Image Source: Petr Kratochvil via http://www.freestockphotos.biz/stockphoto/10568
Getting Rid of the Traditional Ski Lift Ticket
It’s cold outside, snowing like crazy, and here you are, at the base of a 13,000 foot mountain ready to be carried to the top by a little chair attached to a cable. The only thing standing in your way is a small piece of paper with a barcode on it, flailing about in the wind as the ski attendant struggles to scan your pass.
Ok, so maybe it’s not quite that dramatic but the fact remains – the traditional lift ticket has got to go!
For us skiers, arriving to the mountain brings up a checklist of items you need:
- skis,
- coat and snow pants,
- goggles,
- hat and gloves,
- your lift ticket.
The lift ticket traditionally has been an adhesive label you need to somehow fold around a metal hook and attach it to your jacket. After years of doing this, the process has gotten more streamlined, but never any easier.
Finally, during my ski trip to Breckenridge, I came across something truly innovative. The holy grail of lift ticket management:
A radio-frequency identification (RFID) ski pass.
What exactly is RFID? Click to learn more here.
This was the process starting from when I arrived at the ticket office:
- I was asked a number of questions, including name, phone number, and how many days I wanted to ski (of this I opted for the 3 day pass).
- The lady handed me a credit card-sized piece of plastic. I looked at her, confused and wondering if I just signed up for a line of credit at Breckenridge. She told me this was my lift ticket and I was cleared to board the gondola from town to the base of the mountain.
- Walking up to the lift, I started to fumble for my new plastic “lift ticket” through my heavy gloves and present it to the attendant. It’s at that point I notice there was no barcode to be found and figured I would need to walk all the way back to the ticket office and explain my situation. I sheepishly held out my card to the attendant, ready to face the walk of shame back through the line, when I saw him present a ticket scanner like I have never seen before. This oddly shaped device turned out to be a Zebra RFID scanner and it read the embedded chip inside that plastic lift ticket with ease.
- At this point the attendant informed me that I would not need to present my lift ticket each time I pass through the line. Instead, the reader would be able to recognize my RFID tag through my jacket.
This seemed like nothing short of a small miracle at freezing temperatures and long lines! I was able to ski the following three days with the same pass, each time going through the line easily by having my RFID ticket read and getting back up the mountain for three glorious days of skiing.
But wait, there’s more benefits to the RFID lift ticket!
Breckenridge Mountain workers use mobile computers just like the Zebra MC9190 to read RFID lift tickets
While the initial lift ticket process in itself was amazing, there was an additional feature to the RFID ski pass that proved to be beneficial even after a full day of skiing was complete. There was a website on the back of the card that linked to a website so you can review your stats for the day! These included:
- The number of vertical feet traveled
- Wait times for lift lines
- “Pins” or a number of virtual challenges used to compete and explore the mountain
- Ski school progress
- Race times
- Photos taken of or posted by you
While I will never forget my ski trip to Breckenridge for the amazing conditions and sheer size of the mountain, the one truly innovative idea that made my trip just a little more perfect was the RFID lift tickets they use. This single piece of technology made my time there easy, quick, and truly ahead of its time. I cannot wait to see more locations begin to adopt this technology and I will be more than happy to go “test out” their implementation.
Curious about RFID solutions for your business? Contact us for support.
Call 800-830-9523 or 
Email info@L-Tron.com
About the Author:
Brandon is a member of L-Tron’s Sales Team specializing in the webstore and inside sales rep duties. When he is not at work, you can find Brandon skiing, traveling or playing his guitar. You can reach Brandon at 800-830-9523, x116 or email Brandon.Morabito@L-Tron.com.