Getting lost on the ski slopes just got a bit harder; So, would you love a detailed map showing all the trails, runs, and even ski lifts for easy viewing on the go? Well, the information for 38 most popular ski resorts in the United States and Canada can be accessed from Google Maps on Android, iOS, and the desktop versions of Google Maps.
Now, when you search for any of the new ski resorts in the Google Maps app, you will be able to see the detailed maps, which shows a standardized color-coded runs and lifts, are being marketed as the “go to” mountain guide for finding the best route down the hill.
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Eventually, it is worth noting that all of the new maps cover popular mountains in the US and Canada, so if you are from Europe, you will need to learn the difference in color coding. So forget squinting at colorless ski-slope signs or fumbling with folded resort maps. Lifts are marked with red dotted lines while runs are shown as solid color lines in green for beginners, blue for intermediates, black for experts and orange for terrain parks to indicate each slopes’ difficulty.
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“Whether you are ripping up Squaw Valley, Big Sky, or Okemo, Google Maps are a comprehensive, accurate and easy way to find the best route down the hill,” Ryan Poscharsky, strategic partner manager for Google Maps, wrote in a blog post Wednesday. “We hope you will use these maps to discover new trails and find your way around the mountain more quickly and easily.”
It is the latest in a series of improbable things to be mapped by Google’s team, following the Grand Canyon, North Korea, and the Great Barrier Reef. Users can even get Street View for 13 courses, letting armchair athletes get a good view of the trails without ever leaving their homes. Whistler Peak, Squaw Valley and Deer Valley are among those included in the first batch.
More so, the company also ventured to runs in Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Italy, Spain, British Columia, Alberta, Ontario, Utah, and Michigan to reveal up-close views of the slopes.
Certainly, it would make a big difference for any skier or snowboarder that does not want to carry around physical maps all the time, or perhaps if you are visiting a new resort which your existing maps do not cover. However, even if you are a die-hard paper map enthusiast, it never hurts to have a digital backup, just in case.
For a full list of the mountain maps added this week for Google Maps is here: