Vail Resorts Inc. unveiled EpicMix, an online and mobile application for the 2010-2011 ski and snowboard season targeting guests at its five mountain resorts?Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly.

EpicMix is a digital application that guests can access online, at their computer, via a mobile Web site or via a free mobile application that can be downloaded for the iPhone, Android devices and other smartphones. EpicMix automatically captures the activity of guests throughout each of its resorts by leveraging Vail Resorts' radio frequency scanners that are being installed at each of its 89 lifts across all five mountain resorts.

?We?ve designed and built an iPhone app, an Android app,a hybrid smartphone app and a WAP site because we want to make sure that people can access at least some sort of information no matter what type of phone they have,? said Mike Slone, interactive director of online marketing at Vail Resorts, Vail, CO. ?We wanted to design for smartphones and gracefully degrade to the WAP site, which has all the information, just not all the advanced functionality.

?Several years ago, we started using RFID in our passes, so pretty much everyone with a season pass or a lift ticket has an RFID chip embedded,? he said. ?This summer we decided to expand that program by installing RF readers on all of our lifts, which allows us to keep track of where people are skiing or riding.

?The season pass is the brain that sends the information to the Web site and the mobile apps?the apps meant to take the info and make it available to our guests in a user-friendly way so they actually get value out of this program.?

Vail Resorts? subsidiaries operate the mountain resort properties of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone mountain resorts in Colorado, the Heavenly Ski Resort in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada, and the Grand Teton Lodge Co. in Jackson Hole, WY.

The company's consumer website is http://www.snow.com.

Vail Resorts runs two different SMS programs, general text-message alerts and snowfall alerts.

Consumers can text the keyword FOOD or LODGING to the short code 888999 to get deals and information.

Odin worked with Vail to power the RF technology, while the applications were created by Crispin Porter + Bogusky.

Vail taps contactless technology
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.

The application enables guests to share their experiences with family and friends on Facebook and Twitter. 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, and can be used to send private messages to meet up.

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 Web site for kids under the age of 14, which will let them connect with their parents' accounts, and will have privacy restrictions 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.

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 to 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 such as Nike+, and then combine it with the community experience of location-based social media, similar to applications such as 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.

Mr. Slone said that 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 EpicMix will have limited features and a connection only to their parents' account.

?One of the main reasons we wanted to do this project is a lot of people coming to Vail are already posting to Facebook and Twitter, so we wanted to create a tool for them to continue to share their experiences,? Mr. Slone said.

?They may see a friend or family member with a something automatically posted to Twitter or Facebook,? he said. ?The social distribution of information is a natural reason to do this and a way for people to find out about it.

?Mobile apps allow communication with people you know are on the mountain?this is a new cool way to look at social media.?

Final Take
Dan Butcher, associate editor at Mobile Marketer, New York