“watchOS 4.2 included new APIs for tracking snow sports. Several third-party apps have today been updated with support for the new features,” Benjamin Mayo reports for 9to5Mac. “Apps including Slopes, snoww, Squaw Alpine, Snocru and Ski Tracks will be able to report metrics like vertical descent, distance, number of runs, average speed and calories burned.”
“Snowboard and skiing tracking requires Apple Watch Series 3,” May reports, “as it uses the new built-in altimeter to determine elevation.”
The new updates to the third-party apps enable data collection for snow sports, which can be fed back into the user’s HealthKit database. This means users can gain credit towards their Activity rings with new workout records. The apps can also auto-pause just like the system Activity app behavior for outdoor runs,” Mayo reports. “Slopes and snoww also support SiriKit, so you can start snowboarding and ski workouts using just your voice.”
<strongMore info and links to the snow sports apps in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: This is great news for skiers and snowboarders and especially for Ester Ledecká!
