Best watches for skiing

What are the essentials you need for a ski trip? Your first thought is likely warm clothes, along with a quality pair of sticks.

However, one of the main accessories that skiers need to make the most out of their time on the slopes is a quality ski watch.

Most ski watches are GPS watches. They help you locate ski runs packed with the good stuff, monitor weather patterns for potential trouble and stay on track when you get off the beaten path. However, some skiers are just fine with a sports watch that’s tailored to the slopes with trackers, alarms, and pertinent data such as sunrise/sunset times.

If you’re currently looking for the best ski watches in the market today, you’re probably overwhelmed by the glut of options in the marketplace. Do you need a stainless steel case? How does a storm alarm work anyways? What does one product have that another doesn’t when they all look so dang similar?

Don’t sift through device after device on your own, hoping to find one of the best ski watches available out of hearsay and pure luck. All you have to do is take a look at our definitive list of the Best Ski Watches For 2021.

Let’s get things rolling with #6.

The 6 Best Watches For Skiing In 2021

6) Garmin Fenix 5X Sapphire Smartwatch

With a ton of preloaded gym activity profiles, a great water resistance rating, and some of the best navigation sensors you’re going to find in a smartwatch, the Garmin Fenix 5X Sapphire Smartwatch is an embarrassment of riches for our #6 selection. It’s the priciest GPS watch on our list, but the thorough list of skiing-appropriate features, health sensors, and map functions make it well worth the money for a serious winter sports fanatic.

Specs

Lens Material: Domed Sapphire Crystal

Dimensions:51 x 51 x 17.5 mm

Display Size: 1.2 inches (diameter)

Display Resolution: 240 x 240 pixels

Case Material: Fiber-Reinforced Polymer

Bezel Material: Stainless Steel

Strap Material: Steel or Silicone

Battery Life: Up to 12 days in smartwatch mode >> Up to 20 hours in GPS/HR mode >> Up to 35 hours in UltraTrac mode

Memory: 16 GB

Water Resistance: 100 meters

Pros

• The watch syncs to GPS with lightning speed. It’s really helpful when you get lost or in a bind.
• This ski watch is superbly customizable. You can tailor it to your liking.
• The domed sapphire crystal lens and fiber-reinforced polymer body take a ton of punishment without damaging the watch itself.

\Cons

• You may want to use a chest strap to monitor your heart rate while on the slopes. That’s a bummer for such an expensive watch.
• If you want music streaming capabilities, you need to upgrade to the Garmin Fenix 5X Plus.

5) Timex Expedition Grid Shock Watch

Inspired by the fan-favorite Timex Expedition WS4 model, the Timex Expedition Grid Shock Watch is a great budget option for a skier not looking to shell out hundreds of dollars for a GPS ski watch. This timepiece is built to take a beating with strong shock resistance and a really solid water resistance rating. It also comes with a hydration reminder system that’s perfect for long days on the slopes.

Specs

Lens Material: Mineral Crystal

Dimensions: 4 x 3 x 3 inches

Case Material: Resin

Case Diameter: 50 mm

Case Thickness: 15 mm

Strap Material: Resin

Strap Length: Men’s Standard

Strap Width: 16 mm

Water Resistance: 100 meters

Movement: Quartz

Pros

• If you’re looking for the best budget skiing and snowboarding watch out there, this one fits the bill. It retails for less than 100 dollars on average!
• The Indiglo watch dial is super easy to read in low light.
• The water resistance and shock resistance are quite impressive considering the cost-effective price point.

Cons

• This isn’t a smartwatch. If you want maps and all the bells and whistles of the best technology out there, take a look elsewhere.
• The resin strap isn’t the most comfortable.

4) Casio Pathfinder Triple Sensor Skiing Watch

The second of two non-smart watches on our countdown, the Casio Pathfinder Triple Sensor Watch is a rugged solar-powered beast. It doesn’t offer a GPS mode, but it does have triple-sensor technology to its credit! That means that you have a fully-functioning altimeter, barometer, and compass to utilize when you need them most. There’s even a thermometer for when things get a bit chilly out on the mountain.

Specs

Display Type: Duplex LCD

Power Source: Tough Solar Power

Case Material: Resin, Titanium

Strap Material: Titanium

Water Resistance: 100 meters

Battery Life: Up to 6 months

Pros

• Tough Solar technology means you can charge this watch for the day with just a bit of natural or artificial light.
• The inclusion of an altimeter, barometer, thermometer, and compass is huge!
• This watch is similar to Casio’s G-Shock series when it comes to great water and shock resistance.

Cons

• No GPS. No true smartwatch technology. If you’re on the lookout for a truly smart device, this isn’t it.
• It’s not the most aesthetically-pleasing entry on our list.

3) Suunto 7 GPS Watch

While some skiers may prefer the depth of the Sunnto Baro 9 or the accessibility of the Suunto Core series, our favorite Suunto ski watch is the Suunto 7 GPS Watch. In terms of value and pure bang for your buck, this versatile winter sports timepiece is unmatched under the Suunto banner. It comes with 70 different preloaded sport modes and Google’s Wear OS which allows you to monitor incoming calls and texts, make payments with Google Pay, and curate a to-do list for both skiing and everyday life.

Specs

Lens Material: Gorilla Glass

Dimensions: 50 x 50 x 15.3 mm

• Case Material: Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polyamide

Bezel Material: Stainless Steel

Strap Material: Silicone

Weight: 70 g

Water Resistance: 50 meters

Battery Life: Up to 12 hours in Training mode with GPS >> Up to 2 days in Smartwatch mode >> Up to 40 days in Battery Saver mode

Pros

• The silicone watch band is so comfy. It’s flexible, form-fitting, and super soft.
• This watch comes with a ton of offline maps which are useful for backcountry skiing.
• The Google Wear OS makes this smartwatch a fantastic extension of your smartphone.

Cons

• The battery life dwindles and is pretty poor when you use the watch at peak GPS capacity.
• The Suunto app isn’t the most fully-formed and intuitive fitness application out there.

2) Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 (45 mm)

Our favorite Samsung smartwatch yet, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 ups the ante with a brighter, bigger display and perhaps the most rugged construction in its class. The inclusion of a Gorilla Glass DX lens cover means you don’t have to worry about rocks kicking up and scratching your watch face. And thanks to onboard cellular, you’ll always be connected and in control no matter where you’re skiing next.

Specs

Lens Material: Gorilla Glass DX

Dimensions: 45 x 46.2 x 11.1 mm

Case Material: Stainless Steel, Titanium

Bezel Material: Stainless Steel, Titanium

Strap Material: Silicone, Leather

Water Resistance: 50 meters

Battery Life: About 24 to 48 hours

Pros

• This watch is constructed for active lifestyles. It can withstand some harsh impacts without much incident.
• This is our favorite Galaxy Watch model because it cuts down on bulkiness while upping the processing power considerably.
• This watch has the best battery of the three smartwatches at the top of our list.

Cons

• The wireless smartphone charging function is kinda buggy.
• The heart rate sensor can be a bit unreliable, measuring your heartbeat even when you’re not wearing the watch.

1) Apple Watch Series 6 (44 mm)

The Apple Watch Series 3 was the first Apple smartwatch truly embraced by the skiing community. However, the Apple Watch Series 6 takes things to a completely different level. It has great music storage, onboard cellular, and a ton of apps dedicated to the skiing and winter sports experiences. It’s one of the best smartwatches ever produced, and it’s strong enough and capable enough to be your best friends for tens of ski trips to come.

Specs

Watch Size: 44 x 38 x 10.4 mm

Display Type: Always-On Retina LTPO OLED display

Display Resolution: 368 x 448 pixels

Chips: S6 SiP with 64-bit dual-core processor, U1 Chip, W3

Available Case Materials: Aluminum, Stainless Steel, Titanium

Connectivity: LTE/UMTS, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi

Battery Life: Up to 18 hours

Pros

• This is the fastest and most feature-rich smartwatch available for sale right now.
• The new display has a resolution that beats some smartphones. It’s clear, crisp, and so pretty to gawk at.
• This watch is so customizable. You can tailor it for ski trips and then download new apps for everyday use or other nature excursions.

Cons

• In terms of battery life, the Apple Watch Series 6 is merely adequate. You’ll likely have to charge it every day.
• If you don’t have an iPhone, you won’t be able to get the most out of this device.

FAQs

What makes a great watch for skiing?

You don’t just want a good ski watch when weather conditions get dicey and the slopes get packed with fresh powder. You want the best watch you can find for the job. Only top-of-the-line ski watches will do when your heart rate is up and your adrenaline is pumping in search of the next epic line.

The features you should look for in the best skiing watches include: the best GPS functionality you can find, superior battery performance, an altimeter, barometer and compass combo, an accurate heart rate monitor, multiple sports functions for the slopes and working out, an easy-to-read display, a blood oxygen saturation levels sensor, an air pressure gauge, a ski board mode and other skiing-specific features, a solar panel, a pulse oximeter, and the durability you’d expect out of the best sports watches in the business.

Are all ski watches waterproof?

Skiing and snowboarding watches aren’t necessarily waterproof, but they are definitely water-resistant. Most GPS sports watches are constructed to withstand the elements, but that doesn’t mean you should be dousing such fine technology in snow for no apparent reason. When skiing or snowboarding, all the watches above can handle a spray of fresh powder or two. They’re all winter sports ready.

However, you should always pay attention to the water resistance rating and never submerge smartwatches close to or past their listed depth. After all, these watches are primed for a winter environment and not a trip to the bottom of a snowbank.

Closing Thoughts

From multiple sport modes to water-resistant casings that last for years, the six timepieces on the countdown have earned their place as the best skiing watches available for sale right now. They are the apex of slope-ready technology, and they’ll be your best friend and most valuable guide at any ski resort or backwoods getaway you can find.