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Ski lift "electric chip gates" problems outweight efficiency

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first_rodeo
Posts: 2383 - Karma: 7,764
this will be the second season my home mountain uses cards inside the pocket rather than visibly checking passes

problems i see at Jiminy Peak PCMR DV etc

- lines are much longer and only 1 person working to help people
- people are very unfamiliar and unsuccessful with the system
-parents get in but then have to back up and help kids
- kids get tangled up with these cattle corrals
- 4 hour passes now mean < 4 hour
           +cant get that extra lap at end of 4 hour
in order to scan
- can't be inside layers
- cant be inside wallet
- can't be near electronic devices
- have to butt bump/ grind the scanner

-it only takes a few people to cause backup and empty chairs to go up the hill

- cant ride into the chair when no line and you want fast laps

- the entrances are facing the bottom so you have to climb/ski/crawl uphill


Click for larger image

Oct 22 2013 11:53AM
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Turkelton
Posts: 2829 - Karma: 8,558
Basically everywhere in Europe is this and sometimes this happens. Get over it
Oct 22 2013 12:12PM
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WU-sconsin
Posts: 565 - Karma: 1,301
I don't even know what this is
Oct 22 2013 1:12PM
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dbchili
Posts: 2555 - Karma: 1,657
they work great to be honest, a lot of the resorts in nz use them

they also better prevent poachers from using the lifts, which in the long run keeps the pass costs down for the people who pay
Oct 22 2013 1:15PM
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BskiP
Posts: 1369 - Karma: 223
Ive never had any of these problems and I ski these types of gates almost everyday. You are retarded.
Oct 22 2013 1:17PM
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Blurst
Posts: 13577 - Karma: 10,168
I have never had problems with it being such a hassle that chairs are missed. I think its a great fucking system.
Oct 22 2013 1:39PM
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BWalmer
Posts: 9141 - Karma: 12,883
Used to have it at our mountain, but it was causing so many problems we got rid of it. I think there's potential for it to be a good system, but there's some kinks that need to get worked out (i.e. better scanners that can read the cards without being rubbed up against the gate) as well as it becoming more common everywhere, the biggest issues we saw was people just not knowing how to use it.

The pluses are (or could be) easier ticket sales (once you have a card it comes with a code that you can "reload" tickets/hours on to it), extend the passes into food/beverage/shops (kinda like a gift card that you can reload, again online, and use at food services or shops at the mountain so you don't have to carry cash/credit cards...can also be used for parents who drop their kids off as leave them, they can budget how much their kids get to spend online..or possibly even through a smartphone app...this will inevitably piss off some kids who use their "food money" for weed...but that's not the mountains concern, haha).

It's certainly a flawed system, but it has the ability to get better, the problem is we need to go through the flawed times to make it better.
Oct 22 2013 1:48PM
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Tree60
Posts: 1438 - Karma: 4,961
They started this at Mt hood meadows last year, and it was honestly a much better system than having somebody scan every time. Any issues that the RFID chips had were still there with hand scanners. Yeah, some gapers still got tangled up in it, but the line still moved much faster, because you basically had four scanners instead of one or two people scanning. It got people lined up much better for the chairs, and the big bonus was it could be in your pocket. Back with hand scanners, you had the decision to leave it hanging on the outside of your jacket, just waiting for it to get snagged on a rail or on a tree, or you had to dig it out every time.
Oct 22 2013 2:00PM
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PizzaKid
Posts: 297 - Karma: 309
As mentioned above many European resorts have them and they enable you to lap just as fast on chairlifts. In fact the lifties got mad at me when I skied right through them after my run when there was no line. Also most t scanners are easily recognizing passes so there is no butt humping necessary. Plus, there is no risk of your pass ripping off your pants/jacket like my buddy had happen once. So IMO it is a great system and I've never seen anyone have a problem with it
Oct 22 2013 2:02PM
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a_burger
Posts: 5206 - Karma: 20,187
op sounds like your place cheaped out and got a shitty scanner based on everyone else's comments
Oct 22 2013 3:11PM
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Kvsh
Posts: 9 - Karma: 31
Chips make it generally easier for everyone. If something goes wrong take a chill pill and ask for help. Sure a few people seem to struggle but busy lifts will load thousands of people each day without issue.
Oct 22 2013 7:47PM
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BROLF
Posts: 1598 - Karma: 5,098
I think Park city's scanners work great
Oct 22 2013 10:13PM
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life_is_hood
Posts: 502 - Karma: 1,972
As much as I dislike a lot that Vail Resorts does, they do have the RF pass thing on lock. Your mountain just got a shit scanner
Oct 22 2013 11:01PM
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eheath
Posts: 61098 - Karma: 118,241
You honestly have to be a fucking retard to not be able to pass through the scanner gate. Not only do you have about 4 or 5 pockets on each side of your body, its not very hard to find a place to put it. I just put my pass inside a sunglass bag and then tie the draw string to my pants and tuck the pass inside my pants, i literally have never had one problem.


Saying its slower is fucking stupid, if there are a bunch of people in line, its gonna be slow.
Oct 22 2013 11:08PM
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Maximumsushi
Posts: 7837 - Karma: 3,347
It's the speed of the chairlift that is the biggest bottleneck, none of the things you mentioned. There usually aren't too many empty chairs that roll up. If there are, you can usually just blame "gapers."

I find the RF chip system to be the best.
Oct 22 2013 11:18PM
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Session
Posts: 5316 - Karma: 21,351
Pretty much this. All the problems I saw in the first year were because dumbfucks can't follow directions.
Oct 22 2013 11:25PM
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earl.squirrelson
Posts: 228 - Karma: 206

in aus it also tracks what you do, how many vertical meters, days, chairlift rides and it gives you challanges... it's kinda cool, but the gimmick wears off.

Oct 22 2013 11:44PM
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Parks.
Posts: 5612 - Karma: 1,093
mammoth has them and they seem to really speed up the process and i really like them.
Oct 23 2013 12:10AM
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RudyGarmisch
Posts: 25443 - Karma: 13,844
Hey man, not only is the government using these to RFID-tag and track your movements for the CIA g-men and SNOWden deniers, but I've conducted my own studies (with raw milk and a battery powered homemade light collector in my gregory backpack)and those gates definitely spray electro-magnetic cancer on your junk.
Oct 23 2013 12:13AM
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Jibberino
Posts: 2088 - Karma: 1,333
OP can't be serious.
Oct 23 2013 2:20AM
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HentaiHero
Posts: 298 - Karma: 1,099
Fuck OP and fuck this thread
Oct 23 2013 2:26AM
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Sklar
Posts: 8863 - Karma: 31,577
It's a conspiracy mannn
Oct 23 2013 2:27AM
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Ghini
Posts: 2229 - Karma: 2,883
This
Oct 23 2013 3:22AM
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ermz
Posts: 79 - Karma: 294
Have this in AUS and doesn't seem to be so much of a problem as you make it to be lol.
Oct 23 2013 3:25AM
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earl.squirrelson
Posts: 228 - Karma: 206
How could I have been so foolish!
Oct 23 2013 3:30AM
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shocker611
Posts: 2599 - Karma: 423
just a question as brighton is employing this next season. Doesn't this make it extremely easy to use other people's passes? They don't check faces or anything do they?
Oct 23 2013 3:35AM
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earl.squirrelson
Posts: 228 - Karma: 206
They have timers on them and random checks... I know of a couple that have been pulled
Oct 23 2013 3:38AM
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pow_pow~
Posts: 1429 - Karma: 1,804
In aus there is a guy standing there with an ipad and everytime someone scans a season pass it comes up with a huge photo of them on the iPad. I saw heaps of people get pulled up for using someone elses
Oct 23 2013 3:52AM
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Jibberino
Posts: 2088 - Karma: 1,333
Most places in Europe your face comes up on a screen when you have a pass valid for more than 2 days. Depends on the level of checking really, this doesn't do much if no one is watching the screen. Or deck yourself out in full face mask and goggles and they can't tell any way.
Oct 23 2013 4:03AM
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Jibberino
Posts: 2088 - Karma: 1,333
Most places in Europe your face comes up on a screen when you have a pass valid for more than 2 days. Depends on the level of checking really, this doesn't do much if no one is watching the screen. Or deck yourself out in full face mask and goggles and they can't tell any way.
Oct 23 2013 4:07AM
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first_rodeo
Posts: 2383 - Karma: 7,764
my family and friends all share a few season passes


they just scan green or red on their grocery store like scanner (expired // void)
Oct 23 2013 8:50AM
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Jibberino
Posts: 2088 - Karma: 1,333
What are you complaining about then?

Oct 23 2013 10:23AM
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mehregan15
Posts: 779 - Karma: 741
DV doesnt have them. shit they dont even hand scan passes. they literally clip them with a hole puncher, it's ancient.
Oct 23 2013 11:32AM
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eheath
Posts: 61098 - Karma: 118,241
At PC they have ipads/tablets that show info for each lane, ive seen people get called out and run haha
Oct 23 2013 11:35AM
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linus_deboss
Posts: 1036 - Karma: 1,909
you can't be serious...

those electromagnetic cards work way better than scanning or anything... put it inside your pocket and you're cool (it's bullshit that you can't wear layers over it)

for real, it's a great system and yes, you can cheat easily if you wear full face masquerade lol
Oct 23 2013 11:44AM
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Holte
Posts: 10730 - Karma: 7,744
Every mountain I've seen electronic gates implemented at has had moderate to enormous problems the first couple seasons, and then management solves a few efficiency problems and riders become familiar with the gates as everything goes smoothly. Give it another season. It'll be fine.
Oct 23 2013 11:56AM
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razors-chaz
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,250
In all of the euro resorts i've been to in france, switzerland and austria theyve never had a picture of me and thats not just ones purchased through tour companies but ones bought at the ticket desks aswell. They have only been for less than a week though so maybe the threshold is higher than 2 days, more like 7+ days. Also I've never had a problem using the gates. Sure there are queues but thats just lift lines.
Oct 23 2013 12:09PM
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masterhatin
Posts: 630 - Karma: 53
Alyeska has this, but i remember a few seasons ago they had a pass set up so you wouldnt even have to buy a ticket, it was linked to your bank account or whatever and it would just automatically deduct your daily cost to shred. BUT there was some glitch and it didnt deduct anybodys money for most of the season and ALY lost a shit ton of money lolololol
Oct 23 2013 3:11PM
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Che~
Posts: 2108 - Karma: 296
The RFID thing at Jiminy Peak does suck. It almost seems like a knock-off to the quality of other systems. Like the OP said, it really does have a problem scanning, even if you have empty pockets. The line does get a lot longer
Oct 23 2013 6:17PM
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Jibberino
Posts: 2088 - Karma: 1,333
I cannot comprehend this. Become familiar with what, passing through a fucking gate? It's like saying "Oh yeah, I had some problems walking through doors, but once I got familiar with it, it was all good". I simply cannot believe that people are that retarded.
Oct 24 2013 1:10AM
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