EpicMix: A new way for skiers to experience the mountains this winter

I have just booked my  family’s plane tickets to Keystone in Colorado this coming December.  I am beyond excited for so many reasons: 1) It’s the first plane ride my entire family has taken together in a long time. 2) I get to work on my very, very rusty skiing in one of the most beautiful places in the US.

My husband and 13-year-old are a bit…ok, well, a lot better at skiing then I am, but we all are planning to be active in the snow!

We are all at different ski levels and are bound to separate, plus my son and husband are always competing with each other to see who took which run the fastest or furthest.

For those like us Vail Resorts has developed EpicMix, a new online and mobile application that allows skiers and snowboarders at their five ski resorts (Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly) to digitally capture their on-mountain experiences. With a special EpicMix kids component, families can incorporate the challenges and awards that the EpicMix app adds to the mountain experience into their ski trips.

The application is a cross between Nike+ (tracking your physical activity) and FourSquare (recognition of location-based accomplishments), with the ability to connect and share with friends on Facebook (for users over the age of 13) and Twitter.

EpicMix Kids is one of the first social media platforms designed for children under 13. For privacy reasons, children under 13 are only allowed to be “friends” with their family members.

This application also allows skiers to track vertical feet and runs skied and recognize special achievements by rewarding guests with collectible digital pins. The mobile app will also alert guests when their Facebook friends are on the mountain, and can be used to send private messages to meet up.

What is truly unique is the company’s use of RFID technology on season passes and lift tickets to allow for completely passive “check-ins” so that guests can participate without the use of a phone or GPS device, or in any way changing the way they have always skied around the mountain. There is nothing for them to buy or wear other than their ski pass, which has an embedded RFID chip.

The application can first be tried when Keystone Mountain opens for the season on November 5, 2010. Stay during one of Keystone’s Kidtopia Festivals and kids can participate in activities including: a glow stick parade down the mountain, disco tubing, glow bug skate night on North America’s largest outdoor rink and an on-mountain barbecue night. “Ski Free Stay Free” package rates starts at just $71 per person per night and includes lodging for four in a two-bedroom condominium and a three-day lift ticket per person. Blackout dates apply.

We won’t be there to enjoy it, but you should know that this winter Keystone will be introducing an wonderful winter play area with the world’s largest snow fort at the top of Dercum Mountain. The fort will be 60 by 40 feet with 12-foot walls, complete with a drawbridge, lookout tower, and its very own dragon. Kidtopia Festivals will take place: Dec 27 – Jan 2; Jan 14 – 17; Jan 29 – 30; Feb 18 – 21; March 12 – 20. Check out www.KeystoneResort.com or call 877-204-7889 for more information.

Photo and video credit:  Vail Resorts

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Tags: travel
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