I was curious what everyone else's thoughts, or experiences have been when it comes to going skiing or snowboarding while carrying an iPhone, Android, or any other large and very breakable phone? What does everyone here do to protect their phone... if it's even carried with you all onto the slopes?

Since I didn't make it out to the slopes at all last year and only once in 2010/2011 after moving back from Nebraska I haven't had a chance to do any real snowboarding since I purchased my first smart phone in the summer of 2010.

After looking at a possible upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, it has me wondering if I shouldn't just get a little prepay flip phone to carry with me for emergency calls and not be worried if I wipe out that the phone won't be entirely destroyed.

This is exactly what I do - the advantage is that flip phones will easily slide up between helmet and ear so you don't need fancy Bluetooth headphones.

Of course this solution will have limited life span - cell availability and coverage for flip phones will only continue to be lost as more and more 4G/LTE coverage is introduced.

Thanks for the input. That seems like the most logical thing, but I wasn't sure about others experience. Hopefully Sprint will still have pre-pay flip phones be made for the foreseeable future...

Brad,
Look at TRAC phones at Walmart...cheap minutes, inexpensive phones, and pretty good reception most everywhere.
The Colonel
By the way, with a smart phone there are apps available that keep track of runs, vertical feet, etc.

My solution is don't fall.

Edit: or ski with Crush.

The serenity of the mountain is a primary reason I ride. Phones are everywhere (how did we ever survive pre-Iphone ) and, they really bother me on the chair or, hill.

I keep my phone in an upper pocket near my chest. I think the pocket was for an ipod / music player.

For me personally, having a smart phone allows me the flexibility of doing some skiing during the mid week with out having to take a day off or drag a laptop around.

Hidden Valley is pretty empty Friday mornings. I can drive up there, ski a couple hours, take a break and check some emails / voice mails. I repeat the cycle until about about 3 PM. I'm usually on a lift alone so if I take a call, I'm not annoying the guy next to me.

Then I jump back on the turnpike and I'm home in time for Happy Hour.

Work is happy, I'm happy and most importantly, momma's happy as it's all done during "work hours".

Not falling, that's the preferable option, but sometimes I just can't control those little 5 year olds that parents put on black diamonds that have this uncanny ability to clip my knees out from under me.

Colonel - What's the Tracphone coverage like at Canaan, Wisp, snowshoe, Whitetail, etc? I used to have an AT&T razr I took with me 2+ years ago and had spotty reception at Timberline but seemed to be OK elsewhere?

At this point I'd probably keep the smart phone in the car and use the tracphone/flip/el-cheapo phone on the hill only for accidents/emergencies. Esp after witnessing a few accidents over the past few years near chairlifts that looked pretty bad.

My phone is my camera and it's nice to have a camera handy on the slopes.

I do hate when folks are yacking on their phones in public places (and are not attentive to their current situation), such as ski lift lines, grocery checkout lines, or driving down the road...

I honestly hate smart phones.

I am on computer way too much why the hell would I want to be able to carry around one in my pocket all the time.

this is coming from someone who didnt start texting till 2010...... so maybe my opinion is nulled.

If you going to get a smart phone though Casio makes one that is water/shock proof.

Brad,
No knowledge of TRAC phone coverage in Canaan. I do not use one, but a friend does and he gets good coverage in Northern Neck of VA. TRAC uses other cell companies for signal.
The Colonel

[quote=bawalker]I was curious what everyone else's thoughts, or experiences have been when it comes to going skiing or snowboarding while carrying an iPhone, Android, or any other large and very breakable phone? What does everyone here do to protect their phone... if it's even carried with you all onto the slopes?"

My advice would be to carry your phone in a pocket that you're not likely to fall on. I use my bottom right jacket pocket, although a pants pocket would probably do just as well. That seems to work for me as a slipped on ice outside a lift maze on Friday and bloodied my right elbow, but the phone survived just fine.

I would avoid breast pockets. A few years back I used to carry my wallet in the right breast pocket of my jacket -- that is until I did a face plant that broke a rib because I fell right on the wallet. The wallet hasn't been in that pocket since that day.