Skiing and riding: There's an app for that

N ow that the snow is falling (albeit slowly), it's time to get serious about shredding -- and tracking and sharing what you've shredded, or maybe just finding the right place to shred.

We've compiled a list of the most useful and user-friendly apps for ski and snowboard this season, general outdoor living and tracking your favorite winter sports. There are tons of ski-inspired apps out there, but none that are as fun, helpful or easy on the eyes and brain as these.

Our five picks help you plan your trip with weather forecasts, track your skiing or riding stats and use a social networking and mapping app to find your friends out on the slopes.

Now you just need a pair of those gloves for touch screens.

eGPS Elevation

Cost: Free for Android users, $1.99 for iPhone users

Made by: Exetik Systems

Purpose: This app tells you altitude and elevation readings for your spot on a map, even when your phone's GPS is turned off. Perfect for backcountry skiing, and you can use it for climbing fourteeners come spring, too.

The app's interface is clean, and you can switch between U.S. or metric units. Click on the globe icon at the bottom of the screen to see latitude, longitude, accuracy and altitude for your point on the on-screen map.

Maprika

Cost: free for Android and iPhone users

Made by: Maprika

Purpose: This app gives you ski and snowboard maps from resorts and areas around the world, and you can download them straight to your phone for when service is crappy or non-existent.

(You can also check out hiking and cycling trails,

Maprika, an Android and iPhone ski app, let's you see where your friends are on the slopes. (Courtesy photo)

It also tracks your GPS with a "You Are Here" sign, and allows you see where your friends are on Maprika maps (with their permission). You can create your own maps to share as well. It's social-networking meets real-time GPS meets digital ski maps.

AccuWeather

Cost: free for Android and iPhone users

Made by: AccuWeather

Purpose: When it comes to a day of skiing or riding, just having a solid weather app can be handier than anything else. AccuWeather allows you to set favorites for the resorts or ski areas you hit most often; the user interface is clean and easy to navigate, and it tells you which activities are best for the day's weather.

Check it before you fall asleep to know which socks to wear the next day, which resorts to hit up and when to wake up to get the maximum amount of sunlight.

AlpineReplay Ski & Snowboard

Cost: free for both Android and iPhone users

Made by: AlpineReplay

Purpose: This app lets you track all the important "data" from your day on the slopes: speed, airtime, vertical, calories, distance and other facts. It keeps track of how long you spent on the lifts, number of runs, resting time and more.

Plus, you can share your stats to Facebook to compare with friends to see who shredded the hardest. It even lets you replay your runs in 3D.

FIS-Ski

Cost: free for Android users, $0.99 for iPhone users

Made by: Fappian

Purpose: It's a nifty app that lets you follow the FIS-Ski World Cup on your phone. You can grab results from each discipline, cup standings, a calendar and more.

World Cup events for 2013 start in January and run throughout the year, so this handy-dandy app is the equivalent of ESPN for skiers.