SkiBro – Ski Lesson Booking App
The Alps are a bucket-list destination for many skiers but booking ski guides and lessons in Europe is a lot harder than it is in the States.
Each resort often has multiple schools as well as quite a few qualified independent instructors, add to this the fact that websites often aren’t in English and it can be a real headache trying to get what you need.
New website and app, SkiBro, offers a handy solution by aggregating instructors, guides, and schools to give you an instant view for all types of ski and snowboard lessons available from children’s lessons and beginner lessons to expert off-piste and backcountry guiding.
The instructor and school profiles feature detailed biographies as well as introductory videos, real-time availability, peak and off-peak pricing and more!
Since launching in a handful of resorts last year SkiBro have now expanded to cover all off the decent-sized resorts in the Austrian, Swiss, Italian, and French Alps including our favourite place for off-piste skiing: Val Thorens!
Helly Hansen – Life Pocket
We’ve all been there – standing in the cold staring at a dead cellphone. It’s not only frustrating, if you’re separated from your group or aren’t sure where you are on the mountain then it can be downright scary!
Luckily, Norwegian outerwear company Helly Hansen has developed a solution to keep the cold from killing your batteries – the Life Pocket and the Life Pocket+.
Available as a feature on several models of HH jackets the Life Pocket uses specially designed thermal resistant materials to remain two times warmer than a regular ski jacket pocket.
Even more advanced, the Life Pocket+ uses and aerogel that was developed by NASA to protect electronics in space to keep your gadgets safe and up to three times warmer than they would normally be.
DryGuy – Force Boot & Glove Dryer
We all know that nothing feels worse than sticking your feet into a pair of still damp ski boots and starting the day cold so an equipment dryer is a great bit of kit to have.
DryGuy has made all kinds of gear drying systems for ski rental shops for years, but this portable option is by far the best choice for users like you and I.
The articulating dryer rods fold flat, and the whole thing is 8 inches square and less than 4 thick, so it packs up nice and easily. It also weighs in at under 3 pounds so it shouldn’t tip the scales too much at the airport if you’re flying,
The rods fold down for storage then up to dry your gloves and fold flat backwards to handle heavyweight items like ski boots. It won’t damage boots or gloves, dries even very wet boots or gloves in 1-2 hours, and has a 3-hour automatic shut-off timer.
As an added bonus quickly drying your kit helps to prevent bacteria build up so no more smelly ski boots!
AfterShokz – Trekz Air headphones
If you love listening to music while you ski but still want to be able to hear what’s going on around you on the slopes then the Trekz Air are the headphones for you.
These bluetooth ‘bone conduction headphones’ don’t actually sit in your ears, but just in front of them on the top of your jawbone. Sound vibrations are still able to reach your eardrum so you can hear your music much in the same way you would with regular earphones but they leave your ears unencumbered so you can listen to your favourite songs or podcast while you’re skiing whilst still being aware of your surroundings.
The Trekz Air headphones are 20 per cent lighter than the previous model, with a full titanium wraparound for flexibility and a secure fit. One charge gives six hours of music to get you through a big day of on the slopes.