EPIX 2 barometric altimeter bug in skiing

I don't think that it is a barometer problem, rather a software problem. I've only done a handful of alpine skiing activities in a small resort with my Epix2 but it looks ok for me.
Which software version are you using? This is from one of my activities and they all look the same:

I agree, it is highly possible to be a software issue. The details of runs show some runs' decent are 2000+. Those must be wrong. Decent is similar to distance. I didn't do 2km free falls. My software version is 6.57. That is probably the problem.

Star said:

My software version is 6.57

I would definately recommend that you upgrade. Version 7.20 was considered the initial release although some watches was delivered with versions prior to 7.20.
https://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=15913

Happy snowboarding 

I assumed it used the GPS height based on the fix?

1742331 said:

I assumed it used the GPS height based on the fix?

No, the Epix2 uses the barometric pressure sensor for altitude and elevation changes. Variance not caused by elevation change do occur but precision is much higher than with GPS based altitude.

The elevation correction that is available is meant to correct errors when GPS based altitude caused the elevation change to be very bad and should normally not be used for watches with barometric sensors.

Even with barmoteric sensor two error corrections are done on the device regardless of the elevation correction in Garmin Connect:

1. Changes in barometric pressure that is not caused by altitude change. This is a sensor setting and you have some influence in how this should be done:
   1. https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=d7G0fSGGJ98l1ZH9dyglZ6
   2. https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=bq8ukuBFY02hCQVUueiH56
2. Minor changes in altitude is filtered from the elevation gain/drop. This is used to not count every little rock as an elevation change. There is no way to influence this and it is most likely activity specific. As an example a recent MTB ride got 449m in total ascent but looking at raw altitude data from the activity the ascent was 544m.
   For elevation I normally use Runalyze where there is a possibility to influence the smoothing algorithm which in my oppinion works better for trail run and MTB.
   
   

Cool. It was pretty spot on during my week of skiing (I think). Thanks for the info!

I'm on 7.35. Just done three days on the slopes. Total disaster with altimeter readings.

I kept recalibrating, cause I knew it was off on barometric, GPS corrected it, but then it went off again. A good few thousand meters off on a full days skiiing.

No other reports?

SilentMileage said:

but then it went off again

What is your sensor setting and do you have auto calibration enabled?

My experience is that sensor should be set to Auto and auto calibration should be disabled (the last support article is for Fenix 6 but is applicable to the Epix2 as well).

https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=d7G0fSGGJ98l1ZH9dyglZ6
support.garmin.com/.../

SilentMileage said:

No other reports?

Back in the days when I offered Garmin content and maps on my blog (I don't anymore because Garmin's crappy quality pisses me off), I got a few emails every week.

It is perhaps not directly comparable, but a user in Berlin had a Fenix, which behaved like a Suunto (with which so blatant jumps in altitude are "normal"), so similar to yours. His watch tinkered on a bike ride in Berlin (Berlin is quite flat) quickly times a few hundred meters of altitude difference together, while his Garmin Edge came to a few meters of altitude.

I idiot made the mistake of importing his track into my garmin Connect and since then I have there a a cycling VO2Max that no longer goes away and is now displayed for years there, the useless Garmin support idiots could not help of course, as always.

I would order another Garmin device somewhere and then compare.

Two sensors: altimeter and barometer...I guess you are talking about altimeter, I have it at auto and auto calibration. I'll try that setting if I remember (skiing season now done with). It seems ok for hiking.