These days most ski resorts offer free internet access. This is just one of many good reasons to make use of a winter sports app that provides all the important information on ski lifts, slopes, snow conditions, mountain huts, and restaurants.

First, it's probably best to make a list of favorites. Otherwise you might get lost in the 273 ski resorts listed in Germany alone. Select a winter sports location in Bergfex, and it will show you a map of the pistes, snow conditions, and the number of lifts in operation. A link to a route planner is also available. Very useful and a lot of fun are the photos and videos from the resort web-cams, which help you check before setting off what conditions are really like, if the lifts are operating and whether the sun has managed to break through the clouds.

Verdict: Bergfex ski app helps skiers find the nearest best slope spontaneously, and the photos and videos from the resorts help the skier tell if it's worth going. A slight hitch is that there are gaps in the information provided. But even if the app does not to have access to weather forecasts for a ski resort, the live-feed webcam videos lets skiers know where to head for the best slopes.

iPhone, Android; 16.1 MB; free of charge; English, German, Spanish, Russian and other languages