IkonPass :direct to lift?

[Brian Finch]

I caved & purchased an IkonPass set for the family. The process was really easy & after confirming my account, you have slick options to upload pictures & have them sent to you in fall- even over your phone!

But, is IkonPass direct to lift? What about RFID?

How do other passes work?

 

[KingGrump]

Don't know what format the new Ikon pass will be. most likely an RFID card with bar code to support the non RFID resorts.

So far I am pretty impressed with their operation. I expected to have to show up every day at Squaw for the next three week to get a daily ticket for spring skiing. They just look up my name, check my driver license and issued a RFID spring and summer Squaw pass. Seamless and impressed.

 

[Pat AKA mustski]

The Cali4nia Pass was both -RFID and scannable using their hand holds. It had the picture on the pass as well.

 

[ScotsSkier]

Don't know what format the new Ikon pass will be. most likely an RFID card with bar code to support the non RFID resorts.

So far I am pretty impressed with their operation. I expected to have to show up every day at Squaw for the next three week to get a daily ticket for spring skiing. They just look up my name, check my driver license and issued a RFID spring and summer Squaw pass. Seamless and impressed.

Wow! That is good! Wonder if mammoth will do the same?

 

[KingGrump]

Wow! That is good! Wonder if mammoth will do the same?

Will know in three weeks.

 

[Johnny V.]

The MAX was /is RFID-worked flawlessly at Copper, WP and Steamboat. We needed to get actual tickets at Loon and Sunday River. I assume the Ikon will work the same way.

 

[Jilly]

Tremblant's regular pass is scanned, but there is the Montengard/speed pass that is RFID. And I haven't heard about any changes to the scanning process, so suspect that Ikon will be able to handle both.

 

[ScotsSkier]

Wow! That is good! Wonder if mammoth will do the same?

Will know in three weeks.

Just heard from one of my athletes down there. Sounds like mammoth is doing the same

 

[tball]

My guess is the geeks are working furiously to integrate systems and deploy RFID.

Icon will be direct to lift RFID at a bunch of Alterra and Powdr resorts. Copper added RFID this year, so RMSP+ RFID worked at Steamboat, Copper and WP. I heard Powdr is adding RFID at Killington. Not sure about Eldora. Note Ikon is managed by the same folks at Alterra that have been managing the RMSP+ for years.

I think the big question is all the non Alterra and Powdr resorts like Aspen, Jackson, and Snowbird that already have RFID. Will they get those systems integrated into the Ikon mothership at Alterra before next season? We'll see.

At Crested Butte you had to walk into Guest Services and get a ticket with RMSP+. Given the likely Ikon Pass volume, resorts are going to try to avoid that if possible.

 

[Started at 53]

Deer Valley has exceptional service yadda yadda yadda.....

But they still were punching tickets this past season, they need a serious upgrade, the natural move is to bypass scanning and go straight to RFID

Bottom line, they have been stuck in the 1980’s with the lifties punching tickets

 

[Tony S]

Only NNE areas I can think of using RFID are Stowe and Sugarbush. Are there others? All the ones I go to regularly are old-school paper tickets on a wire wicket. My guess is that the ticket counter staff and the lifties all said they would quit on the spot if they were forced to explain that high tech stuff a thousand times a day to a bunch of crusty and distrustful New Englanders.

 

[cantunamunch]

Okemo is RFID, so is Wawa.

No problems, no issues, except they wanted us to use their own cards and not the MAX one.

 

[PTskier]

The lifties at Vail had hand-held dual action scanners---RFID and bar code readers.

Why do parka makers now omit the D-ring that is so useful for ticket wickets??? I won't put the wicket on a zipper pull and break another pull. Lately I've put the wicket on a loop of the parka hem drawstring.

 

[x10003q]

Stratton is still scanning barcodes with handheld scanners, but only on the bottom lifts.

 

[cantunamunch]

Stratton is still scanning barcodes with handheld scanners, but only on the bottom lifts.

Yup, but the MAX was direct to lift there (assuming it was visible). Same at Pico.

 

[tball]

I guess direct to lift doesn't necessarily require RFID. It's possible it can just be scanned too.

This is what they did at Copper for a couples years. RMSP was RFID at WP and Steamboat and scanned at Copper. The pass has both an RFID reflector and a barcode/picture.

The now Alterra/Iknon folks actually had WP employees working an RMSP desk at Copper (which they don't own). It was a pain in the butt for them to staff and expensive to maintain, something they don't want to replicate with Ikon.

Here's a picture I took of the Copper season pass office when I heard the RMSP desk would shut down after this year. Copper guest services is on the left and the RMSP+ desk sans a WP employee is on the right:

 

[raytseng]

The lifties at Vail had hand-held dual action scanners---RFID and bar code readers.

Why do parka makers now omit the D-ring that is so useful for ticket wickets??? I won't put the wicket on a zipper pull and break another pull. Lately I've put the wicket on a loop of the parka hem drawstring.

Traditionally they enforced you putting paper sticker tickets only on pants, so you wouldn't go around swapping a jacket with a friend or do a complicated buy just 2 tickets and sneak multiple people with jacket swapping.
So the reason is overall you weren't supposed to put the tickets on your jacket to begin with.

 

[Jilly]

Both of the my jackets have holders. The Avalanche is the best. The Salomon looks more like something to keep your keys from falling out. But the Salomon has the RFID pocket on the left sleeve.

I suspect that Tremblant will not be going full on RFID. Union would have hissy fit!

 

[4ster]

Will know in three weeks.

Just heard from one of my athletes down there. Sounds like mammoth is doing the same

That's good to hear. I emailed them specifically regarding this issue & was told that at Mammoth I would need to get daily tickets. Maybe they are listening .
I was at Alpine the other day & they gladly updated my current Bronze midweek pass to include weekends through the end of the season.

Deer Valley has exceptional service yadda yadda yadda.....

But they still were punching tickets this past season, they need a serious upgrade, the natural move is to bypass scanning and go straight to RFID

Bottom line, they have been stuck in the 1980’s with the lifties punching tickets

Just maintaining that personal touch that they are known for

The lifties at Vail had hand-held dual action scanners---RFID and bar code readers.

Why do parka makers now omit the D-ring that is so useful for ticket wickets??? I won't put the wicket on a zipper pull and break another pull. Lately I've put the wicket on a loop of the parka hem drawstring.

Traditionally they enforced you putting paper sticker tickets only on pants, so you wouldn't go around swapping a jacket with a friend or do a complicated buy just 2 tickets and sneak multiple people with jacket swapping.
So the reason is overall you weren't supposed to put the tickets on your jacket to begin with.

During 40yrs of ski teaching I always encouraged guests to attach tickets to their pants for the simple reason that they may want to remove their jacket as temps warmed up. Hard to believe that mature adult skiers would risk the possible consequences of doing the jacket switch scam, teenagers maybe.

 

[Norther1]

Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing how Ikon pass integrates with Alta/Bird. Both those places are RFID, but will their systems be compatible with the RFID chip in the Ikon pass . . . it would be a pain to have to go get a ticket each day. Also since you get 7 days total at Alta/Bird will you be able to ski both on the same day and have it count as 1 day---or would that burn 2 days?
That was one thing I missed with the MCP this year is being able to ski in between Alta and Snowbird and ski both on the same day.