Vail Resorts App Providing Crowd-Sourced Lift Line Wait Times to Guests is Now Available
- EpicMix™ Time, a breakthrough technology for the ski industry, is now available for update or download for iPhone and Android operating systems
- EpicMix Time uses anonymized, crowd-sourced Wi-Fi and Bluetooth signals to estimate lift line wait times
- EpicMix Time combines GPS-enabled trail maps with lift line wait times to help guests better navigate the mountain and get the most out of their day
- EpicMix Time will initially be installed at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone for the 2015-16 winter season and Vail Resorts' other mountains for the 2016-17 season
BROOMFIELD, Colo., Dec. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Vail Resorts announced EpicMix™ Time, an expansion of its ski and snowboard app giving guests access to real-time lift line wait times, is now available for update or download for iPhone and Android operating systems. Guests at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone can now use lift line wait time data to better navigate the mountain and make the most out of their ski and ride experience. Leveraging recently developed technology, EpicMix Time will calculate and display up-to-the-minute lift line wait times at 55 core lifts and gondolas across 13,600 acres of skiable terrain in Colorado.
"EpicMix Time provides transparency for lift line wait times, which helps our skiers and riders get the most out of their day on the mountain at our Colorado resorts," said Kirsten Lynch, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Vail Resorts.
"Providing real-time lift line wait times is a first for the ski industry," said Robert Urwiler, Vail Resorts' executive vice president and chief information officer. "We're applying unique and sophisticated analytics to calculate reliable wait time information for our guests. As the season goes on, we'll continue to 'fine-tune' the system to become more and more accurate."
"In addition, we're pairing GPS-enabled trail maps with the lift line wait times," added Urwiler. "The ability to know precisely where you are on the map and see the wait times at the nearest lifts is going to be very powerful for helping guests navigate the mountain and find the best terrain options to maximize their day."
Guests need only update or download the EpicMix app from the iTunes Store or Google Play for the Android Market. Tapping the EpicMix Time icon on the app will then give guests real-time lift line wait time data at the company's four Colorado resorts – Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone – right in the palm of their hands.
EpicMix debuted in 2010 as an RFID-based system, which allows skiers and riders to track their days on the slopes and share their accomplishments via social media while never getting in the way of the on-mountain skiing and riding experience. The RFID chip in season passes and day tickets tracks vertical feet, number of lift rides and other data. Vail Resorts followed the original EpicMix with EpicMix Photo, delivering free digital photos through ski pass information; EpicMix Racing, recording digitized amateur racing statistics; EpicMix Academy, providing information and goals for guests enrolled in ski school; and EpicMix Challenges, allowing guests to compete against friends and family on the mountain. After piloting EpicMix Time in Colorado, Vail Resorts plans to expand the program to its other destinations in upcoming seasons, as well as expanding the program to give updates on on-mountain restaurant and retail store wait times. Vail Resorts has been using RFID for "hands free" ticket scanning for seven years, a system which also allows guests to purchase and reload their tickets both on the web and on mobile devices.
Guests can activate their free EpicMix accounts at www.epicmix.com.
About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN)
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading global mountain resort operator. The Company's subsidiaries operate nine world-class mountain resorts and two urban ski areas, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Perisher in Australia; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan. The Company owns and/or manages a collection of casually elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning and development subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.
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SOURCE Vail Resorts, Inc.
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