subject: Why Put On An Altimeter Wrist Watch? [print this page] Whether you spend a lot of time on the woods or in the mountains as a hobby or a full-time job, you know how tremendously helpful having a lot of information available at your finger tips about that environment can be. The altimeter watch is a terrific way to have this data available very quickly right there on your wrist.
Oftentimes, when you are in those environments you don't have access to the Internet or to cell phone coverage. So, the traditional means of gathering this type of information just isn't available then.
The information you need comes from a variety of sources
Global Positioning System - this has become the primary means of getting around nowadays. We almost don't go to the barber shop without plugging in the coordinates into our GPS in the car. Surviving in the woods carries its own set of concerns that can be ameliorated by having real knowledge of where you are at all times. A GPS can give you both latitude and longitude as well as altimeter information very accurately. The system depends on satellites which of course can be less than 100% reliable. But, as a primary means of getting around, the GPS is the gold standard.
Charts - you still want to have good old-fashioned paper charts with you no matter where you go. Although the terrain changes, information takes a long time to get old, so the chart is really a backup plan in case you GPS fails. Some of us however, are just more acclimated towards working with the two-dimensional world represented on a piece of paper. Whichever your proclivity, this information is invaluable, so you need to make sure you have along and at least two forms.
Barometric pressure and temperature data - being able to interpret barometric pressure data on your altimeter watch, since your physical environment, atmospherically, can be a big advantage for you when you're in the woods or up in the mountains for a long time. By understanding how barometric pressure reads the weather you can do a pretty good job of predicting what's coming up. If the barometric pressure is falling, then you know the weather coming up will likely be bad. By that same token though, if the barometric pressure is steady or rising you are in a good zone - your weather will stay about the same or improve. Higher end altimeter watches also have barometric pressure information available.
Staying on top of this type of information can give you a terrific safety factor when you are out in the wilderness. Having this data and backup form on an altimeter watch is extremely viable and valuable.
