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Hands-free lift passes

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
The big resorts have been slow to bring in the microchip loaded hands-free passes which are so convenient for skiers and boarders - just slip it in your pocket and the lift gates are opened without all that fiddling about.

Yet the large resorts such as Les Arcs, La Plagne, Meribel, Courchevel have not yet brought them in. However, one large area - Paradiski - has decided to implement the scheme and for 2004/05 will have all gates operated by microchip. A deposit of 3 euros for a hands-free pass will be re-imbursed when you return it.

The Dolomiti Superski which contains 12 unlinked resorts is also bringing in the scheme.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Recent thread on this here
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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?
thanks PG - did not see this thread snowHead
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The Dolomiti Superski pass was definitely a chip card last season, I used one in early February in Canazei.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Val d'Aosta uses hand free now (or the ones that cut your chin if you'd prefer). The big problem with them is that they can trigger the gate before you're ready to go through and you can end up with one leg on either side of it. Very Happy
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The ones at Sauze are good value provided you get a good one. My mate got a poor one which didn't read very well. Consequently he had to do his jack russel performance on the gate every time, much to the amusement of the rest of us
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
The Portes du Soleil has had them for a few years now, and they've worked really well. Apparently the Saalbach/Hinterglemm area has too. I'll know for sure in 7 and a bit weeks.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Madonna di Campiglio has had them for the last 4 years at least. You can even buy a Swatch watch with the chip built in which they re-charge for you as required.

And the longer duration passes have a scanned photo on them - your picture pops up on the lift's monitor as you go through.
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After the effortless skiing in the Porte du Soleil our group is going back to Courchevel in March. Do they still operate the old picture ski pass? Puzzled
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After the effortless skiing in the Porte du Soleil our group is going back to Courchevel in March. Do they still operate the old picture ski pass? Puzzled
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Roy Hockley, yes, yes.
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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.
If all the lift companies start using micro-chip passes, what will happen to the age old pass-time of winking at the sultry looking lift chick who checks your pass?
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
If all the lift companies start using micro-chip passes, what will happen to the age old pass-time of winking at the sultry looking lift chick who checks your pass?
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Having used one of these chip cards in Tonale this march, I can vouch for the 'boobs out - limbo routine' whilst trying to get it to register......... or bashing the upper leg when entering but not looking at the gate properly.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Quote:

'boobs out - limbo routine' whilst trying to get it to register


Ah yes - bowing to the great deity with the green light on his head! That's where the Swatch would come in handy, I would think
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
RachelQ - they have hands-free passes in Saalbach. The majority of Austrian resorts have had them for some time now. I've noticed the difference in queuing time compared to the traditional passes. In peak season I've barely queued for more than 5 mins once on the mountain. Before it took twice as long with people digging around in their pockets etc.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Thanks hayley t, I thought I'd read somewhere that they did. Here's hoping that there is snow to queue for at Christmas!
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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?
Fingers crossed for you RachelQ!
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A couple of pictures taken this weekend of the new hands-free gates in Les Arcs:





(Edited images to make them a bit smaller - are they small enough?)


Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Wed 27-10-04 12:43; edited 1 time in total
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Quote:


You can define the size of your images by modifying the tag thus:- "[img=width,height]" , where the dimensions are specified in pixels. Please use this facility to restrict the size of displayed images in the forum.



Confused Shocked Laughing
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Sorry Alan Craggs are they too big? With broadband I tend not to think about file sizes anymore. Is there a recommended size for images?
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Might be mistaken, but restricting the dimensions as above doesn't affect the size (in k) of the image, does it?
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
A recommended size for images.....is a link Wink
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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.
PG wrote:
Might be mistaken, but restricting the dimensions as above doesn't affect the size (in k) of the image, does it?


No. The browser downloads the whole image, then resizes it. I think.
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Thank god for that, going to La Plagne twice this season, and been very near to losing passes in the past sliding down the hill on my side/backside Laughing Very Happy
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
skanky, just tried it with the above image (first one) shrinking down from current 680 x 510 to 500 x 300. New 'shrunken' image is still 98806 bytes, so all it does is change the appearance rather than the size in bytes...
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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.
rob@rar.org.uk and PG - well I suppose there are 2 things to consider here, yes on broadband the actual file size is not usually a problem, but even so do you not agree that large images in threads tend to disrupt the flow of things? Maybe you don't Laughing
but if you do, then how about :- if it's your own image, you can change the file size. If it's a link then you can't do that, but if it is a large picture you can resize it using the image tags, if it's a large file as well then maybe best to link with a warning for dial up users?

PG, how did you resize rob's image?

rob - if they're smaller, what were they before Puzzled Shocked
PS I may not reply for a couple of days Cool
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
PG, thought that was the case (from saving resized images in the past).
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
last year they added the rfid gates at kopaonik, and its much better. still serbs cant queue, but noone apart from the british can REALLY queue properly anyway. i love them, think they are a great idea. and its about 5 euros returnable deposit.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
dnc, I forget which American writer said it (might have been Bill Bryson), but he thought that if Communism had been tried first in Britain, and not Russia, it would still be going strong, because the British know how to queue!
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
laundryman, yeah sounds about right. although there is still a tendancy here for people to join lines even if they dont know what people are queuing for (but usually thats the older generation).

if people cut in front of me i just stare resolutely at them hoping to make them feel bad - but it never seems to work. thats one of the advantages of being a boarder i guess - pity im british so i just cant take full advantage of it and walk up the middle of the queuing skiiers (as happens a lot over here).
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
i take the opinion, women and children first, so i push in as much as possible, especcially in front of boarders Mad

i just got a transparent pocket on the bottom of my jacket, just lift the bottom part n they see it.

so wouldnt really bother me having the swipe cards or whatever. would probly mean more messing about for me.
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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?
heh, but its hard to push in front of boarders, especially ones like me who carry their boards onto the lifts. the good thing about the RFID passes is that you just need to be relatively close to the sensor plate, so no swiping or needing to touch anything. if you arent careful you can get your feet stuck in the mechanism if you are strapped into your board though. hours of fun.

brings me onto a slightly unrelated topic, but i do want to execute anyone who scuffs up my board when queuing.
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Getting stuck in the mechanism reminds me of seeing a rather ungainly, lanky guy getting near the sensor plate and the merest nudge from his right leg as he moved forward setting the gate bar rolling over, effectively leaving his left leg behind. So he was stranded, straddling the gate, with people right up behind him jostling to get through next, his mates had all moved on and couldn't stop for fear of stopping everyone else.

The guy just got more and more worked up, until someone finally decided to pop his left binding, allowing him to get his leg over. We weren't laughing.....much....honest!
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
yeah thats happened to me before. the joys of step in bindings. it does make me dream of a ski resort designed for snowboarders though (maybe a slightly different system bearing in mind that you might be strapped in with your board as you try and go through), and no sodding drag lifts. oh and no flat bits linking up the runs.
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We had them in Flaine earlier this year, the person monitoring the lift was saying something in French...something then 'gauch'. Someone then told me that you had to put them in your left pocket for it to work! Doh...

That was what was kinda holding the queue up, that or burrying the pass under all the layers of clothing so it didn't get picked up!
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
yeah they had to be in the left for them to work, although they were buried with a hip flask, glasses case, goggle cloth, mobile phone, keys, and some assorted sweets and no problems. occasionally you had to rub your side up against the sensor - which looks pretty funny, but not less funny than the general look of people strapped to giant long boards attached to their feet (or the best, skiiers trying to walk in their boots... hilarious!).
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Davos/Klosters has had Radio linked passes that automatically open turnstiles at lifts since the winter season 92/3. There were so many 'owners' of various lifts in the system that it was an early adopter of the technology.
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colinmcc, The PDS adopted the "SkiData" system (which I believe is the dominant provider) early on as revenues from lift passes are shared amongsth the operating resports/companies/old familes who own the fields/etc. So if you buy your pass in Chatel and only ski there, they'll get all/most of the cash. If you buy it in Crosets and ski all day in Avoriaz, the division will be different. I think this is probably the driver for most of the installations seen.

Presumambly Tignes and Val D'Isere find some other way of co-operating.
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