The Best Watch For Skiing & Snowboarding | 7 Great Options
Skiing is a beneficial exercise and most skiers use it to explore their environment. Most back-country or cross-country skiers invest in skiing gears to help them improve and track their ski runs. Watches in this domain are the best companion.
With the weather encountered on slopes, the best watch for skiing is one that goes beyond its traditional use of telling time. For instance, for back-country skiing, using a GPS watch can help locate your position. Below are 7 great ski watches to choose from.
The best watches for skiing & snowboarding we discuss in this article
- Best Ski Watch For Professionals: Garmin Fenix 5 Plus
- Best Cross-Country Ski Watch: Suunto 9 Baro
- Best Timex Watch For Skiing: Timex Expedition WS4
- Best Ski Watch with a Minimalist Design: Suunto Core
- Best Ski Watch For Beginners: Casio Men’s Pathfinder Triple Sensor
- Best Budget-Friendly Ski Watch: Armitron Sport Men’s Digital Chronograph Watch (Model: 40/8284BLK)
- Best G-Shock Watch For Skiing: Casio Men’s G-Shock Riseman Watch (Model: GW9200)
The Best Watch For Skiing & Snowboarding
Garmin Fenix 5 Plus
If you want a watch that gives you in-depth data on your skiing or snowboarding activity, go for Garmin Fenix 5 Plus.
This timepiece has a scratch-resistant sapphire dial, and it is water-resistant up to 100 meters. It has a solid build and you can be sure it will last longer on your wrist.
The Gamin Fenix 5 Plus lets you snowboard or ski with music on your wrist. You can achieve this by creating your own playlist and transferring it on the device using the Garmin Express desktop software.
This Fenix 5 model comes with an altimeter, a barometer, a compass, and a heart rate sensor.
This smartwatch also comes with full-color topographical maps. This feature comes in handy when you plan your skiing session, especially if it is cross-country skiing.
These maps are searchable and they show you what’s in your general vicinity. You’d appreciate this feature more once you take your Garmin watch for skiing sessions.
The depth of other features on this watch is incredible. Garmin built this watch for sports and it can track every detail of your skiing activity. You can watch the video below to see how.
Pros
- Comes with color topographical maps.
- Has a music feature.
- Has a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.
- Useful sports watch.
- Has a heart rate sensor.
Cons
- The Bluetooth connection on this watch isn’t perfect.
Video: Skiing with the Garmin Fenix 5 Plus
https://www.youtube.com/embed/HFyBB2TuH6c?enablejsapi=1&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&modestbranding=1&rel=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&Check Price, Reviews on Amazon Now!
Suunto 9 Baro
For cross-country skiing, the Suunto 9 Baro is the watch you should take with you. It has extended battery life.
Compared to the Suunto Spartan Ultra, the Suunto 9 Baro comes with extra features including a heart rate sensor and an attractive design both on the dial and the bands.
The bands on this smartwatch are removable and the buttons are slightly bigger than those on the Spartan Ultra.
The heart rate sensor on this smartwatch serves two major purposes.
First, it shows your heart rate data on the watch face during your skiing. Secondly, you can use it for 24/7 heart rate monitoring. This means you can track your heart rate throughout the day.
The battery management on this timepiece is extraordinary. It comes with preset battery modes that allow you to figure out how much battery life you need to complete an activity.
It also comes with intelligent battery reminders. This smartwatch will learn what days and time you do your longer workouts and then reminds you to charge the battery hours before you go out.
This means you never run out of juice in the middle of a skiing session.
This Suunto 9 watch also comes with an extra feature called Fusedtrack. This feature allows you to create a GPS route without GPS.
It uses your initial GPS point together with the gyro, compass, and accelerometer of the watch to plot your route on the map.
The Fusedtrack feature is perfect if you do cross-country skiing. Your GPS turns on every 60 seconds to get your new location. It preserves battery so you can finish your skiing.
Just as you might have figured out, this watch comes with an altimeter, a barometer, and a compass.
It is also a 100-meter water resistance watch. So you need not worry if it’s covered in snow as you go on your ski runs. This smartwatch offers you a good value for money.
Pros
- Highly customizable screen.
- Quick user interface.
- Good battery management.
- Offers a Fusedtrack feature.
- Attractive design.
Cons
- Lacks a dedicated back-light button.
- You can’t pre-load your designed workouts onto the watch.
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Timex Expedition WS4
Away from smartwatches, you can pick up this digital watch for your ski runs. The Timex Expedition WS4 comes with a wide rectangular digital display. Its display is 50mm in diameter and the case is 15mm thick.
This easy-to-use display separates this ski watch from its competition. Its wide display allows all information including temperature, weather, altitude, and activity history to fit on it.
This timepiece has a dedicated button you can press to cycle through all its modes. This includes the altimeter mode, barometer mode, compass mode, and review mode.
The review mode shows you all the stored data from your ski runs. It plots all these data on the watch face for you.
This timepiece also comes equipped with a chronometer, timer, alarm, and stopwatch.
One unique feature I like about this watch is its blue Indiglo back-light. This increases the readability of the watch in the dark. The back-light feature has a dedicated button to power it.
This watch is water-resistant up to 50 meters. It comes in various colors, including the black model.
Pros
- Comes with a wide display.
- Has a dedicated backlight button.
- It features a temperature sensor.
- It is easy to use.
- Unique look.
Cons
- Has a limited water resistance rating.
- Lacks a heart rate sensor.
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Suunto Core
If you want to stay within your limited budget and still want a watch that performs well during your skiing sessions, go for this affordable option. The Suunto Core is a perfect outdoor watch. It has a minimalist design with lots of multi-functions.
Before we go into its features, the Suunto Core isn’t a GPS watch. If you are looking for a Suunto GPS watch, you can also check out the Suunto Spartan Sport.
For a skiing watch, the Suunto Core comes with a wider thermometer range. It can measure temperatures from -5F to 140F. This means you need not worry when you take it skiing under extreme temperatures.
You also get altitude and barometer readings from this watch. One interesting feature of this timepiece is its storm alert feature.
The storm alert warns you of an impending storm coming when it detects a rapid drop in pressure. This is very useful for skiers.
This lightweight ski watch features a negative display. This might be difficult to read under a bright light although it comes with a dedicated night light button.
Other features include sunrise, and sunset times useful for skiing and climbs. The timepiece is also waterproof up to 30 meters and comes with a rotating compass bezel.
Pros
- Comes with a storm alert feature.
- It’s lightweight and comfortable on the wrist.
- Works flawlessly under harsh weather.
- It is very affordable.
Cons
- Lacks a GPS sensor.
- Has a limited waterproof rating.
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Casio Men’s Pathfinder Triple Sensor (Model: PAG240-1CR)
For a beginner looking for a non-smart option, you can pick this Casio Pathfinder Triple Sensor. It has a 51mm wide case, it’s 15.5m thick and weighs approx. 65 grams. It’s not a suitable watch for small wrists.
The screen on this watch is a notable contrast. It’s a new duplex screen that allows them to superimpose layers of lines on top of the primary LCD screen.
It comes with a built-in solar panel. This panel recharges the watch under any light source. So you can’t run out of juice using this watch on the mountain.
Going by its name, the triple sensors on this digital timepiece are the pressure, compass, and thermometer. So this is a typical ABC watch. It’s a quartz multi-function timepiece.
Other features on this solar-powered watch include sunrise-sunset times, a countdown timer, world time, a perpetual auto calendar, and you get the auto-backlight feature (afterglow light).
It a 100-meter water-resistant watch. So it’s suitable for non-ski activities, like swimming and snorkeling but not diving.
The strap and the case of this watch are made from resin. The buttons for the altimeter, barometer, and compass are large enough that you can easily use with your gloves on.
Pros
- It is solar-powered.
- Has a duplex screen to display more data.
- Comes with an auto-backlight feature.
- Has a temperature sensor.
Cons
- Lacks the radio sync feature.
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Armitron Sport Men’s Digital Chronograph Watch(Model: 40/8284BLK)
This all-black Armitron Men’s watch is very simple to use and comes with a great shock resistance rating. With this watch, taking a hard fall during skiing (especially with beginners) won’t break it.
This chronograph quartz watch comes with a dedicated electro-luminescent (EL) back-light button.
It has a 46mm case, and it’s 15mm thick. The band and case are made of resin and the dial window is protected by an acrylic crystal that’s easy to polish. This is also a 100-meter waterproof digital timepiece.
Though this watch lacks most of the sensors for its outdoor use, it is budget-friendly and is the best alternative for those on a lean budget.
Pros
- It’s budget-friendly.
- Comes with EL back-light for night use.
- Offers chronograph and alarm features.
- Easy to read.
Cons
- Lacks the main sensors for outdoor use.
- Dial is prone to scratches.
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Casio Men’s G-Shock Riseman Watch (Model: GW9200)
This watch is a hybrid between a Casio Pathfinder and a G-Shock. It offers the best of both worlds. Being a G-Shock watch, you can expect all the shock-resistant features embedded in it.
This timepiece has an altimeter, barometer, and thermometer. However, it suffers from the lack of a compass. If you need a compass on your watch, you can try out the ones reviewed above.
Like the Casio Pathfinder Triple Sensor, this timepiece is solar-powered. So you can go through the whole winter sports season without worry about power.
This G-Shock syncs seamlessly with all six atomic towers across the world to ensure you always carry accurate time with you.
Other features of this timepiece include a waterproof rating of up to 200 meters, world time, and snooze feature. Overall, this is a durable watch that can stand all outdoor tests especially if it’s covered with snow.
Pros
- It’s resistant to shocks.
- It is solar-powered.
- It’s very durable and tough.
- It has a radio sync.
Cons
- It lacks a compass
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Final Thoughts
If you are looking for a watch to use on the slopes, this review is the best place to start. Planning a skiing season with the family can be a lot easier if you pick one of these watches.
We hope our review can help you take your ski session to the next level.
