If you happen to be an avid skier, you most likely know how important it can be to have a working map while you’re skiing. Without one, you could find yourself disoriented, lost, or even injured severely. Thankfully, modern technology makes this scenario less likely. With apps such as Snoopy Snowflake and Navfree, it’s easy for skiers to download topographic maps for all the ski resorts around the world onto their phones. These apps will even give you turn-by-turn walking directions to the nearest ski resort so you can easily find your way around while on the slopes. As a result, many ski enthusiasts are now creating detailed topographical maps of their favorite ski resorts. In this article, we’ll discuss how to make a ski map and the perks that come with creating your own snowflake-like pattern on the screen.
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The Basics Of Ski Maps
There are a few elements that make up a ski map. First, the map itself needs to be topographic and zoomable to a high resolution. Second, the map needs to include all the significant ski features, including the terrain, the lifts, the ski trails, and any other pertinent information. Third, the map needs to be interactive; that is, it needs to be able to display pins indicating the locations of ski resorts, their chairlift, and any other pertinent information such as hotel addresses and phone numbers. And last but not least, the map needs to be easy to use with multiple devices (e.g., phones, tablets, and laptops).
Maps can be a pain to create manually. For one thing, there’s the sheer number of resorts around the world that one might want to include on their map. Moreover, to make sure that the map is up-to-date and contains all the necessary information, one would have to constantly be checking in and updating it. Luckily, there are a few apps that can make the process of creating a ski map much easier. Two of the most popular apps are Snoopy Snowflake and Navfree. Let’s take a quick look at how these apps work.
Snoopy Snowflake
We’ll start by taking a look at Snoopy Snowflake, one of the most popular desktop apps for creating topographical maps. Snoopy Snowflake allows users to upload their own map data or use the app’s community-based maps provided by other users. To create a ski map, you’ll first need to download the app onto your device. On the next screen, you’ll be presented with a map of the United States. The map can be zoomed in and out, rotated, and downloaded onto your device’s screen as a JPEG, PDF, or PNG image. Once your map is loaded, you can begin to add ski resorts, making sure to label each one with its name, the number of trails, and any other pertinent information.
Once you’ve added all the ski resorts you want to include on your map, you can download the map as a JPEG, PDF, or PNG file. The final product is then printed out on a regular printer and laminated for durability. To create the perfect ski map, you should use a high-quality screen print program such as Adobe Photoshop to overlay your design with an embossed texture. You can find a free version of Photoshop at adobe.com/products/photoshop
Navfree
If you prefer a mobile app to create your ski map, you can’t miss out on Navfree. Like Snoopy Snowflake, Navfree allows users to explore a map of the world and add their favorite ski resorts, marked with a pin. For added convenience, Navfree also allows users to create a personal guide book that contains both their desired destinations and detailed turn-by-turn walking directions to get there. Once you’ve created your guide book, you can access it from either the app’s main screen or the home screen. You can add additional destinations and change the order of the listed destinations at any time. The app also provides users with a detailed FAQ section and a Live Help feature via a chatbot that can assist with navigation questions.
Like Snoopy Snowflake and Navfree, Perfect World Travel has another app called Navigate.me that can be used to create a ski map. However, unlike the others, Navigate.me is a web-based mapping service that doesn’t require you to download any software to use. You simply need to log on to the site from any web browser and mark the destinations you want to include on your map. Once you’ve marked the destinations, you can download a Google map with your desired locations pinpointed. Alternatively, you can opt to download the map as a KML file that can be opened in any compatible software such as Google Maps or Microsoft Bing Maps. Finally, like other apps on this list, Navigate.me provides users with a guidebook that can be accessed from either the website or the app’s main menu. You can then print out the guidebook or save it to your device for offline access.
Creating A Ski Map
Navfree, Snoopy Snowflake, and Navigate.me make it easy for users to add their favorite ski resorts to a map. However, to make sure that the information is accurate, you should double-check the database of each app before using it to plan any ski trips. These apps only provide users with the basic information necessary to plan a ski trip. To ensure that you get the most out of your ski trip, you should also consider purchasing a ski pass for the resort you plan on visiting. Moreover, if you don’t have a camera with you, you can use apps such as Snoopy Snowflake and Navfree to take pictures of the resort and add them to your map. Be sure to use the Community option on both apps to view all the available maps and photos of your favorite ski resorts.
Multiple Devices
As stated earlier, all the maps on this list should be easy to use with multiple devices. To make sure that everyone, including yourself, can easily access your map, you should consider purchasing a VPN so that all your devices are connected to the same private network and can therefore communicate with one another. This way, you’ll be able to access your map on the go and wherever you happen to be located. Some VPNs even provide enhanced security by scanning the user’s internet activity for malware.
The Advantages Of Making A Ski Map
Maps are an essential part of any skier’s gear. Whether it’s a laminated USGS topographical map or a GPS device with offline maps loaded onto it, knowing where you are and having a map in sight is half the battle of being a competent skier. This is why the process of creating a ski map is so useful as it saves you both time and money in the long run. If you plan on skiing multiple times this season, it’s also a good idea to make copies of your map so you can take them with you each time you go skiing. The downside to making a ski map is that it requires a certain level of skill to create one accurately. For beginners, it might be a good idea to use one of the previously mentioned apps to save the essential mapping information for major ski resorts. As you become more experienced and start planning longer ski trips, you’ll probably want to take the time to create a detailed map by hand using a plotting program such as Map Studio or Microsoft Excel. Finally, if you don’t have access to a printer, downloading the map as a PDF file and having it on hand as a digital copy is still useful as it can be easier to update as needed.
The above tips will give you a good head start in making a ski map. As you might imagine, the process can be somewhat time-consuming but for the sake of your health and safety, it’s certainly worth your while. Moreover, as a bonus, you’ll have a souvenir of your skiing trip at the end.