Virtual Reality

February 4, 2026, 6:18 AM EST. During a Whistler Blackcomb snow mission, the Garmin Instinct 3 proved more reliable than the Apple Watch Ultra 3 for tracking a snowboarding day. The author logged 8 runs, about 2 hours 34 minutes of ride time, and a total vertical descent of 13,957 feet with the Instinct 3, while the Apple Watch Ultra 3 tracked similar runs but missed much of the day's activity. The Apple Watch Ultra 3's data diverged when it switched to a walking workout during a long lift break, complicating post-session analysis. Metrics such as max speed (Instinct 34.3 mph) and heart rate data favored Garmin, while Strava stats aligned with the Instinct. The bottom line: for extreme winter sports, the Instinct 3 delivers more complete day-long tracking than the Apple Watch Ultra 3.