Cool lift technology at Winter Park

[rocdoc]

This actually looks neat. Probably quite useful. Monitors with live information on the chairs.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Is that cool? I'd be so mad if that was on my ski lifts.

 

[Seldomski]

No thanks, I have no desire to be subjected to video advertisements while skiing.

Edit to add - those things better be welded on. Otherwise, I suspect many of them will 'accidentally' loosen and fall in the woods.

 

[mikel]

I wonder what made them pick the MJ side and Super Gauge?

 

[James]

Get your ads here!
Next step is entering your info for some alleged benefit while they sell it. Life, skiing, will be so much better!

Unfortunately, it’s likely to be the way things are going as people can’t live without screens. Pretty soon skiing will have displays in your goggles telling you which way to go. Just like google maps in your car. Google - it’s only one letter away from your goggle.

 

[jmeb]

Things I don't want while riding a ski lift:

- To be advertised to with flashy media
- To be reminded how long I have to stand in line at the next lift
- To be worrying about when I need to leave to beat traffic home.

 

[KingGrump]

Unfortunately, it’s likely to be the way things are going as people can’t live without screens. Pretty soon skiing will have displays in your goggles telling you which way to go. Just like google maps in your car. Google - it’s only one letter away from your goggle.

Talking about distracted skiing in the making. I know the trees will weed those guys out.
Didn't Zeal have goggles with built displays for a while. Whatever happened to them?

 

[Ken in LA]

I do like it when there is a trail map included on the safety bar. I imagine the trail map and trail/lift status functionality will be useful.

 

[mikel]

I am struggling with search but @Ron weren't these also installed at Steamboat or maybe they were going to be installed for this coming season? I'm pretty sure a couple of other places talked about maybe installing them also.

 

[James]

Talking about distracted skiing in the making. I know the trees will weed those guys out.
Didn't Zeal have goggles with built displays for a while. Whatever happened to them?

Don’t know. I think it had a camera also. If Oakley or Smith had done it it might still be around. The $300 + cost was an issue.

The screen thing on lifts is a money making venture. Making skiing the same as everything else. Like a nyc cab.

 

[Magi]

I wonder what made them pick the MJ side and Super Gauge?

The Supergauge is where they demo'd/developed the tech years ago. They've been on two (3?) chairs of the Supergauge for years now.

Hopefully the new version of this is better - because the old version was less useful than a large format static trail map.

 

[Posaune]

That's one place that just came off my list of places to go. I grew up skiing in the mountains with wilderness all around me. I like it like that. I would never knowingly go to a place with video screens on the chair. The word "obscene" keeps rattling around in my head.

 

[KingGrump]

To paraphrase something @mdf said previously, "Not only no, but hell no."

I certainly hope those screens are equip with an off switch. Otherwise I will have to add a 20 oz claw hammer to my EDC.

 

[Winks]

Maybe they should play some awesome clips from the latest ski films to build up the stoke on the way up

 

[Unpiste]

No thanks, I have no desire to be subjected to video advertisements while skiing.

Edit to add - those things better be welded on. Otherwise, I suspect many of them will 'accidentally' loosen and fall in the woods.

Indeed. If they use these for advertising, I expect… modifications to the displays in short order.

Otherwise seems like a neat idea, if it's implemented well.

 

[slowrider]

I go skiing to be bombarded by snowflakes not technology.

 

[Unpiste]

Talking about distracted skiing in the making. I know the trees will weed those guys out.
Didn't Zeal have goggles with built displays for a while. Whatever happened to them?

Zeal made the goggles, but the displays were from Recon Instruments (since acquired by Intel and all products discontinued). Smith also sold some compatible goggles (with or without the electronics included). Garmin still sells something like this for sunglasses (https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/530536), but considering they don't seem to even list the product on their main website (only the store), I'm not sure how long it'll be around.

The fundamental problem with all of these (screen aversions aside) is that they're really just a little display sitting somewhere in your field of vision. They're not all that easy to see even if you have everything aligned perfectly, the image is small (lest it block too much of your vision), and at least in the case of the Recon products, the UI was pretty terrible. Easier to stop and look at a phone or watch if you really need an interactive screen (or use a handlebar mount for a bike).

True AR (augmented reality) could be interesting for ski goggles, but is probably still at least a decade away from being viable in that context.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Otherwise I will have to add a 20 oz claw hammer to my EDC.

I was waiting for someone else to say it so I wouldn't have to.

 

[cantunamunch]

Is that cool? I'd be so mad if that was on my ski lifts.

So...tell us about EpicMix.

Should Alterra introduce IKONmix to make all this tablet stuff redundant?

 

[Jerez]

I am a longtime Winter Park skier. We have family that live up there and go often. I HATE this. Why would anyone want to look at a screen rather than the beauty of the mountains? Isn't that part of what we do this for?