Ionic and cross country skiing

[Hahol]

I have been using the Ionic in bike mode when skiing. Run mode has been way off. After the firmware upgrade I was qurious to see if there was any improvement. My track measures 9,3 km in bike mode but only 8,3 km in run mode after the software upgrade.  What conclusions can be drawn? The route is identical in both modes. The bike mode is close to the true distance. It seems like the Ionic is using a different algoritm in run mode which ignores the gps information? If that is true, run mode can still not be used for sports like skiing, skating, rollerskiing and rollerskating. 

[SantiR]

@Hahol I hope you're doing well! Thanks for sharing you experience while tracking cross country skiing with Ionic's run and bike exercise modes. 

Very interesting, so bike mode is working better for tracking cross country skiing? I've seen other users tracking their cross country skiing with bike mode too and doing well. I'd recommend using this mode for the moment.

Also, I was making some research on the Feature Suggestions Board and was able to find these ideas:

• Add skiing to activities (GPS)
• Ski/snowboard tracking app

Please vote for those ideas. The more votes, the better. 

Thanks again for sharing your conclusions with us. Keep me posted! 

[bbarrera]

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@Haholwrote:

The bike mode is close to the true distance. It seems like the Ionic is using a different algoritm in run mode which ignores the gps information? If that is true, run mode can still not be used for sports like skiing, skating, rollerskiing and rollerskating. 

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Run mode estimates distance using step count. It only uses GPS for mapping, and to update stride length.

Bike mode uses GPS for distance.

[IdahoBoggie]

I’m a doctor who actively promotes using a heart rate monitor to gauge your exercise and cardiovascular health and often point to the Fitbit on my wrist as the way to do it.  I also live in Idaho where running turns to cross country skiing for most of us after the snow falls. I have worn a Fitbit for several years and been frustrated by its inability to accurately track this activity.  I sincerely hoped this season would be better.  Should I assume the lack of interest in this (including posts from users) mean that others in this sport have abandoned Fitbit and I need a Garmin watch?

[SantiR]

@IdahoBoggie Welcome to the Fitbit forums! Thanks for promoting the use of heart rate monitors to your patients in order to better their lifestyles and health. Thanks for your interest in being able to track your cross country skiing sessions with your Fitbit watch.

The new Fitbit OS 3.0 started to roll out yesterday to 20% of Ionic users. This new OS includes a new app which is called "Alpine Snow". This app will allow you to track your skiing activities like a pro!  

With this app you will have the ability to track distance traveled, number of runs, speed, altitude, weather conditions, calories burned and heart rate in real-time, with the session available to view in the Fitbit App along with your GPS route.

You should be able to download this app once you update your watch to the newest OS. If you haven't receive the update yet; you should get it the next days as this is a progressive roll out. Feel free to check the link above for more details in the newest Fitbit OS.

Also, check this post if you need support for Alpine Snow.

Hope this helps. Keep me posted!