Unique Winter Sports Accessories for Your GoPro Camera

The holiday season is upon us and snow is already falling in the mountains... at least the Sierras. If you're a GoPro owner, or seeking gifts for one, now is a great time to think about winterizing your camera. Scrolling through the hundreds of GoPro and third-party HERO action-camera mounts and accessories inspired me to put together an article covering some of the less obvious—but equally useful—options that are out there that will makes sense this time of year.

The GoPro brand is ubiquitous in video culture. This is one of the smallest consumer cameras out there and can be mounted basically anywhere. Favored for light weight, GoPro cameras were also one of the first cameras to ride on drones.

Wearable Mounting Solutions

For winter activities, the first sort of mounts that spring to mind are the wearable kind. The Head Strap + QuickClip from GoPro features an adjustable head strap that can be worn around your head, even if you’re wearing a hat or a helmet. The QuickClip attaches to the head strap, but you can also use it by itself if you want to simply clip your GoPro camera to your baseball cap or backpack strap. It will clip to anything between 0.12 and 0.4 inches thick. The Helmet Strap is designed for vented helmets, including bike helmets and vented skiing/snowboarding helmets. It holds the camera securely in place and the low-profile design makes it almost unnoticeable when the camera is not mounted on it.

For great POV actions shots, a favorite of skiers is the GoPro Chesty adjustable chest-mount harness, which fits over your shoulders and across your chest. It allows you to wear a GoPro camera directly on your chest, so you can capture POV footage of a variety of action sports, including skiing and snowboarding. Not having it attached to your head results in footage that is less shaky, and the camera remains pointed forward at an interesting angle that captures the surrounding landscape, as well as the tips of your skis. If you have a child, you should check out GoPro’s Junior Chesty.

Another alternative to the popular adhesive mounts is the GoPro Suction Cup Mount. If you snowboard, you can secure this mount to your board, though it might even work on a fat ski. You can shoot what’s in front of you or you can point the camera up and record yourself while you’re flying down the mountain. The Suction Cup Mount can also attach to cars, trucks, boats, motorcycles, and anything that offers a flat, non-porous surface. Besides including a quick release and a standard three-prong thumbscrew connector, the mount also features two adjustable arms, so you can position the camera at almost any shooting angle you like. For added security, you can anchor your camera with a Revo Tether. This way, if you wipe out, your pride may be bruised but at least you'll have the footage (and camera) so you can laugh about it later.

Finally, look at the Peak Design POV Kit, which includes a mounting clip and a GoPro-compatible three-prong thumbscrew connector. This kit allows you to mount your GoPro HERO camera on your backpack strap so you can capture hands-free POV footage while skiing or snowboarding. The mount also works well for biking and hiking. Plus, the POV Kit includes a universal mounting plate with a 1/4"-20 screw so you can use it with almost any other compact digital camera or action camera, as well.

Gimbals

Gimbals first made their mark as a stabilized way to mount cameras on drones. But there is nothing inherent about them that limits them to the sky.

The GoPro Karma Grip Handle and Karma Stabilizer (both of which also come with the Karma drone) give you not merely a dumb handle, but a full motorized gimbal stabilizer. The latest HERO5 model GoPros have image stabilization. But if you really want cinema-grade über-steady shots, this is what you need. The biggest virtue of Grip Handle is that you don’t just have to handhold it. It features a two-prong interface that works with many GoPro mounts using the standard three-prong interface, including those mentioned here. Different Harnesses are available, enabling you to use the HERO4 Black or Silver, the HERO5 Session, or the HERO5 Black with the gimbal. The power source is in the handle and the controls are well-placed for thumb operation. The battery can’t be removed, but you can always stock up on a few Grip Handles to extend your shooting day.

Extension Poles

Let's be honest here, “extension pole” is really a euphemism for “selfie stick.” Now, you could just lash—well, clamp—your camera to a ski pole. Let it be known there are dedicated tools.

SP-Gadgets makes the 40-inch Remote Pole, featuring a 360-degree swivel head with—you guessed it—a three-pronged thumbscrew connector that works with all GoPro cameras and most camera housings. The pole features a telescoping design that extends from 14 to 40 inches. It also provides a two-component soft-touch grip with an integrated slot that holds your GoPro Smart Remote. This is a very handy feature. Basically, it allows you to keep your GoPro Smart Remote in a convenient location that’s easily accessible. The pole also includes a safety wrist strap.

The Muvi X-Pack from veho is tough to pigeonhole. Is it an extension pole or a wearable? Well, it’s both—a custom-made backpack and camera arm system that lets you capture hands-free action footage from a third-person perspective. Inside the backpack is a rigid, shock-absorbing plate that serves as the attachment point for the aluminum-alloy camera arm. Three different-length arm/boompole sections are included, and can be used independently or linked together to achieve the desired viewing angle. A three-way camera mount assembly enables camera angle adjustment, so you can always achieve the optimal angle whether you’re positioning the arm in front, behind, or to the side of you.

Lenses and Filters

When shooting in the snow, you might want to think about filters. Since no GoPro model has a filter thread, you will need a solution that is particular to your camera or housing.

If you have HERO3+ or HERO4 with the Standard Housing, a great option to add filters is the Revo 52mm Filter Mount. With it you can then screw on any threaded 52mm filter. I would suggest two types: a polarizer and a Neutral Density. Polarizers are mostly used to reduce unwanted reflections. But they also help with contrast and vividness on sunny days where the sky is visible. A neutral density (ND) cuts light in over-lit situations such as bright sunlight reflecting off snow. They enable the camera to reduce the shutter speed for more realistic-looking motion blur. NDs come in different strengths, though a 2-stop ND 0.6 is probably a good middle-of-the road starter option.

Currently, the new HERO5 Black has dive filters and a creative filter kit from Polar Pro available, but I would expect other options to hit the market shortly.

GoPro HEROs are known for their ultra-wide lenses. To the HERO’s credit, its lens design and processing do all they can to minimize distortion, especially with the new “Linear” mode now available on the HERO4 and HERO5 models. But sometimes at the halfpipe you want the stylized look of a ’90s skateboard video. This is where the circular fisheye comes in. The Lensbaby Circular 180+ features an insanely wide 185-degree FOV and fits over the housing for the HERO3, HERO3+, and HERO4, as well as directly on the HERO, HERO+, and HERO+ LCD models. It features a thumbscrew-tightened attachment like all good GoPro accessories and is waterproof to depths of 32 feet.

Other Unique Accessories

This last section groups together a handful of other third-party and GoPro accessories designed to work with your GoPro action camera. I chose these accessories over a variety of other options because all of the following accessories are really useful when recording skiing or snowboarding.

The Remo is GoPro's latest remote for the HERO5 Black and HERO5 Session models. It’s the size of one large button that is easy to press with thick ski gloves on. It comes with several styles of mounting, including a wrist housing and clip housing so you can keep it accessible when the camera's not—even up to 33 feet away. Since the new HERO5s respond to voice command, it features a microphone, too. Though it won't operate underwater, it is waterproof to 16 feet, so there is no danger from the snow—pretty much, it goes where you and your HERO5 can go.

You really don't want to run out of juice on the slopes. It can ruin your day. To this end look at the GoPro Dual Battery Charger and battery combo for the HERO5 Black. With this, you won't be limited to charging one battery at a time in the camera. I might even suggest picking up a couple.

For HERO3, HERO3+, and HERO4 users, another power accessory that provides extra life on the go is the GoPro Battery BacPac. It attaches to the back of your GoPro camera and extends the run time of the camera. It features an LED recording-status indicator and a small digital display that shows the remaining battery life.

The last two GoPro accessories you don’t want to forget when heading out to your local resort for a day of skiing or riding are the GoPro Anti-Fog Inserts and a couple of microSD Memory Cards; supported capacities include 32GB up to 64GB. The GoPro Anti-Fog Inserts prevent your camera lens from fogging in cold weather or humid conditions. The inserts are compatible with all GoPro models that use housings and each individual insert will support approximately four uses in cold or humid weather conditions. If you plan on using a GoPro camera to record yourself and your friends skiing or riding this winter, any of these accessories will make your time on the slopes more enjoyable.

Do you use a GoPro and accessories for recording your winter sport activities? Tell us about it in the Comments section, below.