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« Previous Story | The Industry Report Home Page | Next Story » How Smart Can We Get? Pretty 'Smart' In The AlpsBy Patrick Thorne 
Combining hands-free lift tickets and their electronic readers at the lift turnstiles with GPS technology, a link to the ticket holder's cell phone, and to their credit card or bank account are the four key elements that are coming together in an ever growing range of applications. The giant European ski business equivalents of Intrawest or Vail Resorts, such as the French Compagnie des Alpes (CdA) and the Italian Dolomiti Superski, are busy investing millions in their own technologies, with growing customer loyalty the key consideration. We have the new Holiski card from Compagnie des Alpes, which has been growing market share and increasing sales through the downturn thus far. The pass is valid at six of their giant French ski regions, together offering more than 1,000 miles of groomed trails and hundreds of lifts. Rather than the conventional thinking in the industry of trying to get skiers to book as far ahead as possible, with incentives offered, the CdA doesn't actually bill skiers until the month after they've skied. The idea is that the more they ski in the preceding month, the less they pay per day, when that day finally comes. The pass holder already has authorized CdA to remove the money from his or her bank account, so it's hard to stop it. "Holiski is truly hassle-free skiing. The subscriber can choose the spot where they want to ski at the last minute without having to book on the Internet, without prior purchasing, and especially without having to queue at the cash desks," said Axelle Brand of the Compagnie des Alpes. The company is charging an annual membership fee of 32 Euros (about $41), which automatically renews each October unless the holder stops it. Holders receive at least 15 percent off the regular rate and up to 25 percent off on Saturdays (a quiet day in the French Alps when skiers are traditionally traveling to or from their vacations rather than being on the slopes). Plenty of other offers and promotions are sent to subscribers through the year. Many other resorts have replaced the morning or afternoon ticket with a "by the hour" payment system based on when you "clock on to your first lift and then ride your last lift of the day, all measured instantly, automatically, and electronically. Resort groupings of up to 50 separate ski areas crossing wide regions offer single ticket access to all their slopes to provide a much more appealing and internationally competitive product. This, of course, is on a continent where 4,000 ski areas jostle for market share even before the tour operators begin offering packages to North America and now Japan. But other resorts already offer still more sophisticated use of the new technology. Here's a familiar scenario: You hear there's a big snowfall at your favorite resort. You grab a snow day and race out there only to find the parking lot full and a huge line to get your lift ticket. Not a problem in Lech, Austria. A text message appears on your cell phone when the snow falls. Tap a button to say you're going to come over for the day and a smooth process slides into play. Your car park space is reserved for you, your lift ticket cost is charged to your pre-registered credit card, and your electronic lift ticket gives a green light at the turnstile as you walk from your car and onto the lift. It's effortless. Other ideas? Well, what if you're just an average skier but always wondered how well you might do against a top racer. You now can race down the same course as the best racers in Italy's Dolomiti Superski region and you're tracked electronically. Your time goes up on a race course Web site so you see exactly how well you perform alongside the racers who have been down before you, and everyone else. Not happy with your placing? Race it again. Then, if you are just curious to find out how far you have skied, how many lifts you have used, or the altitude you have covered, simply consult your skiing performance every day on your mobile phone with the DolomitiSuperski.mobi site. Dolomiti Superski also has a solution if you'd like to find a new boyfriend or girlfriend on the slopes, and want to increase your chances above the basic odds. Dolomiti Superski Dating ties in the resort's technology so that registered users can connect on the community Web sites, then use their mobile phones to make a date and arrange to meet and ski together. Ski theft a problem? There are lockable racks and ski checks everywhere, of course, but what if new skis had a unique ID chip imbedded in them? The stolen skis are reported to the authorities, marked up as stolen. They're taken to a ski resort with hands free lift ticket readers and they detect the stolen gear electronically and bag the thief. The list goes on… What It Means: Just when we've mastered our iPod, the technology keeps coming. The Euros have been on top of the "smart card" scene for many years now. One of the first pilot smart cards was issued for media "test" use at the World Alpine Skiing Championships at Bormio, Italy in 1985. American resorts are becoming equally creative. Do you ever wonder, "what's next?" « Previous Story | The Industry Report Home Page | Next Story » Comments
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Posted by: John Clifford | March 9, 2009 11:23 AM
