If you're a GPS device manufacturer, you have two options: develop a general purpose GPS device for use in cars or on foot, or develop a niche GPS device for use in a very specific situation. The big players like Garmin and Tom Tom have the general purpose GPS device market sewn up, as that's where the money is, leaving smaller players to focus on the niches.

One of those smaller players is a company called SatSki, who, as their name suggests, have found a very novel niche indeed - Sat-Nav for skiers.

If you think about it, a GPS device dedicated to skiing makes perfect sense. Because there are no roads on a ski run, your average GPS device is useless. But that doesn't mean you don't need to know where you're going - in fact, if anything it's even more important that you know where you are and where you're heading.

Skiing over a cliff is never fun, and a device that can help you find and record the best black runs will be essential for hardened skiers.

Of course, it might also be slightly annoying as well. If you're caught in an avalanche while the thing is giving you directions, you could find yourself buried face down in the snow, with the last words you hear being "turn right 50 metres ahead" repeating endlessly!

The SatSki system currently has detailed information on Tignes, Val d’Isère, Courchevel, Méribel, Val Thorens, La Plagne, Les Arcs, St Anton and Verbier resorts, from where you can rent it for about $60 a day.

[Source: Navigadget]