The SkiBuds ski buddy app: status and planned features

SkiBuds is an app for finding people to ski with at the mountain you actually ride. It is being rebuilt for iOS and Android and isn't in the app stores yet, and no release date has been announced; the launch status will change when it reaches the stores.

Until then, where to find ski buddies covers the groups, clubs and threads where riders look for partners now, and what to post in each. If you want an app today, ski buddy apps you can download compares what each store listing says it does and costs.

Match on terrain and pace as well as ability

Two intermediate skiers can want very different days. One wants relaxed groomer laps and a long lunch; the other wants to ride every lift on the mountain before it closes. An ability label starts the conversation, and the runs you want settle it. Name the mountain, the day, the terrain, the pace and a public meeting spot in your first message:

"Saturday at Stevens Pass, mostly blue groomers at a relaxed pace. Want to meet by the base trail map at 9 and do a few laps?"

The free meetup planner turns your own mountain, pace and meeting point into a message you can send tonight, with a wait rule and a regroup plan built in.

What the rebuilt app is planned to do

Stephen Phillips built the first version of SkiBuds while riding at Whistler in the 2018/19 season, much of it from ideas people shared on chairlifts, and by March 2021 Stephen had met more than 100 riders through it. The SkiBuds story has the rest.

The rebuilt app is planned to do the matching that a group post leaves to chance:

• Discover: browse riders and filter by skill level, availability and interests such as groomers, park, powder, moguls, trees and backcountry. Availability comes from what riders set in their profiles, so it shows when someone prefers to ride, not whether they are on the hill today.
• Friend requests and chat: open a profile, send a friend request, then plan the day in private messages, group chats or mountain conversations, including carpools and après.
• On the mountain: friends who choose to share their location appear on the mountain map. Sharing is off by default and needs a connection on both phones.

It is for riders 18 and older. Until it launches, this website does not find or message riders for you; the FAQ covers each planned feature in more detail.

Find ski partners by mountain

A ski partner is only a good match if you ride the same mountain on the same days. Every one of the resort guides on this site has a snow forecast and a meetup section on where to meet someone new at that mountain, and the mountain region guides group them for Colorado, Utah, California, Washington, Oregon, Vermont, British Columbia and more. Pick the mountain first, then post the plan where that mountain's riders gather.

Skiers and snowboarders can ride together

Your next riding partner might be on a board. Mixed groups work when everyone agrees on terrain, pace and where to wait, since a long flat traverse that skiers can pole across may mean a snowboarder unstraps and walks. The snowboard buddy app page covers the same plan from the other side.

Can beginners find people to ski with?

Yes. Look for beginner-friendly club outings, a lesson group, or riders who say they want easy terrain and a relaxed pace. A new ski friend isn't an instructor, so book a lesson if instruction is what you need. The guide to finding beginner ski buddies helps you choose a lesson group or beginner outing, and skiing with friends of different abilities shows how to share a day when your friends ski harder runs.