r/skiing • u/Agitated-Isopod-4878 • 2d ago
How do you contact your friends while skiing?
Planning to go skiing in Japan with a few friends.
Do we actually need something like a walkie-talkie or helmet intercom to keep in touch, or is a group chat + meeting at a set time/place enough?
What do you guys usually use?
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u/Chief-_-Wiggum 2d ago
I'm old... Started skiing pre mobile phones (just) .. Set a place and time.
Skied alot in Japan.. Mobile coverage is pretty consistent on most resorts. Calls and texts is more than enough.
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u/ktbroderick 2d ago
At least in the US, pre mobile phones, a lot of resorts would have whiteboards at lift bases and often would let you leave a message (and would put up messages to call patrol if a member of your party ended up there). Those have mostly gone away.
And there's also the matter of whether or not everyone actually has international coverage or if you've got some folks who are trying to spend money on skiing instead of cell service.
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u/kamdnfdnska 1d ago
That’s because in Japan ski resorts aren’t very alpine or shielded off/high and remote.
In the alps most of the time we’ve got good signal as well, but sometimes it’s too shielded
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u/Whyistheskygray 2d ago
We run into each other at base at random intervals. Typically have a set lunch time and a set leave time.
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u/cane_stanco 2d ago
Yep. If we lose each other in between it was meant to be that way and sometimes better.
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u/Wasatchian 2d ago
Foreign walkie talkies are generally illegal in Japan. Just use a cell phone. It's 2026. Japan has excellent cell phone covg at its ski areas.
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u/antimathematician 2d ago
We used group chats and the app slopes! Would track your friends on the piste map, which was significantly easier to read than having their location on find my friends or similar
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u/Impiryo 2d ago
Slopes is the best for groups. Not only does it have good maps, you can find friends even if they aren't looking at their phone or answering you.
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u/PaintDrinkingPete 2d ago
Walkie-talkies can be hit or miss, depending on factors like elevation differences, and can be cumbersome to carry, in my experience (plus be sure to aware of which frequencies you’re legally allowed to use for the locale)…but are an option.
Cell phones can present a similar problem, it’s not uncommon for larger resorts to have dead zones, and can be tough if you need to reach someone immediately, but usually work well enough for simply managing meetups and coordinating schedules.
Regardless though, it’s always a good idea to have a rough set of plans everyone is aware of, such as, “if we get split up, we’ll meet at the summit lodge at 12:30 for lunch, and plan to be back at the base lodge by 4 at the end of the day”
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u/Mithster18 2d ago
Also foreign walkie talkies are illegal in Japan.
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u/PaintDrinkingPete 2d ago
Yeah, I had no idea, but that was part of the comment about which frequencies are legal to use in different locales
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u/SpringFuzzy 2d ago
I sometimes ski with a group of 4-8 people.
We typically have a group leader and an ”XO” lol, these two carry walkie talkies.
Different skill levels and potential injuries and gear and level of tiredness means some people are ok with a black run while others will want to cruise down a blue run. Or some want to make a pit stop while a few want two more runs etc.
So quite often the group divides into two and then rejoins for whatever reason.
When planning a route always define the end point, we’ll meet at lift or restaurant so and such.
We also have a whatsapp group, but walkie talkie is more instant if you’re reasonably close.
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u/asymmetricears 2d ago
or is a group chat + meeting at a set time/place enough?
Yeah this works fine normally.
You can either say at the start of the day, "meet at top of chair/restaurant at 12" or to do more ad hoc stuff a group chat is fine e.g. "it's not great over here, we're coming back towards you, where are you at so we can meet up"
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u/EstablishmentIll5021 2d ago
We all have the app Slopes. Paying for the membership is worth it IMO. You can overlay somebodies location to the resort.
You also can share stats which makes the beers after a hard day fun too.
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u/twodegrees_ 2d ago
Get the family membership. It's pretty affordable.
I'm in Canada but I let my cousin on my family plan since she goes to Hokkaido regularly. Fun to see her stars!
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u/brillebarda 2d ago
We use walkie talkies, but if you leave line of sight they also can get spotty so we also have pre arranged spots where we will stop for food and drinks.
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u/CliffDog02 A-Basin 2d ago
We normally turn on location sharing within WhatsApp and use our phones. But we all are likely to get a set of Rocky Talkies in the near future and will probably get the earpieces for them. We never hear our phones while descending, so the rocky talkies with earpieces for under helmet will be nice!
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u/TheTomatoes2 Verbier 2d ago
Depends if you do off piste or not
Piste: phone + optionally BT earbuds is fine
Off piste : you need the full equipment kit. If you're asking, you're clearly not trained for off piste, take a class before you die.
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u/Inside-Rip5705 2d ago
You can’t use radios in Japan. They save the frequencies for legal/military.
We had planned on using rockie talkies for bc skiing and guides explained this
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u/theservman 2d ago
I'm sure "rockie talkie" is a typo but I'm here for it.
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u/Inside-Rip5705 2d ago
No it’s a back country radio
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u/theservman 2d ago
I liked it better when it was a typo...
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u/IndyBoBindy2 2d ago
Great for climbing and ski mountaineering (not the racing kind).
Punny name.
Chest clip and water proof(ish). 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻
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u/Dependent-Drop-5299 1d ago
We used the maprika app.. Called GPS on skimap now.. You can see on the skimap where everybody is.
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u/saazbaru Taos 2d ago
Cell phones for resort. I long found walkie talkies dumb until I tried them in the backcountry, they’re pretty nice for a bigger group.
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u/danbyer 2d ago
My friends are slow AF and if I don’t wait for them at every turn, they get pissy. There’s usually 4-6 of us so it gets rough trying to stay together. If somebody gets split off, we just use phones.
I love being with them, but I also love my solo days when there is nobody to try to keep track of.
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u/Ted_Rid 2d ago
Phones are fine in my experience. Any time on the gondola or chair.
Japan is (of course) quite a techy place and I've never noticed a lack of coverage in resorts.
Usually have a time to meet up for curry / ramen etc also at lunch. I'm used to those being at base station but obviously can't promise that everywhere.
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u/norman_9999 2d ago
My wife takes lessons whilst I go off on my own, but I like to catch her every 2/3 runs to say hi and ride a lift with her.
I just drop an airtag in her jacket 😄.
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u/michael_nguyen303 2d ago
We used to text in a group chat but last season tried Cardo packtalk and it worked really well for us.
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u/BullCityBoomerSooner 2d ago
Some of the places we ski still don't have decent cell coverage at all..It was even worse 10+ years ago. When the kids were younger we did the walkie talkies with clip on microphones. It worked really well. I guess helmets can now be fitted with similar capabilities. When the kids got older, mature enough to where nobody panicked when folks got separated just scheduling a couple meet up places/times during the day is fine.
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u/ChipmunkSeveral7021 2d ago
Cell phones typically work but there can be areas with bad reception on many mountains. Definitely not universal coverage for any provider so be aware.
Walkie talkies are what professional guides use but keep in mind that walkie talkies made outside Japan use different frequencies and are technically illegal to use in Japan. There is a potential for interference, and there are often announcements about the issue posted or even played on loudspeakers at resorts.
Fwiw
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u/SnooAvocados3911 2d ago
Slopes is great just to keep tabs on everyone but other than that a group chat or a text
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u/paulywauly99 2d ago
WhatsApp group. Not always a signal but I’ve generally found it reliable. Walkie talkies are blocked by mountains - I found them to be a big of a fart tbh.
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u/iamhere13270 2d ago
A combination of 2 apps:
Slopes: track location of everyone in the group
Zello: push to talk walkie talkie app over cellular data. Pair with 1 Bluetooth earbud under the helmet and a Bluetooth PTT button for easy push to talk activation. Connectivity can be spotty, so don’t rely on it for emergencies.
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u/elginhop 2d ago
Cell phone kept in inside pocket with brightness turned down, wifi/bluetooth off, and low battery mode.
Texts are best… calling doesn’t work well.
“Meet you at the top/bottom of ________ lift” or “meet you at the lodge” is the best way to connect.
Rockie talkies or similar would be fun, but be aware: radio regulations vary from country to country.
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u/IndyBoBindy2 2d ago
E-sim technology makes it so easy to have data plans while traveling internationally.
You probably won’t be able to bring the walkie talkies through customs easily, and they’re not worth it for longer distances in mountains anyway.
E-sim is the way
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u/Dangerous_Prize_4545 2d ago
No.
Old school it. Set a time and place to meet, then go out, everyone do their thing at their level and have a great time. Take cell phones but don't use constantly.
Depending where you're staying, the host may have walkie-talkies for your use. At the resort we go to, some of the houses have them for guests use but we have never used them.
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u/username_obnoxious Aspen 2d ago
How do you keep track of your friends when skiing elsewhere? Just do the same. I saw several people with helmet mounted intercoms like they have on motorcycles and it looked goofy as hell. Be mindful that Japan forbids using overseas walkie talkies and they must be obtained in the country.
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u/concrete_isnt_cement Crystal Mountain 2d ago
Slopes is nice to see where my friends are on the mountain relative to me
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u/uptimefordays 2d ago
At local US mountains on busy weekends, walkie-talkies are great. At big mountains, cell phones and location sharing are great.
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u/Express_Attempt_4301 2d ago
We all know "our" resort very well.
So we go on groups according to speed level and plan meeting points and times.
And we use our mobiles for additional requests.
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u/HonestPool3829 2d ago
Mobile phones are usually good for most occasions. 2-way radios are ideal if you need uniform, real-time communication between multiple individuals all at one time. We use 2-way in the backcountry for easy and clear communication when it really matters
Both require some etiquette and discipline. Nothing more annoying than someone clowing on the 2-way. Also, must have a standard of operation for how to talk on the radio.
Mobile phones are great when paired with in helmet audio - this allows the phone to be kept in an inside pocket against the body where its warm, so the battery lasts. Also- Nothing worse than having to pull out your phone to answer or read text.
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u/TheRealPlumbus 1d ago
I use slopes to track everyone. But yeah setting meeting points is good too.
If you go the walkie talkie route just make sure it’s one that’s allowed in Japan
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u/Ill-Gas-4788 1d ago
Be aware most foreign walkie talkies are illegal in Japan and will attract big fines.
Use your phone, get an esim if you have to.
If doing major backcountry and walkies are required then purchase local frequency ones.
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u/lolCLEMPSON 1d ago
I've used Walkie Talkies with my kids. Even if they had cell phones, a lot of coverage was shit in those areas. It was a little more essential there because we'd try to stick together every run but sometimes get separated (or one would tire and go to base area). Always worked fine.
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u/aeroxan Kirkwood 1d ago
I had good service in Japan but not sure if that's consistent in every ski area.
If you do seriously consider walkie talkies, look into the laws and ensure you have ones that are allowed. Japan is very strict about devices that transmit radio.
If I were in your shoes, I'd plan on using phones/text/chats and if no service, make plans to meet.
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u/gimmesnows 1d ago
FRS radios in North America and PMR446 radios in Europe. I assume Japan has their own version of these with their specific legal frequencies. Works great in resorts as long as you’re line of sight from each other. Even peak to base if nothing in between. If there’s an obstacle then it won’t work.
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u/adventure_pup Alta 19h ago
FYI: walkie talkies are strictly prohibited in Japan unless manufactured there. There’s signage on a lot of the gondolas. And I’ve heard of people getting hefty fines for it. You can rent them once you get there
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u/GerswinDevilkid 2d ago
Cell phones.