This week Vail Resorts, Inc. unveiled EpicMix™, a first-of-its-kind online and mobile application for the 2010-2011 ski and snowboard season. The EpicMix allows Vail Resorts guests, at any of its five world-class mountain resorts–Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly–to effortlessly utilize technology to digitally capture their ski and ride experience and share it with friends and family.
EpicMix is a digital application that guests can access online, at their computer or via a free mobile application that can be downloaded for the iPhone, Android or other smart phones. EpicMix automatically captures the activity of guests throughout each of its resorts, by leveraging Vail Resorts’ state-of-the-art radio frequency (RF) scanners that are being installed at each of its 89 lifts across all five mountain resorts. An RF-enabled chip embedded in Vail Resorts’ season passes and PEAKS lift tickets will automatically track guests’ lift rides, calculating vertical feet skied and days on the mountain and will recognize special achievements and accomplishments by granting guests commemorative, collectible digital pins. EpicMix will have hundreds of available digital pins for a multitude of unique experiences available at each resort.
EpicMix will allow guests to share their statistics and accomplishments through updates on Twitter and Facebook and guests can create special EpicMix leader boards with their Facebook friends. The EpicMix mobile application will alert guests when any of their Facebook friends are skiing and where they are on the mountain. The application will also allow guests to send messages to their private groups of Facebook friends on the mountain. The mobile application will also provide trail and grooming information, snow and weather reports, as well as resort news and traffic updates. EpicMix will also have a special website for kids under the age of 14, which will allow them to connect with their parents’ accounts, but will have content designed specifically for them and unique pins only kids can earn. The kids’ site also will have special privacy restrictions. Parents will also be able to use EpicMix to track the lift rides of their kids in real time.
“With the advent of new technology in equipment and new features on the mountain, skiing and riding have become the ultimate form of creative expression in sports and travel. At the same time, the rapid growth of social media has given people a whole new way to express themselves online and connect with friends and family. EpicMix is a groundbreaking experience that brings both together in a seamless and hassle free way for all of our guests,” said Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts. “EpicMix takes the fun of playing and sharing online and marries it with the very real experience of skiing and riding. By not requiring our guests do anything new, EpicMix is accessible to everyone, not just those already familiar with social media. EpicMix has the ability to track your physical accomplishments, similar to applications like Nike+ and then combine it with the community experience of location-based social media, similar to applications like Gowalla.”
The basic functionality of EpicMix does not require Vail Resorts’ guests to do anything but ski and ride as they always have. There is nothing to buy, nothing new to wear and no required check-ins with their mobile devices. The application is embedded into Vail Resorts’ existing season pass and PEAKS lift tickets. EpicMix can be used by any guest at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly, whether they purchase a season pass or a PEAKS single day lift ticket. EpicMix will launch on opening day at Keystone Mountain on Nov. 5, 2010. The Company has posted a comprehensive video demonstrating the features and functionality of EpicMix at www.epicmix.com.
The privacy of Vail Resorts guests is of paramount importance to the Company and no information collected through EpicMix will be shared unless a guest “opts in” and specifically chooses to share their information. All information collected through EpicMix is subject to the strict privacy policies of Vail Resorts. Guests can choose to disable the RF chip in their pass to prevent any scanning. Children under 14 participating in Epic-Mix will have limited features and a connection only to their parents’ account.
Epic Mix and Vail Resorts Season Passes
EpicMix is available to all Vail Resorts guests who have a PEAKS lift ticket or a season pass. The Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass, Epic 7-Pack, Summit Pass, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin Pass, Heavenly Pass and PEAKS Lift Ticket are all enabled with RF technology and allow guests to participate in Epic Mix. All Vail Resorts season passes are currently on sale now and the revolutionary Epic Pass™ is back for its third season providing unlimited, unrestricted access to six world-class resorts, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly, as well as at Arapahoe Basin at $599 for adults and $299 for children (ages 5 to 12). New this year is the Epic 7-Pack™ (www.epicpass.com): A seven-day unrestricted ticket that skiers and snowboarders can use at any one of Vail Resorts’ five mountain resorts and Arapahoe Basin anytime during the season at a price of $449, or almost 35-percent off of a single-day lift ticket price at the window. Also for the second year, The Summit Pass™ is available to purchase online at www.epicpass.com and provides unlimited, unrestricted lift access at the top Summit County resorts–Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin–at $409 for adults, $319 for teens (ages 13 to 18) and $209 for children (ages 5 to 12). Also new this year is a Keystone and Arapahoe Basin Pass, which offers unlimited, unrestricted skiing and riding at both resorts and is priced at $359 for adults, $299 for teens and $199 for children. Prices on all pass products are guaranteed until Sept. 7, 2010.
For more information and to watch a demo video of EpicMix, visit www.epicmix.com, www.epicpass.com or www.snow.com.
The above was provided from Vail Resorts via their News reader as a press release. This announcement we view as a significant game changer. This is a major new stake in the ground by resorts in an effort to engage their customers and make sure the relationship stays in house. I can only wonder the reaction of companies like flaik, Slopetracker and other GPS tracking services in the marketplace. We will definitely make use and test drive this new service being season pass holders.
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