Apple Watch Series 8: ski touring, trekking and an everyday helper

As someone who spends more time in the mountains than in town, I wore classic sports watches for years. When I switched to the Apple ecosystem, I tried the Apple Watch Series 8. Can it handle ski touring in the Arctic, multi-day treks and everyday life at the same time? Here is my review.

What the Series 8 can do

• Always-On display with up to 1,000 nits of brightness.
• Temperature sensor, ECG, blood oxygen and heart rate.
• Fall detection and, new, crash detection.
• GPS, compass and an always-on altimeter.
• Water resistant to 50 m and dust resistant (IP6X).
• About 18 hours of battery, up to 36 hours in Low Power Mode.

Ski touring

The Apple Watch has no built-in ski touring profile. I used two ways: record the climb as a hike and the descent as downhill skiing, or the whole tour in a third-party app that knows ski touring (WorkOutDoors, for example). The elevation and the tracks were accurate. More about ski touring in Norway in winter activities in Arctic Norway.

Hiking and treks

On treks I value Backtrack in the Compass app: the watch records your route and, if you get lost, shows you the way back. It works without signal too. The altimeter and compass help with navigation. For multi-day treks without charging, though, the battery is the weak point.

Safety

Fall detection and Emergency SOS are features you hope you never use. On solo hikes in Norway and in New Zealand they gave me peace of mind. Note: without mobile signal (and without your phone, on the non-LTE model) SOS does not work.

An everyday helper

This is where the Apple Watch excels. Notifications, Apple Pay, unlocking the Mac, music controls, a shutter for the iPhone camera, a vibrating alarm. As a photographer I use the watch as a remote shutter for the iPhone when I photograph myself in the landscape.

Apple Watch vs. Ultra vs. Garmin

• Series 8 is great for every day and ordinary outdoor activities.
• Apple Watch Ultra has a tougher body, a bigger battery (up to 36 hours), dual-frequency GPS and better controls with gloves. The better choice for the mountains.
• Garmin (Fenix, Epix) lasts weeks without charging and has detailed maps. For expeditions and long treks it is still the best.

Verdict

The Apple Watch Series 8 is an excellent everyday helper that can also handle the mountains. If you spend whole days outdoors without charging, though, consider the Ultra or a Garmin.

Pros: display, integration with iPhone and Mac, safety features, health sensors. Cons: battery life, no ski touring profile, controls with gloves.

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