When picking the best iPhone ski apps, there are many things to consider. Pull your iPhone out of your pocket and you’ll experience ease of use, simple design but perhaps more prominently – aesthetic beauty.

We expect the same in our iPhone ski apps. But we also want value for money and that’s why any free iPhone ski apps will earn plenty of bonus points with us.

To cut a very long story short, we found it tough but we whittled it down to a Top 5. There were a few raised voices and plenty of heated discussion before we settled on our ultimate list. So, here it is in all its glory. In no particular order – behold the Top 5 iPhone ski apps …

Snocator
Snocator’s website states that this great iPhone app is the only one available to provide ‘location-enabled interactive trail maps to show you where you are on the mountain’. We think this is a good enough reason to win a place in our Top 5.

Skiers and snowboarders will love the idea of a trail map in your pocket. Not only does it give you trails, you can find the nearest lifts, lodges, snowparks and the best place to stop for lunch. What more could you want from something that will cost less than your lunch? Don’t forget, you also get snow reports, weather forecasts and mountain cams.

For more info and details, go to snocator.com or get the free iPhone app here.

Phresheez
If you’ve ever skied the sickest run of your life and then wanted to show your mates what you did, but couldn’t – you need Phresheez. With the Phresheez Live maps, you can watch animated clips of you and your mates bombing along the piste. And if you’re a fan of pie charts – even better.

This app is also good for a little bit of healthy competition. If you and your friends have got Phresheez, hit the bar when you get back and compare how fast you went and how steep it was. Then you can see who’s got the skills and who should be buying the drinks.

Find out more about this app at phresheez.com and you can download Phresheez for free here.

The Snow Report
Brought to your iPhone by The North Face, this snow report app looks clean and simple and does exactly what you would expect. If you’re planning a trip or already on your way, The Snow Report will give you up-to-date snow conditions in just a few seconds.

You might get more information than you need, but the app’s design is clean, simple and easy to use. Get the latest weather updates, snowfall figures and even some real reports from skiers on the mountains.

This one’s been around for a while, but if you haven’t got it yet, get the free North Face Snow Report here.

iTrailmap 3D
Apart from being the only app in our list with an ‘i’ at the start, the iTrailmap 3D also has 3D in its name. Sound good already? This extremely popular iPhone app allows the user to download piste maps easily and removes the need for you to maintain constant wireless connection.

Following the pretty decent iTrailmap, the 3D version allows you to record the same track data via your GPS and view them in 3D of course. Upload what you’ve done and you can view your trails on Google Earth, and see how far and high you’ve skied.

The only iPhone ski app on our list that charges, you can buy the iTrailmap 3D here.

Realski
This app actually uses AR – augmented reality to non-techheads. Not only that, it’s the first augmented reality iPhone app for skiers and snowboarder. That means you can use your 3GS camera, compass and GPS to develop piste-routes in augmented reality.

If you really don’t know what AR is, check out it’s definition on wikipedia. Unfortunately, this app only works on 80 slopes in North America. Still, get yourself over there and see how good this really is.

The Realski iPhone is also free and you can download the app here.

So, there you have it. We’ve given you our two cents on which iPhone ski apps (and Android ski apps) you should be getting for your time on the piste. But, if we’ve missed any that you think are better – let us know. Tell us why you think they’re better and we might even change our minds. It’s happened before but not very often…