Must-have Apps for Skateboarding

My favorite summer sport is skateboarding. Whether I have a chance to get to the skate park or find some hills to cruise down, my smartphone has always traveled along on my journeys. To help me find places to skate in my free time, hone my skills and keep my head in the game (or on my board), I use a few different skateboarding apps. 

• WeRide – Enter your location and this app will tell you where you can skate in your area, including the types of features available, difficulty, distance, ratings and comments. Another great feature of this app is the ability to share spots of your own. You can also upload pictures of the area, which gives future skaters a great visual of the spot.
• Longboard Spots – Similar to WeRide but for cruisers, enter your location and the app will provide you with local skating spots. Whether you are looking for an advanced downhill racing run or an easygoing cruise without pedaling, Longboard Spots gives you an overview of each ride. It also allows you to share spots with others.
• Skate Dice – Of all the skateboarding apps listed, this is probably my favorite. If you’re already big into skateboarding, you know how competitive it can get. Similar to a game of HORSE in basketball, this app challenges you and your friends to do a variety of tricks. Skate Dice gives you virtual dice that you roll to decide what the next trick will be. It really helps my friends and I make progress because we start trying tricks we never thought of doing. 
• GoPro App – If you are using a GoPro with Wi-Fi connectivity, this app is a must have. The key features of this app include full remote control of all camera functions, video and photo playback, and sharing capabilities. Being able to watch the video through our smartphone helps me and my friends work on our style. It’s difficult to know what you look like while skateboarding, so this function helps us improve. Personally, I have gone about 50 feet away from the GoPro camera and still have full control of it from my smartphone. This is great for when you can’t be right next to the camera, but still want to use the functions from your device. It’s super easy to set up and works with your GoPro right out of the box.   
• RIDERS – Learn and share tricks, track progress, and follow other riders from around the world.  This social network connects action sport enthusiasts.  Similar to Vine, this app allows users to watch, like, comment on and share other users’ posts.  My favorite feature of this app is the ability to watch a variety of users attempting the same trick, which can help skaters learn the trick from a visual perspective.  
• Transworld Endless Skater – For all those times you get the itch to go skating and you can’t, this is a fun game to play. Your fingers take control of the character and you basically have a finger-sized skater. You can ride a variety of terrain, grind rails and do tricks. Although skating in real life is the best, this will keep you occupied until you get back on your board. 

 What are your must-have apps? Tell us on Twitter at @VZWnews or @AndMucc.

This is part of the Verizon Wireless “Must-have Apps” series, which provides insights into the apps that people use every day to embrace the mobile lifestyle.