Last week we reported on how Google maps has been building a library of “Street Views” for ski slopes (Google Maps Street View For Ski Resorts.) Today, google highlighted their project on their blog Ski Resorts now on Google Maps. Here is what they had to say.
You just stepped out of the gondola into a strong wind at the peak. It’s cold and you’re weighing whether to drop into that powdery black diamond chute you’ve always dreamt of…or sliding down the nearest blue for hot cider at the base.
With 38 new run and lift maps for some of the most popular mountains across the US and Canada, Google Maps is your “go to” mountain guide. Whether you’re shredding Squaw Valley, Big Sky, or Okemo, Google Maps are a comprehensive, accurate and easy way to find the best route down the hill.
Power up Google Maps on your Android device or iPhone, and the mountain information you need is right there. Blue, green and black runs are shown as solid colored lines and ski lifts are red dotted lines.
Ski resorts in Google Maps can also be helpful when you’re gearing up for a trip. You can check out the maps on your laptop browser to plot your course, and even get a Street View preview of a few select slopes before you head up the mountain.
The growing list of mountain maps now available in Google Maps is here:
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I guess that’s cool.
We’ve been doing it in full 360° video for 4 years now!
http://www.slopeviews.com
http://www.slopeviews.com/360video/examples/coloradopromo.html
http://www.slopeviews.com/superviews/blackironbowl.html
Um, no thanks. Gaper app.
It’s free, it’s convenient, it’s an interesting perspective over a cartoon trail map, and it gives you a good idea of how to get to where you’d like to go if you happen to be on a mountain you’ve never been to. I wouldn’t call that gaperesque. I might call mounting three gopros to yourself while snowboarding down a green run gaperesque, but each person is entitled to enjoy the mountain in their own way. Also, I wouldn’t call you a gaper just for pulling your phone out on a chairlift to figure out where you were going. In fact, it would probably be a heck of a lot more discreet than pulling a newspaper-sized map out while you struggled to get it under control in the wind. Unless you have a magical in-depth knowledge of every new mountain that you visit, regardless of how well you know your home mountain or how good of a skier you are, everyone is essentially in the same boat at an unfamiliar mountain.
DROP THE CHUTE