Technology and skiing merge this season at Vail Resorts with a new method of tracking on-slope achievements.
Skiers and riders can monitor their lift rides, vertical feet skied and number of ski days with chips embedded in their season passes and lift tickets.
Vail Resorts will place radio-frequency scanners at each of the 89 lifts at its five ski areas. The scanners will pick up signals from the lift-ticket chips.
Then, with smartphones or personal computers, skiers can track their runs. If they want, they can share the information on Facebook and Twitter.
“We think this will be a total hoot,” Vail chief executive Rob Katz said. “This is something that will improve the experience of being on the mountain. And if people aren’t interested, it won’t change their skiing experience one iota.”
The so-called EpicMix technology also will alert skiers if their Facebook friends are skiing and show their location on the mountain.
Skiers can earn digital “pins” for achievements such as being first on a chairlift or skiing a specified number of vertical feet over a designated period of time.
EpicMix also provides trail and grooming information, snow and weather reports, and traffic updates. A children’s version of the application is available, with special privacy restrictions and an ability for parents’ to track their kids’ lift rides.
Vail Resorts’ ski areas include Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly at Lake Tahoe.
Vail already uses radio-frequency technology to scan lift tickets. The resort operator in recent years has pushed a digital agenda with conversion of print advertising to online outlets and use of social media to communicate with customers.
EpicMix launches Nov. 5, the opening day at Keystone. A demonstration can be seen at .
Steve Raabe: 303-954-1948 or sraabe@denverpost.com
