Social Ski Networking

This seems quite similar to a senior capstone proposal from the 2010 New Media class at UMaine.

http://www.wired.com/playbook/2010/09/vails-epicmix-app/

EpicMix has the ability to track your physical accomplishments, similar to Nike+, and then combine it with the community experience of location-based social media, similar to applications like Gowalla,” said Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz. The app was unveiled earlier this week, and it officially launches November 5 at Keystone.

There are a number of other ski apps, and even a few launched by specific areas or resort operators, like Snowbird in Utah. But based on the demos Vail Resorts debuted this week, EpicMix goes far past those in terms of functionality. It’s the first to combine the physical performance with social media elements, and it offers a peek at what might lie in the future for participation sports.

EpicMix runs on RFID scanners at each of the 89 lifts on the five Vail Resorts mountains – Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Breckenridge, and Heavenly – that will feature the app. (For now, Arapahoe Basin is the lone holdout.)

Chips embedded in Vail’s PEAKS lift tickets or various season passes allow you to track vertical feet skiied. One nice bonus is that a liftie can scan your ticket inside your jacket – no more fishing out the pass from under two layers of clothing.

You can connect the mobile app to your accounts on Facebook and Twitter to automatically share that pic of you shredding pow or that tweet about getting first tracks. The mobile app can also find friends and family on the mountain in real-time and instant message them, meaning a possible end to the plaintive John Walton, please meet your party at first aid/ski patrol scrawls on the dry-erase board at the lift. EpicMix offers updates on trail conditions, weather, and even traffic. For fans of Foursquare and Gowalla, there are digital pins for certain achievements and milestones.

Sure, you can do all of that separately on your own, especially since ski areas like Keystone, Vail, and Beaver Creek are close to I-70 and have better cell phone coverage than some major cities. But the allure of EpicMix is that it’s all in one app, is passive (the RFID scanners automatically log your data), and doesn’t require you to buy anything other than the lift pass. The free app will be available for iPhone and Android, in addition to a web browser-based dashboard.