Keep your phone warm at the snow

Australian snow trips are seriously good fun for all ages and a great way to get some winter exercise. Whether you’re heading to the snowfields for ski lessons with friends or going to the local bunny hill for some tobogganing with the kids, you’re guaranteed plenty of laughs and beautiful snowy photos and videos to remember it by.

Apps and technology can enhance your snow trip in so many ways. As well as taking fun photos and videos, you might want to use your phone to record your vertical metres, navigate the resort, listen to music, and stay in contact with your mates throughout the day. If you’ve got a kid somewhere in the sea of puffy jumpsuits and pompoms, you can pop a tracker in their pocket for extra peace of mind.

But before you take that special snowy selfie, it’s worth knowing that using your phone in cold conditions can cause your phone’s battery to drain faster. Luckily there’s plenty of simple things you can do to make sure your phone stays charged up when the temperature drops. By keeping it warm, and limiting exposure to the freezing air, it’ll be ready to use when you need it.

Keep it close to your heart

Don’t be tempted to just slip your phone in your hip pocket. Body heat is the easiest way to keep your phone at its optimal operating temperature, and the warmest place on your body is your chest and core. So, if your jacket has an internal zipped chest pocket, that’s where your phone should go. Not only will it be well insulated, it’s also the least likely place on your body to hit the ground if you were to take a fall on the slopes.

Pop it in a spacesuit

If you can’t carry your phone in your jacket, you might want to consider a thermal pouch designed specifically to preserve battery life in extreme climates. These kinds of pouches are made with the same spacesuit technology developed by NASA. Not only does the insulation make your battery last up to four times longer, the reflective outer barrier protects your device from overheating in direct sun – so you can put it to good use when you’re hanging poolside in summer too.

Make it watertight

We all know phones and liquids don’t play well together. With the triple threat of melted snow, condensation and perspiration, it’s wise to invest in a protective, ideally waterproof, case. It’ll also give your battery an extra barrier from the icy cold air and of course absorb the impact of any bumps along the way.

Limit exposure to the elements

When you’re at the snow, someone almost always splits off to go at their own pace, so you’ll be glad to have a working phone when you’re trying to regroup. To limit how often it’s getting blasted by those polar winds, go hands free whenever you can with headphones or a smart watch to make calls and text. (And of course, avoid any needless scrolling on Tiktok and Instagram.)

Forget fumbling fingers

Sometimes you do have to use your hands. And the right gloves will make it so much easier. Well fitted gloves with touch screen-compatible fingertips mean you can use your phone without freezing your digits, or worse, fumbling around and dropping stuff off the chairlift. If you prefer mitts, you’ll find plenty of options that have separate glove liners with the same screen-responsive material in the tips.

Power your adventure

Just like having a few fun-size Snickers to keep you going until the liftie calls last runs, a little back-up power for your phone is never a bad idea. Power-on-the-go has never been lighter, slimmer, and easier to carry around with you. Phone cases with built-in batteries, wireless magnetic power banks, and solar rechargeable power banks are just a few of the latest options out there.

Discover your own winter adventure with Netflix films and documentaries on SubHub.

Check out the latest devices with better-than-ever cameras and treat yourself to an upgrade. And don’t forget, your faithful old phone can be donated or recycled.