One of the perqs of owning a Nokia-made Windows Phone is access to the Nokia Collection, a portfolio of 40-plus exclusive apps for Lumia owners in the Store. The latest timely addition is Winter Ski & Ride for Windows Phone 8, one of the best ski apps I’ve seen yet. But don’t just take my word for it: The app is also endorsed by the official U.S. association of ski and snowboard instructors. Grab it now on your phone. (Don’t own a Lumia? Here are more great winter sport apps to consider.)
Winter Ski & Ride features everything from snow reports and safety tips to detailed info about your favorite ski resorts, which you can pin to the Start screen as Live Tiles for faster access (the app also makes great use of the lock screen). Another standout feature is the ability to create groups of ski buddies, then challenge yourself and them with goals like most number of runs. A leaderboard shows who’s the current king or queen of the mountain. Winter Ski & Ride also takes advantage of Windows Phone’s speech feature so you can ask it stuff like, “Show me snow reports.” When you’re ready to take your talents up a notch, upgrade for video lessons from some of the top ski instructors around.
And thanks to the Lumia’s glove-friendly touchscreen, you can use the app without freezing your fingers off. (How many pairs of gloves can you put on before the screen stops responding? Check out this test by the wacky folks at NokNokTV to see.)
