Snow + Rock is the UK's leading specialist winter sports and outdoor retailer.  Established in 1982 they carry a huge range of over 10,000 items and have stores throughout the UK as well as maintaining a solid online presence.

When Microsoft announced they would be launching the new Windows Phone 7, a new smartphone mobile platform aimed at a consumer focused “life maximiser” audience rather than Microsoft’s previous corporate audience, we jumped at the opportunity to develop one of the first mobile apps for the platform.  We approached Snow+Rock with a proposal as we thought their core sports customers were a perfect match for WP7’s target audience.

Snow+Rock were clear that they didn’t just want an app version of their ecommerce website.  The app needed to be useful to the audience by fitting in to their life and the main activities of hiking, walking, running and climbing, with selling products being a secondary focus. 

From examining the target audience and the way that they interacted with their mobiles and social networks, the Pathfinder app was created.  The app provides detailed route tracking and mapping allowing users to create their own trails and, if desired, upload them for other users to access, or to view trails created by other users.  Routes can be cached just in case users lose their signal when out in the countryside  and whilst avoiding the hard sell the app includes a dedicated “Gear Guide” section, allowing Snow+Rock to highlight the latest equipment from world leading brands

The app was chosen by Microsoft as a “showcase launch app” and as such was featured as only one of three included in journalist’s handsets at the Windows Phone 7 UK launch.