very few ski, it could be risky.

This is a great point, there are lot of heatmaps in my area that are no longer valid due to forestry work and or flooding. But it's just like looking at google earth and thinking "i can go there!" without any other investigation.

I use strava, primarily to track my biking mileage but I also use it to track all my fitness stuff because I'm already using it to track my biking. I log my skiing mainly to get a full picture of my activity history.

I like the social part of it, but don't rely on it, I would probably use it just as much if it was just private.

You can opt out of sharing your data or you can set individual activities as private and that will hide the heatmap data. The default settings is to have everything public.

You can also add "privacy zones" so none of the activity in that zone will be published. I use this around my house and my work so people looking at my public data can't see exactly where I live or work.

 

[Vaughn]

The issue I have with strava is that people are oblivious to the potential ramifications of mapping and publishing their roots. In some instances, your root should stay more discrete as to not bring attention to it. I have had more that one experience of areas or trails being closed because land owners or groups have used strava to see that people were trespassing. Once at a back country area on private property and several areas in the Boston Area for mountain biking. I really don't get the mind set of publishing where you go to the world. It's just a big "hey look at me". But in some circumstances, ego has killed good discrete areas that others have shared for years.

I had thought about not posting the map link here for that reason but decided that ultimately the info was already out there. This is a pretty low traffic forum and there are lots of people posting stuff all over social media anyways. It's very easy to watch videos of people skiing or blogging about their trip to say Oakes Gulf to the point where it's not a secret IMO.

I can see that mountain biking would be much bigger issue as I don't think the nat'l forrest service cracks down on back country skiing.

I did like looking at the hiking routes in the Whites to see which ones are the most popular so I can check out some of the less travelled ones.

 

[Mapnut]

Regarding Hawk's security concerns, PBS News Hour had a story Monday (?) night; I don't recall the name of the technology but it might have been Strava. A security expert was able to look up US overseas military bases and get traces of where soldiers had been jogging, presumably, around and outside the bases. Definitely a security concern.

 

[ironhippy]

Regarding Hawk's security concerns, PBS News Hour had a story Monday (?) night; I don't recall the name of the technology but it might have been Strava. A security expert was able to look up US overseas military bases and get traces of where soldiers had been jogging, presumably, around and outside the bases. Definitely a security concern.

I don't see it as being a big deal.

Those same bases are on google earth.
The locals are aware there is a military base in those locations.

I highly doubt strava is giving away any secrets.


That being said, they should have them all blanked out with privacy zones or make their activities private, that's just common sense.

 

[spiderpig]

I don't see it as being a big deal.

Those same bases are on google earth.
The locals are aware there is a military base in those locations.

I highly doubt strava is giving away any secrets.


That being said, they should have them all blanked out with privacy zones or make their activities private, that's just common sense.

From the limited amount I read about that, wasn't the main issue that they were exposing the exact locations of the perimeters? Although, if that's a fence, you would think Google has it anyway. I think there were some underground areas exposed, too.

 

[BenedictGomez]

The map is dependent on users who have their fitness trackers on during use so it may just be that Bear Guy and South bowls are being skied by people without trackers

Are you sure? I assumed it worked by GPS signals in smartphones like GOOG traffic. I'm surprised they could get that much data just from fitness trackers.

 

[Vaughn]

I don't see it as being a big deal.

Those same bases are on google earth.
The locals are aware there is a military base in those locations.

I highly doubt strava is giving away any secrets.


That being said, they should have them all blanked out with privacy zones or make their activities private, that's just common sense.

Actually there are bases on visible Stava which are scrubbed from Google earth, CIA sites and the like in places like Yemen, Mali, etc... that why this is the news. It's not because people are jogging around Nellis.

 

[tnt1234]

https://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#16.65/-72.91847/44.19369/bluered/winter

Anyone care to tell me what the folks skiing off Antelope, down into the valley, were experiencing? Not the lines that lead you to Schuss road - which I think is the 19th hole? - but above that - lots of tracks down into the valley and it looks like a huge slog out....

 

[KustyTheKlown]

again I cant view the map at work, but is it possible to ski down the valley/drainage to the mad river barn hotel?

 

[VTKilarney]

Does anyone know how far back the activity goes?

 

[cdskier]

Are you sure? I assumed it worked by GPS signals in smartphones like GOOG traffic. I'm surprised they could get that much data just from fitness trackers.

I was surprised too that that many people were using this app and sharing their data...but on the map there's a link to a page that describes how they get and compile the data and it indeed appears to be coming only from GPS data from their own Strava app that is marked as public (which is apparently the default in the app from what it seemed reading their methodology).

 

[ironhippy]

I was surprised too that that many people were using this app and sharing their data...but on the map there's a link to a page that describes how they get and compile the data and it indeed appears to be coming only from GPS data from their own Strava app that is marked as public (which is apparently the default in the app from what it seemed reading their methodology).

Yes, it's all stava's data that they are using, they aren't using anything else.

 

[tnt1234]

again I cant view the map at work, but is it possible to ski down the valley/drainage to the mad river barn hotel?

I think you are right....

 

[Rowsdower]

The map is dependent on users who have their fitness trackers on during use so it may just be that Bear Guy and South bowls are being skied by people without trackers. It is interesting though because there are clearly people with trackers skiing glades between Wicked Hahd and Mittersill so I'd think they'd also be over on Bear Gut.

Anyone gnarly enough to rip Bear Guy and the South Bowls isn't wearing a fitbit.

/s