Testing Out The Whistler App at the TELUS World Ski and Snowboard Festival

By Kyle Pearce | April 18, 2011
Testing the new Whistler App on Blackcomb.

I had the opportunity to put the new Whistler app to the test this weekend at the TELUS World Ski and Snowboard Festival. I have to say I was very impressed with its functionality. The app ran seamlessly in the background while I took pictures, made phone calls and sent a few texts. 

My favourite part of the app is the Run Tracking feature, which allows you to track your total vertical drop, distance, average speed, maximum speed and time for each run. You even get statistics for your runs on an altitude graph or on a visual map that shows the route you took down the mountain. The app tracks statistics for individual runs and if you leave it running for the whole day it will track your entire day of skiing, barely using any juice from your battery as it runs in the background.

I put the app to the test on both Whistler and Blackcomb. I took a run from the top of Whistler's Peak down to the village and from the top of Blackcomb's 7th Heaven down to the village, tracking everything from the Whistler app. My goal was to take a run that tracked over 5000 feet of vertical in the app. I filmed the video below documenting my experience with the app on my iPhone 4 and I edited it on my phone using the iMovie app.

Video Blog: Testing The New Whistler App

 


For my latest video blogs from the TELUS World Ski and Snowboard Festival, visit the AppTV Youtube Channel. You can also see photos from the festival, which runs until April 24th, on the AppTV Flickr stream. 

 

The Whistler App was developed in partnership with TELUS and RTP. I highly recommend downloading it if you're going to be in the hitting the slopes in Whistler. For a quick visual tour of the app, check out our Whistler App Slideshow.

Whistler App Slideshow


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Whistler App Start Screen

A nice black and white photo of Black Tusk on the start screen of the Whistler Blackcomb App. The app loads in a matter of seconds.

Initial Screen After Login

After logging in using your Whistler account or as a Guest, you get the latest snow report. For the start of the 2011/12 Ski Season Whistler and Telus plan to offer lift ticket purchases within the app. Instead of scanning your lift pass at the Whistler's base, you will be able to scan your smartphone.

The Main Menu

The Whistler App is full of cool features. You can get up-to-date weather reports, webcam, event information. You also can view Whistler's Facebook and Twitter streams, or navigate the photos and videos submitted by skiers and snowboarders. My favourite feature is the Run Tracking.

Run Tracking Feature

Easily track the amount of vertical metres you ski, the distance in kilometres and your maximum speed. The run tracking option runs in the background and doesn't drain your battery.

Run Tracking GPS Map

The built-in GPS tracking records the route you take down the mountain. It also allows you to locate where you are on the mountain at any time. This graphic show my two runs from the Whistler Peak to the village and the Blackcomb Peak to the village.

Run Tracking Graph

The Run Tracking graphs show the distance traveled down the mountain. This graph is for my run from the top of Whistler's Peak to the village base.

Whistler Photos

You can view recently submitted photos or submit your own. You can arrange the photos in different ways on the screen using your finger.

Whistler Videos

Watch impressive videos within the app filmed on Whistler Blackcomb. The video on the Whistler Mountain Gorilla is a must-see.

Find The Shortest Lift Lines

You can even use the Whistler App to find the areas of the mountain with the shortest lift lines.

Find Events

Or find cool events going on in the village or on the mountain. This way you can be sure you don't miss hearing about all the the parties and events at the TELUS World Ski and Snowboard Festival.

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