Let’s face the truth, very few of us will turn off their devices during their ski vacation. Some of us will have to stay connected with work, some others will enjoy some movie streaming as a reward after skiing and, of course, most of us will want to share the magical beauty of the Alps with their friends and family who stayed at home.
So, how can you best stay connected on the slopes ? From extended 4G coverage, smart resorts, to wifi hotspots, we give you all the tricks for a great connected ski vacation.
4G coverage in the French mountains
With over 150 French ski resorts covered with the 4G network, the choice is wide. Whether you like the authentic village or the large resort with hundreds of kilometers of pistes, the choice is yours. Note however that the Alps are better covered than the other ski regions of France.
To be precise, 4G works in the villages and some of the slopes. Nevertheless, there are very few completely white zones and you almost always get at least 2G network for voice and text messages and GPRS to find your way back or for help to find you in case of a problem.
For data, when 4G is off limits, the resorts have thought up other solutions to keep you connected.
Smart resorts in the French Alps
French ski resorts are becoming increasingly resourceful in offering a connected experience to their visitors : free wifi zones, useful apps, internet of things (IoT). Everything is done to make your stay safer, smoother and more enjoyable. Here are some of the best in class examples :
Val Thorens
Val Thorens is the highest resort in Europe, the largest ski area in the world, the best worldwide resort in 2016 and also the best connected in France. In addition to 18 wifi zones throughout the pistes, it also features traffic sensors that send data displayed on the resort’s app and on giant screens at the ski lifts, so skiers can devise their best itinerary.
La Plagne
La Plagne is also a giant resort with 425 km of pistes. It offers its visitors a free app allowing them to get information on the weather and traffic, maps, a “find your friends” functionality and more. Some pistes have an automated photo and video system so skiers can see themselves and post their performances on social networks.
Valloire
Valloire is a smaller resort than the previous 2, but it’s offering 10 wifi hotspots on the slopes connected with optical fiber ! Their app also allows skiers to find out if their facebook friends are also skiing there.
Serre Chevalier
Serre Chevalier is using IoT to make its pistes safer. With beacons and sensors, dangerous behaviours are automatically reported and slopes can be remotely closed down altogether or just for identified trouble makers if necessary. Conditions and traffic can also be accessed from the resort’s free app.
How to stay connected in the mountains without blowing up your phone bill?
Having access to 4G on the slopes is great, however, if you don’t have a French phone plan, you might end up with a bad surprise when you go home. You can of course connect to the public wifi hotspots for free, but they are limited to specific locations and have a high volume of users slowing down connection speed. As you are not going to subscribe to a French phone plan for a week, you need a temporary solution : try Nomade Wifi. It’s a pocket wifi hotspot you can take with you everywhere to make sure you get the best available connection at all times. And you can connect up to 10 devices to your hotspot !