Google maps hit the ski slopes

UNDATED (NBC) -- Ski season arrived. Time to hit the slopes - but before you rent the gear, get into the car, and make the drive -- you can check the view.

Thanks to Google street view, which hit the slopes to map out your downhill trek with snowmobiles full of computer equipment.

"When we started doing this we had equipment that froze, the operator put a parka around the computer equipment and then they froze themselves,” said Luc Vincent, Director of Engineering at Google.

Eventually, they got it right, and the view is both cool and interactive.

The kind of thing that might just boost business at The Ski Renter.

"To check it out, oh, this is what it will look like, before they go down. And if the maps are trailed out they can know what to expect visually,” said Dariel Denise, manager of The Ski Renter.

Like the underwater view and original street view, Google wants to map pretty much everything, to give you an early peek at what you might do next.

"To see how steep it is, how open it is, how full of trees, the lifts, all these things,” said Vincent.

One note - the view isn't live, so the slopes may have changed a bit.

"Snow levels always change - it's mother nature - it may snow more, it might be more sunny,” said Denise.

So, check the hills, and if you're curious about, say, the temperature, well, that's on your computer, too.