Skiing and Snowboarding GPS Video Overlay — Add Speed and Trail Map to Your Run

Speed is the metric everyone wants to see in a ski or snowboard video. Not just "it looked fast" — the actual number. 87 km/h on that line. A peak at 104 on the col. Combined with the elevation profile showing exactly where the pitch steepened, the GPS data transforms a fun run clip into something you can actually analyse and share.

This guide covers how to record GPS on the mountain and overlay it on your footage.

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Getting GPS Data on the Mountain

Option 1: GPS Watch (Recommended)

A GPS watch worn on the wrist is the simplest and most reliable method for skiers and snowboarders. Most modern watches have a ski/snowboard activity mode that records speed, altitude, and GPS coordinates optimised for the mountain environment.

Compatible watches:

• Garmin Fenix / Epix / Forerunner — dedicated ski mode, records vertical drop, run count
• Coros Vertix 2 / Apex 2 Pro — dual-frequency GPS, good in alpine terrain
• Polar Grit X Pro — ski/snowboard mode
• Suunto Race / Vertical — ski tracking mode
• Apple Watch — via Snow-Forecast or Slopes apps

After your session, export the GPX or FIT file from the watch's companion app.

Option 2: Smartphone with Ski App

Apps like Slopes (iOS/Android), SkiTracks, or Strava in winter sports mode record GPS via your phone. Most can export GPX.

• Slopes: go to the run, tap Share → Export GPX
• SkiTracks: export from the activity log

Phone GPS accuracy varies — it's fine for speed and general position but may show more drift on fast runs than a dedicated GPS watch.

Option 3: Action Camera Built-In GPS

• GoPro Hero 8+ — has GPS, but accuracy at ski speeds (80–120 km/h) is limited. Extract via gopro2gpx. See GoPro GPS overlay guide.
• Insta360 X3/X4 — GPS built in, decent accuracy. See Insta360 overlay guide.
• DJI Osmo Action 4/5 Pro — GPS via SRT files. See DJI overlay guide.

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Mounting Your Camera

Common ski camera setups:

• Helmet chin mount — GoPro chin mount for first-person POV showing the skis and terrain ahead
• Helmet top mount — good for panoramic shots, shows other skiers
• Chest mount — stable, shows hands and poles
• Pole mount — good for filming yourself from the front

Position the camera before your first run. GPS watches go under your jacket sleeve or on your wrist — most skiers wear it over the glove for quick time checks.

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Aligning GPS to the Video

Start your GPS recording before you start rolling the camera, or at the same moment. When you load both into the overlay tool, use the sync slider to align them:

1. Find a moment in the video where you can identify your position on the run (a distinctive feature — a pylon, a mogul field, the bottom of a pitch)
2. Drag the time offset slider until the map dot is at that point when that moment plays

For runs shorter than 5 minutes, the alignment usually takes less than a minute to dial in.

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Loading Into Stamptivity Overlay

1. Open Stamptivity Overlay on a desktop browser
2. Load your ski/snowboard video (MP4 from GoPro, DJI, Insta360, or phone)
3. Drop your GPX or FIT file
4. Add gauges — for skiing the most relevant are:
   • Speed — current speed in km/h (the hero metric)
   • Elevation — current altitude in metres
   • Map — your run traced on the mountain
   • Elevation chart — shows the descent profile over time
5. Adjust the time offset to sync GPS to video
6. Export

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Best Gauge Layout for Ski Content

For a speed run or descent clip:

• Large speed gauge, bottom-left or bottom-right — the number is the point
• Elevation or altitude in the corner — shows where you are on the mountain

For a full run edit:

• Map in one corner showing your route down the piste
• Speed gauge in the opposite corner
• Elevation chart along the bottom edge if the run has varied pitch

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Tips

• GPS accuracy at speed: Most GPS devices update at 1Hz (once per second). At 100 km/h, that's 28 metres between updates. The speed gauge will feel slightly smoothed. Garmin watches with @5Hz GPS recording mode give better resolution on fast runs.
• Altitude vs. speed: On steep couloirs or race lines, altitude drop rate is as compelling as speed — show both.
• After the session, create a stats card for your best run using Stamptivity Stamp — total vertical descent, top speed, and the mountain map make for great social posts.
• Multi-run sessions: If you want a single overlay for a full day of skiing, use Stamptivity Merge to combine all your runs into one GPX before loading into the overlay tool.