Active skiers know how important it is to plan the daily ski route. It is necessary to determine the realistic length that you can cover per day, the connection of the trails with the cable cars, and the time limit for a certain daily activity. OsmAnd is a good application for organizing activities, including ski routes.
The OsmAnd application provides more options for planning activities and viewing planned routes. I want to emphasize that there is a free and a paid version. The free version is good for planning routes for a week of skiing. The application is open-source and supported for Android and iOS systems.
With the free version of the application, you can:
- use navigation,
- download up to 7 maps,
- create routes for some of the activities with an overview of the height and slope of the terrain,
- activate the tracking of a previously created route,
- configure maps to display more important details for planning activities, etc.
With the paid version (OsmAnd Pro), in addition to the things available in the free version, you can:
- create an unlimited number of maps,
- use the application for Android Auto,
- offline travel tips,
- addition to the app to display weather conditions, vehicle metrics, etc.,
- monthly map update
The application primarily has options for displaying tourist maps, offline maps, and topographic maps. Depending on which profile you choose in the upper left corner of the application, that type of map will be displayed. Map profiles are available for driving, cycling, sand, transportation, and skiing.
Installation of OsmAnd application and Ski Map Plugin
You can download the OsmAnd application for the Android system from Google Play.
The Ski Map Plugin for the OsmAnd application for the Android system can also be downloaded from Google Play.
It is necessary to install both the application and the plugin in order to create ski routes later successfully.
The first step in setting up is activating the plugin. The option Ski map view (On) must be activated in the application’s Plugins section located in the main menu (three lines in the lower left corner of the application’s home screen).
You will notice that in this part of the application, you have options for activating the marking of the parked vehicle’s location and recording training and analysis.
Before installing ski maps, you need to find the desired location. This is done by selecting the – Search- option within the application’s main menu (in the lower left corner). After you find the desired country or location, mark it with your finger and click on the – Add – option to save the location.
The next step is to download the ski maps of the ski centers. This is done by clicking on the globe in the upper left part of the application and selecting the skis symbol. The option to download the ski map of ski centers will then be displayed in the upper part. For this example, a ski map of the French Alps is downloaded.
Ski route planning in the OsmAnd application
Before creating a ski route, it is important to select a profile with a ski slope symbol. It displays a map of the ski center and cable cars, and you can create the desired ski routes based on it.
You can create a route by selecting the option – Plan a route – in the application’s main menu. You can also open an existing track, insert a track created from another application, or create a new route.
Create a new route by selecting the option – Create new route -.
To start creating a path, you must select the starting point of the planned path. Use your finger to determine the starting point on the screen. Ignore the cross in the middle of the screen, as it has no function. You can further create a route by moving the map in the desired direction and selecting the location with your finger where you want the next point to be.
The lower part of the application provides an overview of the track details related to length, height, slope, marked points, and the graph.
After planning the ski route, you need to click on Done.
The route track is saved in the – My Places – option in the main menu (three lines in the lower left corner). By clicking on a specific track, you can display a map with details about length, elevation, and slope. In this case, the planned ski track is a strong red color. The orange marking for the location represents the original marking of the ski resort’s location.
Clicking on – Options – will display more options for modifying and sharing the track.
Downloading the tracks of the planned ski route
By clicking on – Options -, you can activate the track and follow it, modify the track, transfer the track to another folder, or change the track’s height. The most important option is – Share -, which allows you to share the track so that you can use it in another application.
This is important for Garmin watch users, who can activate and use tracks directly from the watch.
With the option – Share – you can share the track via WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, or any navigation application that enables direct opening of the track. After that step, you can use the track file to open it in any navigation application or Garmin.
Setting up a track file for use in the Garmin application
To open the track file in Garmin applications, you need to share it via WhatsApp. Then, click on the track file in WhatsApp, and the option to open the track in the Garmin application will be offered.
The next step is to select the course type. In this case, you can choose – Other – which it will also show you all the information about the route.
After clicking on the option – Save – you need to enter the track’s name and indicate whether it will be available publicly (Public) or only for you (Private).
You can send the track to the Garmin watch by clicking on the icon with a phone and an arrow. You will receive a notification that the track has been sent.
The track can be used after successfully synchronizing the watch and the application.
