Top technology apps for tracking your season

The air is crisp and snow has started falling in the mountains. There's no better time than now to start setting up your digital lifestyle to share and track your upcoming winter season. Here's a recap of the best tech to check out this season.

Instagram for sharing photos

Instagram is great for sharing photos. While most of us have used Facebook or Twitter or Flickr for taking good photos, Instagram arrived on the scene and focused on doing one thing really well: taking a photo and sharing it.

The approach paid off because Instagram has been bought by Facebook, but there is no requirement to have a Facebook account to use it. But, that means sharing photos, viewing them, and showing others what photos you "Like" on Facebook is a seamless experience.

Some features you may not be aware of:

• Filters: to make your photos look like you chose specific lenses or film to create an even better-looking shot.
• Share to social profiles: with just one tap you can connect to Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare or Tumblr to show everyone the photo you just took (some of us have different friends and different audiences on each network).
• See what your friends liked: add friends and explore new photos or friends with great shots.
• Photo map: visually see all your photos pinned to a map and watch as you build out a travel profile ("it looks like I took a ton of pictures in Vail this season").

Foursquare to remember where you aprés

I've been using Foursquare since early 2007 when it launched and I can look back at all the interesting places I've visited. I can remember where I had brunch when visiting Sausalito, where we went for dinner after the concert at Red Rocks, heck I can even be reminded that the last time I saw a concert at Red Rocks was June 2011.

I've found a lot of value in keeping track of where I've visited and what I've liked. Plus, when I'm in new places or looking for somewhere to go, I can pull up Foursquare on my phone and see where my friends have visited.

I've used Foursquare in Breckenridge a number of times last season to answer questions like:

• Where should I go for breakfast? I immediately saw that Blue Moose is popular on foursquare and my friends have visited Daylight Donuts. I tried both and loved both.
• What places have happy hour? It's great to stay on the hill an extra hour to grab a quick beer. But, after pulling up foursquare I learned that Breckenridge Brewery has $3 pints during happy hour. I visit the brewery all the time, now.
• Where are my friends? I once got up to the mountains late and didn't know where to grab dinner. After a quick look, I found a few had checked in at Eric's, were watching a football game, and I was able to join them.

EpicMix for tracking where you ski and ride

Once of my favorite apps, though, is EpicMix. We all know by now it tracks the expected stats when visited Vail Resorts mountains: which slopes did I ski today, how many days on the mountain this season, etc.

But, there is more to EpicMix than meets the eye:

• Broadcast a message to friends: wake up early and send a note to see where your friends want to meet up. Breckenridge or Keystone today?
• Check the weather and conditions: can't make a decision on where to go? Watch the live webcams and check the reported totals. Make informed decisions all within the app.
• Find your way around: instead of learning how to fold a map, just pull open your app! (OK, that was corny)

Plus, EpicMix does so much more with on-mountain photos and the new EpicMix Racing. Set up your account and connect it to your season pass at EpicMix.com.