It's hard to overstate how passionate people were about FATMAP and how crushed they were when it was killed. Putting revenue aside, Strava should have found a way to keep it alive to maintain goodwill.
I have never missed an app or service like I miss FATMAP. I still search in vain for a half decent replacement every time I go into the mountains and nothing yet comes close.
I’d have paid quite a lot more than they were charging to keep it.
Planning and navigating, the key features for me were:
- high res satellite imagery available for both summer and winter
- aspect and gradient shading
- routes and tracks shared and discoverable with description, altitude graph etc. for freeride routes, ski tours, hikes (great for visiting somewhere new)
I also enjoyed things like sharing the link to the 3D overview with friends after an epic day, but that’s both more easily replaced and less valuable to me.
I’m muddling through with a whole host of apps (Maps3D, Outmap, CalTopo etc.) and have tried and given up on still more, but FATMAP was so much better than any current alternative, particularly for skiing. (Mostly in Europe, if that makes a difference.)
