 Poster: A snowHead
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This Natives report on the work under way to install new card-reading turnstiles in Les Arcs. Should be quite a number in place for the coming season. About time too - a number of smaller resorts, such as Orcières-Merlette in the southern French Alps, have had this system in place for 3 or 4 years now...
Where else is this system operational in France, or in other Alpine countries?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Serre Chevalier has had it for some time. At least individual lifts have access control from a pass in your pocket. Not sure if they are linked up by underground F/O cable as is being done at Les Arcs. That seems to be a very expensive way to collect data. Here's a very extensive wireless system in Austria
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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The Bernese Oberland has also had these cards for some time now, this year they changed the design slightly so that they now digitally store the pictures of the card holders and these flash up on view screens at some of the lift stations so they can check for card mis use, unfortunately they print the users picture in B&W on the card, I say unfortunately as the pictures are distorted in the printing giving some very strange results 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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They (the Bernese Oberland) only have the pictures on "long term" passes, not the weekly ones.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Elizabeth B, very true, though all the passes are now electronic, (except possibly the day passes ?) you only have pics for more than 2 weeks, at least now you don't need to take passport pics with you, they will scan an existing pic or even take your pic there in the station office
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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D G Orf, even the day passes are electronic. Ise used one when we met in Murren last year.
Do they link up with the electronic photos that SBB have of you?
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Skiwelt has had them for a number of years and I seem to remember Saas Fee has them too...I think the French have been holding back on this one...
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Elizabeth B, ah I wasn't sure of the day passes, I have no idea on the SBB side of things but I have a feeling that they probably don't at least not at the moment
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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They had this in Passo Tonale on my first ever ski trip, seve years ago, and it had been there for at least a season. Best thing ever, for me.
I think they had it at courmayeur as well, about 5 yrars beack
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The milky way (Sauze D'Oulx, Sestriere et al) has a hands free system and has done for a few years.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Morzine/Avoriaz (in fact I think all the Portes du Soleil resorts) have this system.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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When we went to Serre Chevalier with schools, there always seemed to be huge ques! I think this system slows everyone down = not good!
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| Elizabeth B wrote: |
D G Orf, even the day passes are electronic. Ise used one when we met in Murren last year.
Do they link up with the electronic photos that SBB have of you? |
wow..... good memory, I don't even recall that
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You know it makes sense.
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Nadenoodlee, whenever schools are in resorts there are always ques 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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My view is the French resorts have been slow to go electronic to keep a few of the locals in jobs. Austria has been electronic for years, much better system as there's nothing worse that fiddling about to show yours pass when in a blizzard. this is what I dislike most about French resorts. Great skiing and a refusal to leave the dark ages regarding lift passes. Feel much better for having said that. 
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Poster: A snowHead
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As I understand is Scraggsyk, there's a very good reason that a lot or Fench resorts haven;t implemented hands-free passes, and the reason is shared with a lot of North American resorts :
PEOPLE.
While Hands-free technology is costly, the main reason that lots of places don;t use it is that they're under pressure from unions, governments, little space aliens etc (ok, I made that up) to actually employ people to check tickets, as that way they have more employment etc. Sounds quite reasonable put that way, although still annoying as it means fiddling round trying to get your ticket out at ecery lift
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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With the electronic passes and all the computer gear that goes with them why don't the reosrts offer you a printout at the end of the week so you can have a look at where you've been? They could even go a step further and stick a printer at a few choice exits so you even take a look at each day's sliding. It doesn't even need to be a free system I know I'd pay a few quid to see what I'd done in a week.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Fenland Skier, I'm not sure that that wouls be the case we've had hands free passes in La Rosiere/La Thuile, the Espace San Barnado for some time, but they cost 3.5 Euros more than standard passes. Most visitors buy the standard passes. I guess they'd rather faff around at the lifts, finding their pass, inserting it into the slot etc. After all 3.5 Euros is at least 2 beers.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Will all of the Les Arc domain be fitted with electronic gates for the forthcoming season, or will it be a combination of e-passes and photo-passes?
Regards
Rob
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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rob@rar.org.uk, Following is a breakdown of the new developments around the Les Arcs domain, including the location of the electronic turnstiles for the coming season.....
Most development is being undertaken in the Peisey Vallandry sector:
Three years after the construction of the high-speed Peisey chairlift, the ‘Grizzly’, another high-speed 6-seater is being built, replacing the ‘Plan de L’Ours’ quad. From Vallandry the Grizzly gives access to the Arcs domain slopes in less than 10 minutes, climbing to nearly 2300m at the top of the Plan Peisey sector. This should limit the queues on the notorious Vallandry chair (for a while, given the MGM/Club Med and various other developments under way….) Easy and quick run down to the Transarc at 1800. Access from the top to the Ecureuils black, two reds (Perdrix/Blanchot) and a new blue (down to the Renard/Coq intersection). The Forêt piste from the top of the Grizzly is being extended to the Vallandry chair arrival station. 5 new snow guns at the end of the Aigles piste, 6 on the ‘retour Peisey’ run from the Ecureuils intersection to the Peisey chair bottom station, 2 at the end of the Perdrix piste.
Grizzly chair: 1612m – 2281m
capacity 2,400 p/h journey time 8 mins.
Arc 1600
- snowpark – two new rope rows
- new sledging area between the Ski Club chalet, the Cachette piste and the Cascade building
'Hands free'… first turnstiles installed at the Vanoise Express cable car last season. All the main lines to be equipped for this winter, a total of 80 gates in all. Anti fraud in that the scanner lights up with a different colour for children’s passes. Will be in place for the start of next season across the whole Paradiski domain. La Rosière is already equipped, the 3 Valleys and Espace Killy to follow before 2010…
Les Arcs locations:
Cachette high speed chair
Mont Blanc chair
Arc en Ciel funicular
Gollet chair
la Vagère high speed chair
Villards high speed chair
Transarc gondola
Charmettoger chair
Varet gondola
Aiguille Rouge cable car
Plagnettes high speed chair
Marmottes high speed chair
Bois de l'Ours high speed chair
Lanchettes chair
Plan des Violettes chair
Comborcière chair
Pré Saint Esprit chair
The Chantel chair will be free from next season as the SMA didn’t want to install electronic turnstiles there – adding to the Carreley and Jardin Alpin chairlifts which are already free, the Lauzières drag and the ‘Espace Enfants’…..
Peisey Vallandry locations:
Grizzly high speed chair
Peisey high speed chair
Vallandry high speed chair
Plan Bois chair
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks PG, that's excellent. It looks like all the main lifts will be done for this season. I really hate having to dig out my pass when the weather is bad and I'm all "sealed up" against the elements. Electronic passes should see the end of that!
Do you know if the Grizzly chair has been installed all ready, or are they yet to complete it?
Regards
Rob
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Turnstiles? Electronic passes?
Down in the Espace Lumiere we just have some locals loitering around at the resort level lifts who may, but usually don't, look at your pass on your first trip up. If you come back to the same lift again they'll invariably wave you through.
They're a bit more serious about it on the Pra Loup side but you could probably get through by flashing your library card.
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rob, as far as I know the main structures are in place, just needs a few finishing touches....
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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 ben wright, brings back good memories.... hope to make a trip down to Pra-Loup one weekend over the early past of the season for the Grand Prix St Antoine, waiting for dates at moment, usually Jan.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
After all 3.5 Euros is at least 2 beers
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I'm with Dan on this. €3.5 would just about get you one 250ml glass of beer in most French resorts these days. Then again, local knowledge is very important in this regard.
As for the cards I'd pay an extra €3.5 for a day pass if it saved all the faffing around with lift tickets. It's also a great way to establish that you have your pass at the start of the day rather than skiing for 3 hours and being miles from the apartment before some smug b******d pulls you up about it and forces you to buy a day pass..........I know , I've done it 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| rob@rar.org.uk wrote: |
| Thanks PG, that's excellent. It looks like all the main lifts will be done for this season. I really hate having to dig out my pass when the weather is bad and I'm all "sealed up" against the elements. |
The great thing about les Arcs was buying a lift pass was optional. If you climbed beyond the first lift you could ski all day without any control. Not any more. The les Arcs bars will miss my custom.
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Unlike the mega ski stations,drinks are not expensive in La Roserie, I paid 1.8 Euros for a demi-pression in most bars last season. Masque probably paid even less but he'd get a discount for quantity.
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You know it makes sense.
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I'm not quite sure what that's got to do with "ski hands-free in Les Arcs", or "drink hands-free in Les Arcs" for that matter. Is it permissible to drink beer with a straw?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Can't recall how much the hands free cards cost in Portes du Soleil, probably 3 or 4 euros, but once you have bought it you can reuse it year after year, should you so wish ... and as you use it more you get loyalty bonuses of some kind, no doub't you'll get a free day after several weeks or something ?
Is this something that the other 'hands free' areas do ?
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Poster: A snowHead
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| masmith wrote: |
Can't recall how much the hands free cards cost in Portes du Soleil, probably 3 or 4 euros, but once you have bought it you can reuse it year after year, should you so wish ... and as you use it more you get loyalty bonuses of some kind, no doub't you'll get a free day after several weeks or something ?
Is this something that the other 'hands free' areas do ? |
The PdS, unlike many other areas, don't do refunds on the cards though, so in their case it's a charge rather than a deposit.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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What's with all this "digging passes out of pockets"???
Years ago I bought a little pouch-on-an-armband in which I put my pass. The pouch has a little plastic window in it to allow the pass to be inspected/bar code scanned or whatever. After putting it on at the beginning of the day I never have to use my hands again.
Why don't more people use these? I certainly haven't seen too many around, and people have often commented on its convenience.
The only time I've run into problems was at a US hill where the first liftie insisted that I use their wire stick-in clip to attach the pass to my jacket, to prevent me from recycling the pass to someone else.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I hate those things, if it's a spring day I might well take my jacket off
I have one of the armband thingies too, can be vry useful
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Acacia, Ahh the faithful Wally Badge! ( sorry - just a joke we have between my friends and I) I love getting into the heaving que and laughing at the terrible pictures people are happy enough to tape to their arm! Excellent!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Nadenoodlee,
Where I ski, the only passes that have pictures are the seasons passes.
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Megève and Les Contamines have had RF 'vicinity' passes for the last two, possibly three, seasons. I find it very convenient, and it leads to fewer losses!
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rob@rar.org.uk, Its good news isn't it. 2 years ago I lost my ski pass and had to buy another in Les Arcs. They were very good and gave me a refund when I found it in a deep inside pocket on the last day of my week!
Montrerosa is hands free too - essential for January skiing. The only disadvantage is that I wont have a pass to add to my collection that show a progressive loss of hair but improvement in dress sense over that decades.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Madesimo uses the Swatch system (the chip is inside a wirstwatch).
Until last year it was in use at dolomiti superski too.
From this season the dolomiti superski will use the chip card system instead of the Swatch one.
One had to ppurchase separately the swatch wirstwach, which could also be used in other places, like Madesimo, or Galtuer...
The chip card, probably, will be useable only in the resort where it is issued.
Reading the dolomitisupeski site, it is my understanding that for passes valid more than 8 days the chip card wil be free, for passes under 8 days, if bought on the spot, the cost will be 3 €, but if pre-ordered via the site it will be cost free.
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Don't see what the hassle is.
They had this system in Davos/Klosters last year. They take a digital photo of you when you buy the card - the photo not only appears on the card, but can be read by the gate and displayed on a telly next to the entrance ! All duration passes have the photo. Process is quick, efficient (but then, it was Switzerland).
Card readers are powerful enough to read the thing even if the card's buried in the depths of a pocket along with all the other accumulated junk and detritus that tends to collect over a week or 2 on piste.
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FAQ
A lot of high level stations just check the pass at the valley level and then not again (apart from the odd spot check), if you need to keep showing your pass it's somewhere naff where the skiing's at or below the road level 