Hiking and Skiing - PeakVisor

Update: The developer has explained that the data is necessarily large but that it can be pre-downloaded at home to save data quota. Since that was my only complaint I've upped my rating to 5-stars. Users on a measured plan should understand that the the app will pull a lot of data in the field if it hasn't been previously downloaded. It really is quite amazing at identifying peaks - point and shoot! - and I feel bad about dissing it. But in 3 or so minutes, over a less than 30 degree segment of the horizon, it just blew through my - admittedly low, 100MB - entire monthly data allowance. This won't be a barrier for most people but those light-users on a measured plan, as I am, should know upfront: expect a hefty download to do what it does.

I have been very impressed with the breadth and abilities of this app. It has become my go-to tool for learning about the topography of mountains in California. Many times before this app, I had wondered what mountains I could see. This app makes incredibly easy to find out. Before going on trips, I enjoy using the teleport feature to see the layout of the area. You can see relatively detailed images that give you a good idea of how your path will look from each position, so it’s useful for back-country treks where good trails aren’t available. The new 3D feature is very useful here as well. There are actually quite a few trails uploaded here too, so it is useful when you want to find the direction to a trail. Both live and picture-based landscape matching work really well. I appreciate the download zone option, since there isn’t always service in the mountains. The landscapes are surprisingly accurate, and all of the features are easy to use.

I’ve used PeakFinder AR for close to 7 years (before there was decent AR) and only last summer decided to check out Peak Visor and wow. In the decade since early mountain and star identifying apps first made their appearance on the iPhone, apps like Peak Visor have taken the concepts and massively expanded upon them. For one, greater CPU power has allowed beautifully rendered graphics, and greater accuracy in the graphic overlay HUD that pops over the mountains. In Peak Finder, you had to open the “camera” function to see the tags over the actual mountains themselves which was a real pain. But even more incredible is the 3D map you can double-tap if you point your iPhone down. It’ll not only let you teleport anywhere in the world, but really let’s you explore topography that’s difficult to physically reach, with dozens upon dozen of mountain tags; even in the most remote parts of the British Columbia or south-eastern Al. You can also preemptively download vast swaths of the planet you expect to go exploring in before you arrive, so when you open up PV, it’ll instantly have a ton of data to give you. Coupling this app with Gaia/AllTrails and Google Earth has been real game changer for me, and even when I’m just driving down the interstate, if I see any mountains that catch my curiosity, I instinctively pull for this app. It’s become that integral to me. Perfect 5 stars, we’ll worth the cheap price.