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A step too far? Ski chairlifts could soon have digital screens and Wi-Fi

Will skiers find screens on chairlifts more riveting than mountain scenery? - Alpine Media Technology
Will skiers find screens on chairlifts more riveting than mountain scenery? - Alpine Media Technology

Ah the joy of spending a chairlift ride admiring mountain views as you peacefully asend to the ski slopes. But that peace is about to be rudely interrupted, as the American resort of Winter Park plans to install digital screens on the safety bars of chairlifts, and provide a Wi-Fi hotspot for every chair.

The company behind the system, which will undoubtedly distract skiers and snowboarders from the surrounding scenery, is Denver-based start-up Alpine Media Technology.

The screens will display information such as digital trail maps (an updated form of the printed maps that already appear on some chairlifts in North America), safety tips, weather updates, piste conditions and notifications from the ski patrol. They will also show local adverts and social media promotions.

The system will be built into the safety bar that chairlift passengers pull down to help prevent falls from the lift. The panel on each bar will contain between four and eight video screens and a Wi-Fi hotspot, and also allow skiers to charge mobile phones wirelessly (no more disappearing off the grid because you've run out of charge then).

The world's most impressive ski lifts
The world's most impressive ski lifts

The panel is charged every time it reaches and moves around the lift station; one charge provides enough energy to power the video displays for up to 20 minutes.

The designers of the product claim that the information shared on the screens will enhance the experience of being on the slopes as well as improve safety by encouraging people to put down the safety bar. Despite leaving the bar up being generally banned, or at least frowned upon, the habit is prevalent in North American ski resorts.

According to its website Alpine Media Technology has patents pending on its chairlift screen system, titled LiftDigital, in 19 countries including France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, America and South Korea, which is hosting the Winter Olympics next year.

Incredible high-tech ski and snowboard kit you'll want to own
Incredible high-tech ski and snowboard kit you'll want to own

The system is currently in the testing phase, and has recently been given a financial boost of $15,000 thanks to money raised by the start-up business.

As well as Winter Park in Colorado, the company has also signed a deal for the 2017/18 winter season with Wachusett Mountain Ski Area in Massachusetts. It plans to install up to 180 screens, one in front of each seat, on Winter Park’s six-person SuperGauge chairlift. But CEO Freddie Peyerl has big hopes for his company, aiming to have up to 6,000 chairlifts kitted out in 10 resorts by the end of 2018.

Winter Park
Winter Park is going to be the first ski resort to test the screens

Peyerl and his business partners, Gerrit VandeKemp and Jeffrey Connors, thought of the idea while on a trip to Winter Park. They were inspired by the digital signs and screens they'd seen at petrol stations and believe the audience on a chairlift is similar, having little else to look at but the screen in front of them. Others may beg to differ, with beautiful mountain scenery making the most obvious alternative distraction.

The idea of being unable to avoid being exposed to advertising and digital media while on the seclusion of a chairlift has also angered some people. “People who want or need a screen should stay at home. Why go skiing? I don’t buy ‘safety info’ as being a reason. We’ve made it until now. This is disgraceful. I feel sorry for the kids who grow up with this in their life,” wrote Brooks Bezamat on a post by businessden.com.