Snowballing your fun . .

GEARING up for the snow season can be costly, but some gadgets will make life easier on the slopes or add an extra element of fun.

The best tech is that which seamlessly becomes part of your day on the mountain, providing laughs or insight. Some gadgets also add to the experience afterwards with data or video that allows you to review your day and hopefully help make you a better skier.

Here are five of the best to consider: This may appear to be a low-tech approach to communication in this day of smartphones, but a basic walkie-talkie has many advantages.

First they are cheap so if the kids lose them or they get smashed during snow antics it’s not as painful as damaging a $1000 phone.

It also means no-one will spend too much as they are free to talk. The Uniden model (UH405SX-2NB) has a range of 3 kilometres and a battery life of 20 hours and is rugged enough to handle a tough day on the mountain. Ski Tracks app is a brilliant app for those who love keeping a close eye on their skiing stats.

It uses your phone’s GPS alone to track where you’ve been, how fast you travelled, how many runs you’ve done and your altitude, and overlay it on a map of the area. It doesn’t need a signal to work so you can use it in deepest, darkest back country as well as the groomed slopes close to the lodge. These goggles will give you Terminator vision when you hit the slopes. They feature heads-up display (HUD)