Does your mountain use RF?

[Robyn]

AG, I understand the frustration but also understand the mountains POV. You can't imagine how frustrating it is to be in -10 degree weather with 7 5 & 6 year olds all in team uniforms and have to dig their passes out. I keep hoping Copper will add the RF in the next year or so.

 

[altagirl]

Having worked in Loss Prevention as a scanner last winter, I can tell you that it's not just to spot fakes/expired passes. The mountain uses the data obtained from the scans (at least at the hill where I worked) to determine things like how busy the hill is at different times of day/week, if it's cost-effective to have all the lifts running, how much use they're getting out of passes, etc. There's a lot of other data involved, hence why we were required to scan every ticket, every time. If it got really busy, we were to do what we could to keep things moving... but primarily, we were to scan every person, every time.

And yes, I caught a lot of flak for just doing my job. Teenagers were the worst.

To answer the question, no, my home hill does not have RF. But I did have quite a few people suggest it last year. I imagine it would be too expensive to implement at such a small area.

That was before they had scanners - they were just eyeballing it and making sure you matched your picture. They actually never had barcode scanners at Alta - they just went from visual checks to RF.

And I get the reasoning - and I know they had a list of people who had purchased student passes and then dropped out of school and such they were trying to catch as well. It was mostly just the annoyance of going from really laid back and friendly one year to being really strict the next. So in comparison, the RF system actually made it feel more laid back again - no hassle.

 

[Shannon D]

That was before they had scanners - they were just eyeballing it and making sure you matched your picture. QUOTE]

Sort of off topic, but this makes me think of the old days at Sunlight. The lift tickets were stamped (by hand) with a "word of the day." The lifties would check to make sure that you had today's ticket. Season passes were checked using a clipboard. The liftie would have sheets with all of the pass numbers and would put a checkmark next to your number as you went through. Ahhh...memories.

Sorry, now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

 

[Robyn]

At Bogus Basin we got different colored stickers. Most people left the stickers on so by the time the season was over it would be packed full with layers of stickers.

 

[Jilly]

Tremblant has RF at all lifts, but its for snow school and race coaches. All staff get the RF pass and they stand at the gate and scan their pass, so the students can pass. There is nothing like trying to scan your pass, 7 x in -15 deg C weather, but its the only way. This is special line in the coral for this. I don't think there was one at the Edge.

Also only at the Gondola is the Montagard gate. This is for Intrawest owners to get fast access to the gondola. Don't see why they should have any special privileges that regular season pass holders have. So they spent a couple million on a place there!

Robyn - a system like Tremblant's would help out for race groups! And Copper is an Intrawest Mountain.

 

[Robyn]

Oh, don't get me started there. We don't get lift line privileges. Stupid athletes before my time got it pulled because of some stuff they did. Not even sure what. We've been working for years to earn it back. It's part of why I'm so strict with my kids as far as etiquette on the mountain.

 

[Jilly]

Well its only with their coach or instructor they get through. Otherwise and even if they are racing, they have to use the regular line.

 

[Christy]

It turns out Stevens Pass IS starting with RF. So that will be nice.