Hey does anyone know of a good inclinometer app for Android? IPhone folks have Theodolite and I used to use GeoCam on Android but it looks like the developer pulled it from the store.
While I’m at it, how many of you use app based inclinometer for slope evaluation? I know the Utah Avalanche Center uses them. Well, Bruce Tremper anyway. I guess I shouldn’t lump all the forecasters together.
Mammut Safety is a great app! I have it for Iphone, but it looks like it’s available for Android. Inclinometer is one tool amongst others on Mammut Safety. I recommend having another physical means to check slope angle as well.
I use whatever is quickly available. (Often times I have my phone powered off and use my physical Inclinometer) Just saw K2 poles and they have a Bubble Inclinometer that is on the pole, pretty cool and convenient.
After much research, experimentation and consideration, I have decided adulthood is not for me. Thank you for the opportunity.
@JNK – That poleclinometer looks useful. Honestly, I think that I’d check slope angles more frequently if I didn’t have to dig it out each time.
@matt-wood – I’ve been tempted to grab one of those Pieps 30° Plus’s but it always seems like a steep price for such a basic function. I’ve seen them as low as $50 on Amazon though. To answer your question, my pants are OR Furio’s with only one pocket so I have to choose been my phone and my inclinometer. And I’m more likely to use my phone for snapping photos. The GeoCam app was awesome but for some reason it disappeared.
@schwalbster, Thanks for the tip, I’ll check it out.
It’s harder to sight a downhill slope with the Pieps. You press the button and it gives you a reading, but as soon as you move the pole to check it it shifts. It only really works if you put your pole on the ground, and if you’re standing above a line or on a convex that’s not going to help you. A simple tilted display or mirror would have fixed this. Or a button to lock the reading.
I haven’t tested the poleclinometer in real life conditions yet, but here in the office it seems to work better in that regard. I can look down at a sloped angle (that I verified with the pieps) and be accurate enough to asses a slope just by looking at the sticker and the “slope” below.
Pulling a phone out is not an option for me, the thing needs to stay in the bag turned off for when I really need it. It’s just not practical.
Over time it’s possible to become familiar enough to recognize slope angle by sight though I still use the BCA slope tool (the old style) when in doubt. One thing I like about the old style BCA is you can put it down on your board/ski and see the angle of approach without dismounting, kneeling, crouching or unlocking a phone. The new version is a card sort of thing that in my experience (with a similar product) is rather inconvenient.
Additional thoughts; Being able to recognize slope angle by sight is crucial because it may be more important to know the angles of connected slopes above and adjacent to the slope you are on, or about to step onto. Its often the case that you can’t see these when you are close in and need to assess them during the approach. It also helps to go over topos prior to heading out to get a sense of the slopes within the landscape you’ll be traveling through.
TIP: If you know the angle of your climbing wires you can use the base of your binding to make rudimentary slope assessments and of course this method is a good way to train yourself to identify angles by sight/feel as you cut up-tracks throughout the season.
@Doug, yeah I know what you mean. I always try to guess before I take a measurement. And I’ve noticed that I can typically guess with marginal accuracy what the slope angle is if I start sliding backwards in my rig. That’s partly dependent on the snow conditions but I can get an idea.
@ieism & @jnk Do you have any experience in the field with poleclinometer.com? I mentioned it a few weeks back in an avy course and would like to read reviews which don’t come from their own site. It seems like the lightest option possible, but requires practice with another clinometer to be effective.
I haven’t used the poleclinometer yet but hopefully soon. WA has/had a really unstable layer and a lot of slide sightings lately and I just haven’t gotten out yet. Plus, we’ve had a killer year for resort boarding so far.
Just got back from Flatland Splitfest, we had 10 sets that we gave to participants and I used mine for 4 days as well. I can confirm that it works, the scale and colours took a little getting used to but it’s pretty good overall.
I’m still keeping my Pieps on my other pole for a few trips, but probably not for long as the sticker is much faster to work with.
The sleeve that protects it from coming off and scratching doesn’t really fit over the BD Expedition pole though because it has that rubber grip on the lower of the pole. There were two other poles that had the same problem. I just took some transparant sticker film I had laying around and that works fine.
Also, for most of the poles we’re using you only use the largest of 3 stickers was needed. So you could give the other stickers to a friend that skis, or has thinner poles. I used a bit of plastic tube of the right diameter and made a few extra handheld clinometers that you can clip to your bag with a simple prussik rope and a clipper. Throwing away the other two stickers seemed like a waste to me.
If you have any specific questions, I can go out and test this weekend becasue I’m leaving for Austria fridaynight.