Epic Mix

Blog Post: How to make the most of EpicMix

Morgan Bast — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 21:01:00 GMT

EpicMix is up and running which means there are plenty of questions, concerns, and queries relating to the new online and mobile application that helps you track the days and vertical feet skied. To get the most out of this new technology, and make the activation process streamlined, use these top 8 tips. (Have more questions? See the EpicMix FAQ.)

1. Wear your pass in the right location.
The farther away you move your ski pass from the center of your torso, the less accurate the reading will be by the scanners. Don't stick the pass in your wallet, avoid carrying electronic or RFID devices near your pass, and make it easy for the pass scanners.

If your runs are still not being recorded, your pass may have a damaged RF tag. You can pick a new pass up from any of the pass offices at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Heavenly, or Keystone.

2. Login/activate correctly.
To activate your EpicMix account correctly and to login, simply select "Start Now" from epicmix.com. You'll see an option to enter in your pass number, your last name and the zip code from where you purchased your pass.

If you have ever logged into a Vail Resorts website or snow.com before, you already have an account and need to go to the "login" button.

If you still have trouble logging in, call the Vail Resorts EpicMix hotline at 800-743-0242.

3. Edit your stats.
Think your vertical feet skied or lifts ridden is incorrect? Fix it. Go to the vertical feet tracker (accessed easily from your Dashboard), click on the specific day, go to "view details" and edit your stats on that screen.

If your stats weren't captured at all, let us know. As EpicMix is in Beta right now, this may happen from time to time. While your lifts ridden will be tracked, your vertical may be off. The only data being entered in right now is from the chairlifts you ride - so where you are on the mountain will not be tracked. Send an email to comments@vailresorts.com and we'll work with you to get your data corrected.

4. Compare yourself to the Leaderboard.
Each night at midnight the EpicMix Leaderboard is updated tallying everyone's vertical feet skied, pins earned, days skied, and points earned. Check out how you are doing compared to everyone else by looking at your ranking and filtering by time and mountain. Coming in early 2011, a leaderboard of all your Facebook friends will be added, allowing you to see how you stack up against your online associates.

5. Connect with friends and family.
By selecting the "public social" option for EpicMix and connecting your Facebook and Twitter accounts, you'll be able to see what your friends and family have been up to on the hill. We have been contacted by people saying they are having issues connecting to Twitter - be sure to keep trying. Coming in early 2011, you'll be able to add up to eight family members to your account to see their dashboard. Each person can only be a member of one family.

6. Give feedback.
Like how EpicMix is working? Having issues? Let us know. As with any new product, Vail Resorts is testing and modifying daily to ensure EpicMix is the best it can be. Bear with us as we work out the kinks and let us know what you'd like to see. Send an email to comments@vailresorts.com to do so.

7. Stay tuned.
More functionality is coming soon including the Facebook friends Leaderboard, the iPhone and Droid apps, and the EpicMix kids section.

In the EpicMix kids section, children under 13 years old will be able to login, and see their stats. Kids will not be able to connect to Facebook however, as Facebook is only available for users 13 years old and up.

8. Explore!
There is no better way to test EpicMix out and see how it works than to ski or ride your heart out. Check out different areas of the mountain than you normally would, lap a few lifts, ski with friends, and push your limits. You'll see all of it captured -- and rewarded with pins -- on EpicMix.com.

--Morgan Bast

Blog Post: Epic engagements: those who ski and ride together, stay together

Jackie Lincoln — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:51:00 GMT

What is more romantic than a proposal at 12,000 feet on a bluebird day with the stunning views of the Rocky Mountains as your back drop?

Love was in the air and on the slopes in February, as lovebirds flocked to the mountains to celebrate by skiing and riding. In the spirit of the Valentine’s Day, guests earned a special Ski Heart EpicMix pin for visiting our mountains and EpicMix photographers at Northstar California shared the love by providing Valentine’s Day heart props and signs for photos. Throughout the month and on Valentine’s Day, a few special moments were even caught on camera and captured by EpicMix photos when guests dropped to one knee - no, not tele skiing - to pop the question.

Elisabeth Smith and now fiancé Brent Niccore had taken a few runs on a beautiful Saturday at Beaver Creek when he suggested that they hike up to a higher point on the mountain to take a few photos. After a ride up the Cinch chairlift and a short hike up the hill above the terrain parks, Brent got down on one knee and proposed.

“Brent and I met four years ago in Beaver Creek. He was romantic enough to bring me back to the same mountain to ask me to spend the rest of our lives together. I’m pretty sure I screamed ”We are engaged!” from the top of the mountain and I only rode down with one glove on as I could not take my eyes off my newly engaged hand!” said Smith.

Smith and Niccore are planning a Boulder, Colo. wedding and reception later this year.

For Eric Larimer and Amelia Faber, avid skiers who met ski racing in high school, an on-mountain proposal seemed like just the fit. On a bluebird day at Keystone Resort on the top of Outback, Eric and Amelia posed for an EpicMix photo and Eric popped the question.

“I didn’t warn the photographer what I was about to do. I just told Amelia that I had something planned for the picture. No one else was skiing with us that day, but we have a bunch of great pictures to share now,” said Larimer.

Eric and Amelia plan to tie the knot in Keystone in July 2013 and are looking forward to being able to ski and mountain bike past the place they say “I do.”

--Jaclyn Lincoln

Blog Post: Keystone, EpicMix open for the season

Morgan Bast — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:46:00 GMT

See all the photos from Keystone's Opening day here.

If you're like me, you live for opening day. I love the roar through the crowd, the snappy click of my boots into my bindings, the feeling of snow underneath my skis, and of course the free donuts. So for me, today was a good day.

Keystone Resort opened today in grand style. The usual donuts and excitement were there but with EpicMix opening for the season and the day being officially being dubbed "Dercum Day," by resort officials - it was particularly special.The families of the founders of the resort watched as a gondola was sent off in their honor -- with smiling pictures of Edna and Max looking down on the slopes.

Top-to-bottom skiing is now available at the Colorado ski resort along with a full terrain park with its own chairlift (Ranger), the River Run Gondola, Summit Express Lift, and ski school lessons. As usual, first chair for the resort was highly sought after, with lines wrapping through the maze over an hour before River Run Gondola started running.

"We got here at 6:40 this morning," Kelly White from Vail said. "We've gotten a first chair almost ten years in a row."

"We're looking forward to going first and going fast," Charlie Tuft, White's partner in crime said. "You can't go too fast if you're first. You can only go too slow. You know you're going too slow if someone passes you."

Standing in line for first chair with White and Tuft was the infamous Charles A. - the EpicMix Leaderboard conqueror from last season. Charles A. has big plans for this year, incorporating the evolutionary photo features into his hunt to ski more vertical feet than anyone.

"I've already done 22 days on the Epic Pass at A-Basin and I have over 740 days in a row," Charles A. said. "I am charged up that Keystone is open. Last year I had a little over 9 million vertical feet, and this year I'm shooting for over 10 million vertical feet. I put in the paper work with the Guinness Book of World Records so I'm looking to smash the record of 4.1 million vertical feet there."

EpicMix photographers were everywhere in River Run Village snapping free photos for Opening Day attendees to share socially and attach to their EpicMix accounts. Not only is EpicMix capturing all your stats you rack up skiing, it's capturing visual memories of your on-mountain experience.

"The buzz around EpicMix photo is turning out better than we expected," Meghan Shuffelton, EpicMix coordinator said. "The excitement among the teams is phenomenal and our guests are loving the free photos."

Breckenridge opens for the 2011-2012 ski season next Friday and will also have tons of EpicMix photographers on-hand to capture opening day there.

--Morgan Bast

Blog Post: EpicMix adds photo capabilities

Morgan Bast — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 18:15:00 GMT

Check out EpicMixPhoto.com here. Check out photos here. Check out a demo of the new EpicMix here.

Like EpicMix on Facebook Follow EpicMix on Twitter

EpicMix is revolutionizing the way we ski -- again. The innovative app that tracks vertical feet and days skied is adding photo capabilities for this winter, making it even easier for skiers and snowboarders to share their on-mountain experience.

Vail Resorts Chief Executive Officer, Rob Katz announced the new functionality for the new EpicMix in Denver today, adding that the company will be eliminating almost all paper tickets by offering each skier a reusable and durable card loaded with daily lift tickets or a season pass. Each card (which is provided at no extra charge) will be enabled with RF technology, meaning the skier will no longer have to show a ticket or pass to the scanners.

EpicMix photographers will be on the hill next season capturing portrait and action photos that will be automatically delivered to the skier's EpicMix account -- free of charge -- through a quick scan of a RF-enabled lift ticket or season pass. In addition to the professional photos requested by the guest, skiers will be able to combine their own EpicMix photos, pins and other stats into a "Remix" collage on EpicMix.com. EpicMix photographers will be replacing SharpShooter photographers on each mountain. Several hundred photographers will be hired to make EpicMix the most interactive experience possible.

"This season we're re-imagining how guest photos are taken, stored and shared at our resorts and delivering a groundbreaking way for skiers and riders to capture their experience on the mountains," said Katz. "Our six resorts will be offering something not available at any other ski mountain or other resort destination. People will be able to remember their vacation and photos are one of the most critical parts of creating those memories."

As EpicMix has changed the way people explore the mountain and share that experience, the way photos are shared online is changing now as well. Facebook and Twitter as well as photo storage sites like Flickr, Snapfish and Shutterfly will have simple integration with EpicMix. Guests will be able to take a picture through EpicMix and if the automatic settings are selected, that picture will be published to the sites they choose right away.

On top of photo capabilities and hard-card media, EpicMix is also adding hundreds of pins and improved functionality of the site. Guests will be able to see the pins they can earn as well as experience a faster, more open interface of the app and website.

EpicMix will continue to help skiers selectively share their stats and information without requiring them to do anything other than enjoy the mountain like they normally do. Activating an account through EpicMix opens up the experience of automatically checking in at each lift at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly, and Northstar-at-Tahoe, earning rewards for accomplishments, and now getting access to professional photos, additional pins, and increased social network sharing capabilities.

Nearly 100,000 guests activated their accounts last season, resulting in a 15 percent adoption rate and 275,000 social posts on Facebook and Twitter. This season, EpicMix will be available to all Vail Resorts guests who purchase any lift ticket or season pass, with the new photo sharing functionality officially launching in mid-December 2011.

To start your EpicMix experience, purchase a season pass now at the new EpicPass.com. For unlimited, unrestricted access to seven resorts, the Epic Pass is available for $649. If you purchase your pass at a Colorado Ski & Golf, Boulder Ski Deals, Breeze, Any Mountain or other stores listed here over Labor Day weekend, you'll receive a $50 in-store voucher. Then download the EpicMix mobile app for your iPhone, Android or other smart phone at EpicMix.com.

For guests interested in keeping their EpicMix information private, no information collected through EpicMix will be shared unless he or she "opts in" and specifically selects to publish that information. Guests can choose to disable the RF chip in their pass to prevent any scanning.

Check out EpicMixPhoto.com for more information.

--Morgan Bast

Blog Post: The top 5 EpicMix achievers

Morgan Bast — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 21:10:00 GMT

Nearly 100,000 skiers and snowboarders activated their accounts in the inaugural season of EpicMix but only five people stood out from the crowd. By skiing over 100 days or all the resorts or having a cumulative age of 213, these EpicMix users caught the attention of Vail Resorts and are making the top 5 achievements list. Read on for their stories.

Charles A.
Days skied: 171
Vertical feet skied: 7,209,005
Total pins: 102
Total points: 45,130
Position on the leaderboard: 1

No one, especially the former leader of the leaderboard, saw Charles A. coming. Throughout the season, Shawn C. held the position with a vice grip. Then Charles A. made his EpicMix stats public on April 10, the closing day at Keystone and BAM. History was made. With over 7 million vertical feet skied over 171 days, no other EpicMix skier could even attempt to keep up.

"There is only one way to put it," Charles A. said. "It's been an epic season."

Shawn C.
Days skied: 160
Vertical feet skied: 7,072,484
Total pins: 68
Total points: 42,925
Position on the leaderboard: 2

It takes some seriously strong legs to snowboard as consistently and as constantly as Shawn C. A Vail resident, Shawn averaged 62,235 vertical feet a day in April and held the top of the leaderboard until April 10, 2011. All that hard work was for a reason too, according to rumors that the snowboarder dedicated his season to a friend who had recently passed away. Will the competition heat up between these two leaderboard conquerors? Only EpicMix will tell.

Mary P., Dean P., and Bill S.
Combined age: 213
Known for: Conquering Keystone in two hours and 22 minutes on February 22, 2011.

It's one thing to ride every lift at Keystone in a day. It's another to do it in a record two hours and 22 minutes. And it's incredible to do it with a group with an average age of 71. Mary P., Dean P., and Bill S., made headlines when they earned the Keystone Conqueror pin and created a game plan for others to do the same. But would they do it again?

"If we did this this year, what are we going to do next year?" Mary P. said. "We're excited."

Richard H. and friends
Resorts skied in one day: 5
Known for: Conquering the Epic Pass

If you're going to ski at every resort on the Epic Pass in Colorado in one day, you're going to need to know the right people to make sure it counts. Richard H. from Cleveland, Ohio and his two friends took the challenge and made the call to Shelly to make sure he did it right.

Richard called the Vail Resorts Corporate Sales and Services call center on Feb. 16 to speak with top agent Shelly so they could share their excitement as the team conquered their quest. The group jokingly added, while on their last Colorado resort that if Vail Resorts would supply them with a private jet, they would head on to Heavenly, Northstar-at-Tahoe and Sierra-at-Tahoe and conquer all eight of the Epic Pass mountains in one day. In Shelly's words, "we celebrated on the phone their Colorado mountain journey!"

Justin E.
Resorts skied: 5
Resorts Conquered: 5

Arguably, the Epic Conqueror pin is THE hardest pin to achieve through EpicMix. It is only awarded to those who rode every lift at every resort with EpicMix -- a total of 92 lifts across Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly, and Beaver Creek. Only one of 100,000 people obtained this pin: Justin E. A resident of Keystone and originally from Edwards, Colo. Justin E. knew the ins and outs of every Vail Resort to efficiently get the Epic Conqueror pin and used EpicMix to search after powder and push the limits.

"It definitely changed the way I rode and pushed me to ride harder and longer, and put in more days than normal," Justin E. said. "It was an inspiration and a great one at that. I can't wait to see what next year holds."

Do you think you should have made the top 5? Or a to-be-created top 10? Leave your EpicMix story below.

--Morgan Bast

Blog Post: EpicMix gets nearly 100,000 activations in first season

Morgan Bast — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 14:52:00 GMT

Nearly 100,000 skiers and snowboarders have activated their EpicMix accounts this season, Vail Resorts announced Thursday -- marking a great first season for the online and mobile application. With a 15 percent adoption rate by season pass or PEAKS card holders, the program is being deemed a success in and out of the industry.

"If you're a ski resort and you can find a way to marry that passion with the social nets, you can probably come up with a powerful way to keep guests excited about your resort--and net yourself some pretty decent word-of-mouth in the process," E.B. Boyd wrote in Fast Company's Baked In series Thursday.

Along with a 15 percent adoption rate and 100,000 users, 45 percent of EpicMix accounts are public, meaning that guests opt to share their ski day statistics with friends and family on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. EpicMix also generated 275,000 social posts and over 35 million social impressions (based on Facebook's estimate of 130 friends per user). Also, EpicMix drove 1.7 million web and mobile visits this ski season. 40,000 people have also downloaded the EpicMix mobile app.

"Skiing and snowboarding are inherently social activities that are better with friends," said Katie Mitic, director of platform marketing at Facebook. "EpicMix brings the fun of the mountain to life online by giving people a way to share their runs and accomplishments with their friends in real time."

For the 2011/2012 season EpicMix will be upping the ante, according to Mike Slone, director of interactive marketing for Vail Resorts. Northstar-at-Tahoe will be receiving full EpicMix functionality including gantrys at all the chairlifts and unique pins for that resort.

"We're just getting started," Slone said. "Version 2.0 will bring a new mountain, new audiences, and groundbreaking functionality."

EpicMix is also nominated for two Webby Awards in peoples choice, one in Mobile Experimentation and Innovation and another in Social Handheld Devices. Use those links to cast your vote in either category.

--Morgan Bast

Blog Post: EpicMix kids to celebrate with Lindsey Vonn

Morgan Bast — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 19:14:00 GMT

For Lindsey Vonn, skiing is all about statistics. How fast she went, how much time passed between gate A and gate B, how different tuning helped that run go faster than the last, and how many hours she can get in to train, among thousands of other numbers the U.S. Ski team helps her track.

Now kids are tracking all of their skiing and snowboarding statistics like the Olympic and World Cup champion through EpicMix - an online and mobile app that lets them see how they stack up against family members in vertical feet and days skied. And while Lindsey Vonn collects gold medals, kids are now collecting pins. Those kids that are tracking their stats on EpicMix are entered into a contest to receive an autographed poster from Vonn. Ten winners will be chosen from all the kids that activate their EpicMix account by April 9, 2011. For a list of official rules, click here.

The most decorated female skier in America finally comes home to Vail on April 9 and will celebrate her incredible season and the achievements of EpicMix kids in a huge ceremony at the top of the gondola at Vail Mountain at Eagle's Nest. Everyone is invited to the celebration from 12:00pm - 2:00pm. Free foot passes will be available at the ticket window starting at 11:00 am for those without a season pass or a daily lift ticket to attend the event. There will be music, food and drink specials, and giveaways. For more information on the event, go to Vail.com or call 970 SKI VAIL (754 8245).

Reaching out to her young fans is super important to Vonn, who attributes part of her success to meeting her skiing idol, Picabo Street, when she was just starting to get serious about the sport. The message she received from Street then, and that she tries to share with kids now, is to shoot for the stars.

"I grew up in Minnesota. There are no mountains there and now I'm a downhill skier. I mean, anything is possible and that is always a good message to give to kids," Vonn said to an audience of School of Shred pass holders at Devinny Elementary School, in October 2010.

Now with EpicMix, kids can set skiing and snowboarding goals and be rewarded for achieving them through kids-specific pins. Given for just visiting a mountain or for conquering one, the EpicMix kids pins are helping motivate the little rippers to get out there and try more.

"Skiing gives you a confidence. You set goals and you want to achieve something. I think that's really important for any young kid," Vonn said to School of Shred pass holders. "If you have the opportunity to ski, that should be taken advantage of."

--Morgan Bast

Blog Post: Top EpicMix pins for kids only

Morgan Bast — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 17:51:00 GMT

Watch out parents - EpicMix unleashed the kids' site. So now all those under the age of 13 can view their vertical feet and days skied, get pins and compare themselves to their family members. Let's just hope you've gotten a few more turns than your little ones this season, or they won't let you live it down.

To get a kids account on EpicMix, a parent needs to login to their account, add the child as a family member and then create an account through EpicMix for the little ripper. All kid's information is kept private so that it is only viewable to their family members. In addition to the kids-only site, families can view all of their information on the go as the iPhone and Android apps have been updated to show the entire family's stats in the Friends & Family feed.

Perhaps the best parts about the new family functions are the kids-only pins. While kids can get almost every pin an adult can get (minus the ones that have a different name but are the same pin) there are a few extra-special pins only for those under the age of 13.

Buck Teeth pin: Earned for riding every lift at Beaver Creek mountain.

Breckfast Sampler pin: Earned for riding every lift at Breckenridge ski resort.

Tree House pin: Earned for covering 3,000 vertical feet this season.

Balloon Ride pin: Earned for covering 25,000 vertical feet in one season.

Glass Half Full pin: Earned for covering 50,000 vertical feet in one season.

Wingardium Leviosa pin: Earned for covering 100,000 feet in one season.

Paper Route pin: Earned for five check-ins on the same lift in a row.

Are We There Yet? pin: Earned for riding every lift on every mountain.

Future Champ pin: Earned for taking on at least five expert runs.

Halo pin: Earned for riding every lift on Heavenly.

Jingling Keys pin: Earned for riding every lift on Keystone.

Going Halfsies pin: Earned for covering 500,000 vertical feet in one season.

Cake pin: Earned for skiing on your birthday.

Honor Student pin: Earned for covering 1,000,000 vertical feet in one season.

Up Up and Away pin: Earned for covering 2,000,000 vertical feet in one season.

Easter Egg pin: Earned for skiing on Easter.

Grown Up pin: Earned for covering 6,000,000 vertical feet this season.

The Hangout pin: Earned for 10 rides on the same lift.

Mountain Goat pin: Earned for riding every lift on Vail mountain.

Doctor's Note pin: Earned for visiting one mountain 25 times in one season.

Infinity & Beyond pin: Earned for covering 100,000 vertical feet on each mountain.

Recess pin: Earned for visiting one mountain 50 times in one season.

--Morgan Bast

Blog Post: Ski passes announced for next season

Morgan Bast — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:43:00 GMT

Vail Resorts announced a the lineup of ski passes for the 2011/2012 ski season today. Skiers and riders can now purchase their pass to Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly, Northstar-at-Tahoe, and Arapahoe Basin for $49 down.

Next season passholders will see new benefits, names and prices for their passes, reflecting the addition of Northstar-at-Tahoe in 2010. Passes available for purchase are the Epic Pass, Epic Local Pass, Epic 7-Day, Summit Value Pass, and the Tahoe Value Pass.

"We worked really hard to determine the best 11/12 season pass lineup for both our local and destination guests," Season Pass Marketing Manager Jill Nadlonek said. "We now have passes that are great for every guest across all seven resorts."

In addition to securing the lowest season pass price, by putting $49 down for next season, passholders will receive exclusive offers on lodging, dining, ski rentals, equipment, ski school and special events for the 2011-2012 ski season as well as access for sightseeing and gondola rides for the 2011 summer. A few passholders will also see other benefits like unlimited skiing and riding at Vail and Beaver Creek in April 2012 and/or two free April lift tickets at Heavenly and Northstar-at-Tahoe if purchased before April 24, 2011. Each pass also has the benefit of six "Ski with a Friend" tickets -- lowering the price on a daily lift ticket for passholders' friends and family. All benefits are explained at epicpass.com

Here are the Vail Resorts ski passes broken down by price and benefits.

Epic Pass
The best deal in the industry, the Epic Pass offers unlimited, unrestricted skiing and snowboarding at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly, Northstar-at-Tahoe and Arapahoe Basin. This pass is a great option for skiers and riders looking to visit over holidays or anyone else who is looking for an unlimited season.
Cost: $649 for adults, $329 for children (ages 5 to 12)
Get it at: epicpass.com

Epic Local Pass
Formerly known as the Colorado Pass, the Epic Local pass offers unlimited and unrestricted skiing or riding at Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin and includes10 restricted days at Vail or Beaver Creek. New this year, it also includes skiing or riding at Heavenly and Northstar-at-Tahoe, with limited restricted days (the same days as restricted at Vail and Beaver Creek). $50 pass holder tickets will be available for purchase during blackout dates at Northstar-at-Tahoe, Heavenly, Vail and Beaver Creek. Epic Local Passholders will also get four buddy tickets ($60 per ticket in Tahoe, $69 in Colorado) if purchased by May 30 as a spring benefit. This pass is perfect for locals that are comfortable navigating a few more restrictions.
Cost: $499 for adults, $379 for teens, $249 for children
Get it at: epicpass.com or coloradopass.com

Epic 7-Day
Perfect for skiers and riders that will only ski seven days next ski season, the Epic 7-day offers unlimited skiing and riding at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, A-Basin, Heavenly, and Northstar-at-Tahoe any seven days of the season. So if you don't want restrictions but will only ski seven days, this pass is perfect for you.
Cost: $499 for adults, $249 for children
Get it at: epicpass.com

Summit Value Pass
A great option for the Summit County skier, the Summit Value pass offers unlimited and unrestricted riding at A-Basin and Keystone, and limited restrictions at Breckenridge. Passholders will have the option to purchase $50 lift tickets at Breckenridge on restricted days. Benefits to this pass include half-priced tickets at Heavenly and Northstar-at-Tahoe, four buddy tickets (if purchased this spring only), and six "Ski-with-a-Friend" tickets.
Cost: $409 for adults, $319 for teens, $209 for children
Get it at: epicpass.com

Tahoe Value Pass
The Tahoe Value Pass is great for those who plan on mostly skiing Heavenly and Northstar-at-Tahoe. The Tahoe Value Pass excludes access to Northstar-at-Tahoe on Saturdays and has holiday blackouts for both resorts during the season but passholders can purchase access to either resort on restricted days for $50 per day. Benefits of this pass include unlimited half price tickets to Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, and Keystone, four buddy tickets (if purchased this spring only), six "Ski-with-a-Friend" tickets, and two free days at Heavenly and Northstar-at-Tahoe in April 2011 if purchased fully before the end of the 2010/2011 season.
Cost: $379 for adults, $299 for teens and seniors, $179 for children
Get it at: epicpass.com

All spring benefits, blackout dates and pass details are listed at epicpass.com. Prices are only guaranteed through May 30, 2011.

--Morgan Bast

Blog Post: How to get the Keystone Conqueror pin

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:06:00 GMT

Dean Pierringer, age 70, Mary Pollack, age 64, and Bill Smith, age 79, getting the Keystone Conqueror pin in two hours and 22 minutes was easy. Think you can live up to schedule these senior skiers set up? First, read how skiing every lift at Keystone ski resort happened. Then, check out their schedule below.

Time	Chairlift	Notes
8:30am	Peru Express	Modest poling [using poles to navigate cat tracks] to a route through the terrain park that avoids all jumps and rails.
8:40am	A51	Smooth off-load requiring no poling to a run down mid-Schoolmarm to Schoolmaster to Gassy Thompson to Lower Schoolmarm to Ina's Way to River Run
8:52am	Summit Express	Easy off load requiring barely two pole pushes to go down Mozart
9:06am	Santiago Express	With no early morning crowds, no poling is necessary to either enter or progress thru the lift line. Debarkation to Anticipation which is all down hill from the lift, cut through to Lower Spillway and coast to the next lift
9:16am	Outback Express	Straight down Elk Run, gain speed thru the flats to get to the next chairlift
9:27am	Wayback	Ski down hill off the lift to Prospector. Turn on cell phone to receive update on progress.
9:41am	Ruby Express	Review progress on the lift, debate brief stop at lower back door of Mountain House...then down Frenchman (no poling on this stretch)
9:59am	Montezuma	Spring Dipper to Missouri to River Run (Whipsaw would have been a preferred Lower Spring Dipper bypass but it was not groomed today)
10:20am	River Run Gondola	Inferior logistical planning: there was at least a 5 minute line slowing down the team. Consensus confirms that taking Gondola at 8:52am would have been smarter, taking Summit Express at 10:20am. Critical email arrives from Meghan during this gondola ride reminding us we must take it from the midpoint as well. Down Spring Dipper to Upper gondola entrance. Taking off and carrying skis generated discussion about potential benefits of younger team members or sherpas.
10:39am	River Run Gondola midpoint	Gratefully, the Gondola crowd had thinned out and we only had to wait for three cars. Further discussion about younger team members and sherpas. After getting back into our skis...downhill all the way to Ranger
10:52am	Ranger	Discussion of younger team members continued, consensus that under 10 and not knowing how to ski would be deal breakers since they ducked the lift line ropes and bumped into us.
10:54am	Park skis at Mountain House	Check cell phone to confirm receipt of pin.
10:55am	Find team photographer	Commemorate achievement.
11:06am	Call EpicMix coordinator	To thank her for all the coaching

- -Mary Pollack

Blog Post: Student wins $100,000 with EpicMix

Morgan Bast — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 00:06:00 GMT

"What would you do?" Marcus DeBergh asked every skier he saw today at Vail mountain. Completely in shock for winning $100,000 with EpicMix, he simply didn't know what he wanted to do with the money and figured someone else could give him a few suggestions.

"I've been told I should invest it, which country I should invest it in, what new gear to buy, and even that I should purchase a barrel of oil," he said. "My mom also said she wanted a new Mercedes."

DeBergh, 27, was entered into the random drawing for simply activating his EpicMix account. His name was drawn on Feb. 23 after the deadline for the EpicMix Holiday contest had closed. Initially hesitant on the emails and phone calls telling him he'd won, he didn't immediately call back thinking it might be a scam.

"I found out with an email yesterday but I didn't quite believe it or three other emails until this morning," DeBergh said. "I pulled into the Vail parking garage and I figured I'd make a phone call before getting out into the beautiful blue sky day. Yeah, it's for real. I'm so just taken aback."

DeBergh celebrated the win with a friend of his by taking a few laps on the slopes, tubing at Adventure Ridge, and toasting with Veuve Cliquot champagne at the Cliquot on the Snow party, which he received and exclusive invite to.

The New York resident is a student in physician's assistant school and was in Vail this week for spring break. He lived in Boulder for the past seven years and has 15 day skied so far this season, all tracked through EpicMix. He's also racked up 213,924 vertical feet skied, 27 pins, and a total of 2,732 points. He said he didn't sign up for EpicMix because of the contest, rather, he thought it was a great way to check out his numbers throughout the season.

"I originally signed up just to try out the Mix and figured it was a no brainer to take all the guess work out of skiing," DeBergh said. "I guess this is the added bonus."

That added bonus may take a while to set in. DeBergh joked about cutting the giant check into little pieces and distributing them to his school's bursar and his landlord.

"School is expensive and the quicker I pay off my loans, the quicker I can get myself back out here," DeBergh said. "Between skiing and riding bikes, it's a burden on the wallet so good gear would be nice."

But what is his first purchase with $100,000?

"Epic Passes forever. Absolutely," he said. "I'll always ski here. You just can't beat it."

--Morgan Bast

Check out a video of DeBergh celebrating at Vail.

Blog Post: EpicMix releases new functionality

Morgan Bast — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 20:32:00 GMT

As if easily tracking your stats on vertical feet, days skied, and terrain conquered wasn't enough - EpicMix is offering $100,000 to a person that activates their account before Feb. 22, 2011. That was big, but now EpicMix is even bigger.

The online and mobile application from Vail Resorts that uses RFID technology to reward pins and help you track your skiing and snowboarding stats is a huge hit at Breckenridge, Heavenly, Keystone, Vail, and Beaver Creek. To date, EpicMix has received accolades from publications such as Fast Company, Wired Magazine and technology experts like Mashable and CNET.

New functionality was just released this week that gives skiers and riders even more capabilities. These functions include:

Family functionality
- Add up to 8 members of your family, including kids
- View the profiles of your family members including private family members including kids
- View a family or friend's view of the leaderboard
- View the stats of your family as a whole (total days skied and total very your family has achieved).
Updated Facebook app
- Check out Snow.com on Facebook for a new look to EpicMix
- View your friends leaderboard in the Facebook app
- View your personal dashboard in the Facebook app
Updated Android app
- More accurate mountain check-ins and updated information
- Stat and broadcast feeds are now fully functioning
- Sort friends by name, rank, or who is on the mountain
- View the number of lift rides as part of your stats
- Send broadcasts to everyone on the mountain or all your friends on the mountain
- View a new selection of broadcast templates
- View updated resort maps
Updated iPhone app
- Get faster page load times
- Log in once and never have to again
- View updated resort maps

More functionality with EpicMix is on the way. The kids site will launch on March 17 and will include kids-specific pins and family functionality on the mobile site.

Don't forget to activate your account before Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011 for a chance to win $100,000 in the EpicMix Holiday Contest.

--Morgan Bast

Blog Post: Win $10,000 with the Vail Film Fest

Morgan Bast — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:54:00 GMT

Face it: even though ski season is almost over, there are still those pieces of gear that you just need out there. Maybe your jacket isn't as stylie as you want. Or that pair of boots is getting too worn out. Or you didn't get to go on that incredible heli trip this year.

While I definitely have those sentiments every year, I can never afford any of those to actually make it happen. This year, however, your dreams may all come true.

The Vail Film Fest in conjunction with Vail Resorts is hosting the EpicMix Ad contest. You could win $10,000 if you create a 30 second ad promoting EpicMix by March 3. A winner will be voted upon socially after judges have selected the top 10.

It shouldn't be too hard to create a video about one of the most technologically advanced projects in the history of the snowsports industry. EpicMix helps connect your activities on the hill with real-time trackable stats, allowing you to connect with friends, count your points, earn pins, and see how much more vertical feet and days skied you have over everyone else on the hill. To date, EpicMix has received accolades from publications such as Fast Company, Wired Magazine and technology experts like Mashable and CNET, so it shouldn't be too hard to get in the Mix. Pun intended.

The videos will be judged on creativity and originality, adherence to the creative assignment, and overall appeal. Any of the top 10 videos may be chosen to be used by Vail Resorts for TV or online promotion -- so thinking outside of the box is welcomed. Your submission should be in commercial form and consistent with the official contest rules. The EpicMix ad contest rules will show you what format to submit in, what the file needs to be and all the technical details you'll need to make the best video of all time.

Think you can create a 30 second video for the chance at the best ski gear and trips for a lifetime? Learn more about the contest at vailfilmfest.com and submit your video. Think of it this way: this time next year you could be living all your ski dreams.

--Morgan Bast

Blog Post: EpicMix Android, iPhone apps now live

Morgan Bast — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 22:41:00 GMT

The mountains are buzzing with new snow, new features and new technology. The EpicMix applications are now live in the Android and iPhone markets. With the ability to check on every piece of your perfect ski day, you may never want to leave the mountains.

Available free to all Android and iPhone users, the new EpicMix app gives you more information than ever. You can now see crystal clear resort maps, check road conditions and weather, broadcast messages to all your Facebook friends connected to EpicMix, see the latest news from the mountains, look at live webcams from the resorts, and check the status and ride time of every chairlift at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Heavenly ski resorts.

Other things you can expect from the app include:

Receive push notifications instantly for pins you earn throughout your ski day as well as when you level up
Never re-login again as the app will remember your username and password
Easy access to your friends' profiles and activity

All this new functionality is on top of tracking your vertical feet and days skied and the latest pins you've earned. Those who have activated their accounts are also entered in to win $100,000 from the EpicMix challenge. You can still activate by Feb. 22 to be entered into the drawing.

More functionality with EpicMix is still coming including the ability to see your friends' latest resort location, a family tab, and of course more pins. Kid's will also have a special EpicMix Kids site where they can login, connect with the app, view their stats. The EpicMix Kids site will be available in the next few weeks.

You still don't need to have your smart phone with you as you ski -- all you need is your pass positioned in the center of your torso and away from electronics -- all your stats will still be captured as they have been so far.

Have a question about the app or EpicMix? See the FAQs or stay engaged by giving feedback to epicmix@vailresorts.com.

--Morgan Bast

Blog Post: Top 5 hardest pins to get on EpicMix

Morgan Bast — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 14:00:00 GMT

Are your thighs made of steel? Do you ski more than anyone else you know? Are you the hungriest, most ambitious, toughest skier or rider there is? Well good. You'll need to be all of those things if you think you can get these pins on EpicMix.

In the past your accomplishments on the hill went unnoticed. Now that EpicMix is here and tracking everything for you, all your friends and family can see what awesome things you did on-mountain. And if you nab any of these pins below, you'll definitely want to brag about it.

Steve Austin Pin
Think you're as strong as the six million dollar man? If you ski more than 6,000,000 feet this season you will be. No need to rebuild or make stronger!

Smorgasbord Pin
Those that will get this pin might have a private jet. Or just an itch to travel. You can only get this pin if you go to all five resorts on EpicMix - Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly in California.

Corduroy Pin
How well do you love groomers? It better be a ton if you want to grab the Corduroy Pin for mastering the entire front side of Vail ski resort.

High Nine Pin
Really dedicated skiers and riders may have already earned this pin. For covering over 900,000 vertical feet you'll get the High Nine Pin.

Tour da Force Pin
While you're visiting all the resorts, racking up vertical feet, and generally being a hard core skier, try getting this pin. If you visit all the resorts with EpicMix for a total of 100 days, you'll definitely be a Tour da Force.

-- Morgan Bast

Blog Post: EpicMix pins to get on opening day

Morgan Bast — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 16:16:00 GMT

EpicMix, the new social media tool from Vail Resorts that will let you share your on-mountain experience online and reward you with pins for your accomplishments, launches the opening day at Keystone resort -- November 5. Skiers and riders can get up to 10 pins that day for their achievements - find out which ones you'll be vying for first.

Pioneer Pin
When you use your pass the first day EpicMix is live, and only on this day, you'll get the Pioneer Pin. Getting the Pioneer Pin shows your friends what bragging couldn't - you were the first this season to ski.

Opening Day Keystone
Get this pin November 5 at Keystone when it opens - collect all five resorts' opening day pins by skiing every opening day.

First Run Pin
As you take your first run, you'll automatically score the First Run pin - something you can only get once and will remember forever.

Three's Company Pin
Think you can ski 3,000 vertical feet that first day at Keystone? You'll have to get there early to try.

Lock'n Key Pin
The first time you check in at Keystone ski resort you'll nab the Lock'n Key Pin.

First Chair Pin
One of the hardest pins to get because of the stiff competition that awaits you - the first ten people who's passes are scanned on November 5 at Keystone will get the First Chair Pin. Gentlemen, start your engines.

Unlocked
Be one of the first 100 people at Keystone scanned and you'll be the only ones to get the unlocked pin for the entire season.

The Monogamist Pin
Find your one true chair and stick with it. If you get scanned on the same lift ten times in a row, you'll get the Monogamist Pin showing your soul mate.

Old School Pin
Think you have age beyond wisdom? Those who may only be young at heart, but old in age may be able to snag the Old School Pin - a pin reserved for the oldest person on the mountain that day.

Youngin' Pin
If you can read this, or can read in general, chances are you're not going to get the Youngin' Pin. The Youngin' Pin is for the youngest person that gets their pass scanned on the mountain that day.

Blog Post: Building EpicMix: behind the scenes

Morgan Bast — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 17:53:00 GMT

Facebook appeared out of a dorm room. Twitter started in a brainstorming session. EpicMix, the new technology from Vail Resorts which will track a person's ski activity and link the information to their social networks, took three years, five departments, five resorts and multiple revisions.

"The challenge became how we could get flexibility," Pete Lorenzen, Director of Lift Maintenance for Vail Resorts said. "The objective was one size fits all, but each one of these installations is virtually custom at every lift."

In order to get 99 percent accuracy on a ski pass being read, something Andy Shenberger, Managing Director for Information Technologies at Vail Resorts is passionate about; every installation considered three components.

In designing the gantrys, the structure a skier or snowboarder will go through at the base of every lift in order to get scanned for EpicMix, "we thought about the physical placement, RFID field strength and skier safety," Shenberger said. Four pods are placed on the gantry that will be able to pick up the signal from a person's ski pass from within 30 feet - depending on how fast a person goes through the structure and what angle they are at. That crowd chemistry was considered in the gantry placement (skiers move faster at the top of a lift) as well as both how safe a person will be when getting scanned for EpicMix and how safe the technology will be in the modified gun cases housing the antennas.

"What is the lifespan of these installations? If it doesn't get hit by a snowcat? A few years." Lorenzen said. "The biggest threat to the gantrys is a snowcat." Beyond snowcat abuse, every structure was designed modularly, meaning as new technology is created, new technology can be installed.

"As new inventions relating to RFID (Radio Frequency identification) comes along, we can change components out," Shenberger said. "Who knows what we'll be able to do in the future - mobile readers or something for events - it's all possible."

The average skier or rider won't have to worry about any of these technical components when starting to use EpicMix. The only things of the project a skier will see are their own ski pass, the gantry they ski under, and the website or mobile app where they'll find all the information they've been collecting all day.

For more information on how you'll be able to use EpicMix, go to snow.com/epicmix.

(Please visit the site to view this video)

Wiki: Epic Mix - Wiki

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 07:11:00 GMT

Group: Epic Mix

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 03:11:00 GMT

The newest technology to hit the slopes at Vail Resorts - a social media platform that lets you track your vertical feet, days skied, and more to share with friends and collect pins.

Forum: Epic Mix - Forum

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 03:11:00 GMT