Downhill Skiing with the Casio Pro Trek at Mt. Hood Meadows

I've wanted a smart watch for a long time, and as an android user, I am lucky to get multiple options to choose from. For the most part, I only use a watch for tracking fitness goals and to wear when I'm outdoors, so I was excited to get a chance to try out the Casio Pro Trek Smart for a day of skiing to see if it had what I was looking for. Well, look no further. 

The day up at Mt. Hood Meadows Resort was phenomenal from the start. I left town early to get a spot in the lot before it was full, and I charged my watch on the way up using the USB charger in my van. The first lifts open at 9 a.m., and I was ready, sunscreen applied (it was bluebird and warm), and the watch was set to record my day with the Bluetooth connected to my phone and the Casio Moment Setter+ App running the skiing app to track runs.

A few years back I dropped a glove from the chairlift when checking my cell phone. Fearing that I could easily also drop my phone with my cold hands, I now keep it in my pocket when I'm riding the lift. The watch is a great way to stay connected without having to worry about my phone. I get email and text message alerts, which I can read right from the watch. This day at Meadows, I needed to coordinate with three different people on the mountain to determine when to meet up for lunch or which lift to meet at, and the watch let me do that regardless of where I was.

You know when it's been a good day up on the mountain. We found the good snow and short lift lines, often skiing right onto the lift with no wait at the bottom. My down time was spent on the lift, so staying on top of the day and in touch with everyone couldn't have been easier. I mainly kept to the watch face that displays my elevation and current time on the same screen, so seeing the length of runs and the time between let me know that I could squeeze in a few more quick runs on the best snow of the day before having to make my way back to the rendezvous point at the lodge. And having the number of runs, vertical dropped, and top speed all captured let me share with my family what a great day is was on the drive back home.

It was a Sunday on the mountain, but the Casio Pro Trek Smart can really be useful on those powder days midweek when you want to sneak out of the office and still be available for calls and emails. The watch shows your daily activity so you can pull your phone out for the important work you just can't miss while letting that phone ring or vibrate to its heart's content for the stuff that can wait until lunch or the evening when you make it back home.