ASPEN, Colo. (AP) — Whether you're planning a ski trip to a foreign destination or wondering which of your friends are on the mountain, the GoSnow mobile app may make your life on the slopes a lot easier.
Created by former Aspen snowboard instructor Sean Bellerby and instructor Scott Anfang, GoSnow serves to connect skiers and snowboarders who are on the same mountain or planning a trip to a similar destination. The duo recently welcomed professional snowboarder Marius Otterstad, who's competed in several X Games since 2004, onto their founding team.
The app works on any ski slope worldwide and covers more than 150 resorts throughout six countries, Bellerby said. One of GoSnow's most popular parts is its "riding now" feature that tells users which of their friends are on the mountain in real time. Bellerby said this feature is unique to GoSnow.
"This saves people from sending about 20 text messages in the morning, seeing who's on the mountain or who's working that day, etc.," Bellerby said.
The app currently doesn't tell users which runs or where exactly others are on the mountain. And while Bellerby said they are technologically capable of further hyper-localizing the app, he said most users seem to appreciate that others don't know exactly where they are. "Users overall are very pleased with this feature in particular," Bellerby said, adding that it's also very easy to send a message to other users via the app.
GoSnow users also are able to easily turn the location feature on and off, he said.
Another popular way to use GoSnow is to connect with people at a destination prior to arrival — whether they're planning a trip Australia, Japan, Europe or North America, Bellerby said.
Since launching Dec. 19, the app is nearing 3,000 users and receives as many as 100 new users daily.
"Contrary to what most people believe, apps don't just hit the app store and go viral or attract a million users overnight," Bellerby said. "A lot of the time, apps don't even see a thousand users for quite some time."
Bellerby said his time spent snowboarding in Aspen inspired him to create GoSnow, which he began working on in January 2015.
"Sometimes it can be hard to organize with friends," Bellerby said. "It's about creating opportunities for people to ski and snowboard more through more social connection, which we're able to do in this day and age through technology."
Co-founder Anfang added, "We're just a couple of snowboarders that would love to inspire people to ride more, to experience more and to live with more awesomeness."
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Information from: The Aspen Times, http://www.aspentimes.com/
Source: 'GoSnow' mobile app connects strangers, friends on slopes
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