 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Bode Swiller, I bet it wont replace the free paper folding job 
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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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Boredsurfing, they'll be phased out just like yer phone book. Progress.
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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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I've skied 30+ weeks in Megève and didn't recognise any of the pistes - it all seems peculiarly distorted.
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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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laundryman, on that youtube promo it does, I agree. On an iPhone you can take yourself down a particular run undistorted.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Pure cr*p who needs it
If one isn't capable of following a piste map, God help us
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I collect piste maps as a hobby! What shall I do now?
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I like the bit where they are giving you skiing lessons 
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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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wouldn't do for me - or, probably, many other older skiers. I can't read a phone at all out skiing, when I wear goggles with distance vision correction inserts. I find the screens hard to read in bright light even if I dig my reading specs out. Piste maps printed on paper are a bit easier.
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I think these satellite navigation devices and mobile phone piste maps are wonderful. But they would be even better if someone would take a picture of all their screens and staple them together into some sort of book that is big enough to read.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I like this video. Great way to show the terrain.
However I just LOVE piste maps. For me it tells everything about the resort and I could not imagine to go somewhere without spending hours looking on the piste map.
It gives me the "picture" of the resort and I've never understood some of my friends who are happy to completely ignore,
do not even look at piste map, if there is someone else with them to show them around.
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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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Tom W While I agree with you about the joy of a piste map and the ability to pour over it in the bar to plan your day etc they are very bad at giving you a "picture" of the resort just as the London Underground map is poor at giving you a "picture" of London due to their graphical nature. Sure, they both give you a clue of how to get from A to B but the actual physical juxtaposition of various elements of the resort are extremely distorted.
I too have friends who never look at a piste map but are happy to follow a leader. I think they like the element of surprise when they "discover" where they are with phrases such as "Oh, this is that bar we were in the other day isn't it?"
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Great planning tool or to get a feel for the resort before booking..but once on the mountain, I think the paper maps still got long days ahead of them..
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You know it makes sense.
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Kruisler I agree. After all, try persuading a liftie to give you a new i-phone when yours slips out of your gloved hand on the lift.
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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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Just anther lump of plastic to stick in your pocket, and not everyone has an iPhone. Paper map for me, although I tend to just head off and read the big piste maps at the lift stations.
Anyone see Dragon's Den recemtly with a similar gadget (maybe it is the same thing) - Peter Jones decided to tuck in to it
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Poster: A snowHead
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Tiger2, I totally agree with you. It did not mean they will tell you everything. But there is still a lot of info to be taken from the piste map.
It is just me having too much time in the office so I can not help but look at the map, try to figure out all the connections between pistes, lifts, hights etc. Even further I search for the pictures on the web and try to find it on the piste map.
Madness
Going back to "friends" - I could show some of them a few piste maps and they will not recognise the resort they've been to couple of seasons ago...
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Fri 26-03-10 10:56; edited 1 time in total
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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 happens when you can't get a signal?
And for a sophisticated piece of software, the web site is rubbish.
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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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| Quote: |
Going back to "friends" - I could show some of them a few piste maps and they will not recognise the resort they've been to couple of seasons ago...
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Tom W I know them! Indeed some of mine even watch the tour video and can't remember having been there either! 
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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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| Mike Pow wrote: |
what happens when you can't get a signal?
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Does it rely on downloading data live? How much is will that cost for the data roaming charge?
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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If forced into buying an iphone, can you read the screen in bright snow conditions?
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i-phones, why is it that everyone who has one acts like they invented it 
They have pretty much become the "shell suit" of mobile phones. Will stick with a paper map for now.
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I love stuff like this, but would probably not use it in resort. I'd use it before I went out somewhere to see what it was like. It's like Google Streetview but for skiing (check out Google streetview of Whistler if you haven't seen as they've streetviewed the pistes).
The main problem I find with using an iPhone over the winter, is that you can't use the touch screen wearing gloves. Too much hassle taking golves off to use it repeatedly. That said I did use my iPhone on the skiwelt website to tell me where I was when the OH skied off in front, I lost her and she had my piste map and hers!
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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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The future of the method of delivery. I think the piste map will continue.
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Hi All,
Thanks for all your comments, good and bad; it’s extremely useful to understand how people react to what we’ve been busy developing. As Eyeski is new, we still have the chance to take on board what you would like to see as well as understanding what you think doesn’t work. I’ve tried to answer your queries below. All comments are very welcome:
WHAT IS IT?
An interactive ‘real image’ environment for ski resorts. Actual video/images of slopes, junctions, villages, restaurants, hotels, bars, shops, ski schools and hire shops (inside and out) are filmed from a skier’s point of view perspective using 360 spherical video. Images are combined with graphics and other data, including GPS, to create guides, points of information and clickable applications for online and mobile users.
MOBILE PLATFORM
When used on a mobile phone (many, not just iPhone), Eyeski also provides users with a range of location-based tools and real time information, including an emergency button, friend-finder, child-finder, route tracker, how to get to…, statistics, chat, lift waiting times, restaurant and bar info, offers, resort news service, vouchers and events.
LAUNCH RESORTS
We are in partnership with a range of resorts throughout Europe and the US. Megeve is our launch resort and the main event will take place in April this year. The website is under wraps until the launch so check back in mid-April. Eyeski is available on mobile now in beta, but is currently being developed for full launch in several big resorts at the end of the year. We’ve spent the last year filming and preparing for the worldwide launch.
WHO’S IT FOR
- Those planning a ski holiday who want to have a proper look around a resort before they go, as well as the accommodation etc. and also book things
- Those travelling with mixed ability groups, or groups of friends in general who want to plan the level and time spent skiing a little more
- Those interested in continuing to interact with their ski group out of season as well as in. Good for a little nostalgia.
- Families with children, couples and generally people who don’t want to get lost, or people who want a little more confidence about their location, as well as that of their friends and family.
Boredsurfing/Nickski
Intention is not to abandon paper piste maps, there will probably always be a market. However, ski resorts are highly environmentally conscious these days and they need to cut down on the millions of maps printed and thrown away on the slopes every season. You can do a lot more on a mobile device, and they’re becoming so powerful these days so it makes sense to expand into this area.
laundryman
Pistes in the video are: Alpette and the lower part of Pylone from Mont D’Arbois. There are also some shots of Mouillettes/Rosiere in there.
All resorts are filmed in spherical video media i.e. 360 degrees which creates what is known as a ‘world view’. When you access the video on your mobile, you see only the skier’s forward view. Online users have a choice: as the footage is filmed using separate lenses you can view the 360 view or the view from each individual lens, or a view we cut and pull together to follow, for example, a ski instructor. You can follow skiers down and around a slope, or you can turn your head on the way down to have a look around.
Bones
We ski the slopes with instructors (ESF here) to give you an idea of some of the best routes.
pam w/Achilles
We’ve used a high contrast interface to overcome the sunlight issue, but to be honest, the brightness of phone screens has improved tremendously in the last couple of years making the sunlight issue much less of an issue. And it’s not just on the iPhone of course.
Rayscoops
Eyeski has been developed for lots of different phone platforms, not just iPhone, so you don’t need to have one to get it. We’ve developed some really useful and practical tools for users on the slopes – the video is the promo side, but our mobile phone Router, stats and friend-finder/groups are the tools that you can really use. For example, if you’re skiing with a mixed level group, you can plan a little more, avoid specific slopes and stick to a rough timetable that doesn’t end with you getting stuck and having to get the bus home.
For info, the Dragon’s Den device is a separate piece of kit like a Garmin that costs around 300 to buy and doesn’t use any real images or video, which is where Eyeski is completely unique. They only have a limited mobile app which is pretty much the same, or more limited, than several others currently on the market. And you have to pay. Eyeski is free for your mobile, and free online!
Tom W
If you like to spend time in the office looking around a resort, you’ll like the Eyeski online platform when it’s up in April. You can explore everywhere in video/images to re-run your favourite pistes and then plan where you might want to ski next season. Plot some favourite routes online then send them to your phone to follow when you’re out on the piste. You can add friends to your ski group and ski with them, and if you lose them, check your phone and it’ll tell you where they’ve gone.
Mike Pow/Rob@rar
Major point: The application is all loaded onto your phone – you don’t need a signal to use it and therefore you also won’t get hit with a massive data roaming bill (rob@rar). Website is only an advert until mid-April launch at the Megeve High Tech Show – still relatively early stages for us.
Adie, for what it’s worth, I don’t disagree with you – I work on a good old fashioned PC! There are millions of iPhone applications out there, everybody’s got one. Eyeski is far more than that: explore a real image resort environment on our website in April and use it on multiple mobile platforms in April or later this year.
Hammerite/Adrian
A big part of the Eyeski platform (online and mobile) is providing people with the ability to explore a ski resort online in real images at point-of-view before they go. You can really get a good look around. Google Streetmap is actually pretty limited, and we don’t think it works for snow as there just aren’t enough features to keep you interested while you’re busy clicking through the images. We’re using much faster paced 360 video that gives you the full view, and we’ve filmed private slopes, junctions and roads as well as the inside and outside of hotels, restaurants and ski hire shops. Everything’s overlayed with graphics so you can click and go in, book things and see exactly where you are and what things look like. Resorts are private domains; Google cannot get that level of access.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me.
James
Eyeski
E james@eyeski.tv
T www.twitter.com/EyeskiTV
F www.facebook.com/pages/eyeskitv/96587837521
L http://uk.linkedin.com/in/eyeski
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Brilliant.
Thank you for taking the time to respond to my, and others, comments.
I wish you all the success.
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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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This looks interesting. And I could certainly imagine myself using it from my computer at home ahead of a trip to get a feel for what the place is like (how close places are to each other and what they really look like; bars, pistes, hotels, chalets etc) .
I'm still not really that sure that it would add that much once you are in resort and on the slopes. As others have mentioned I still feel a lot happier fumbling with a paper piste map (dropping it in the snow, spilling beer on it etc) rather than my mobile. And of course there is the issue of whether you would need to charge people to make this service work? (piste maps are of course free to pick up)
And whilst if it is pre loaded you won't rack up huge roaming charges, presumably it would need to be roaming to "book" the restaurant like the video suggests?
That said the idea of being able to click on the images to access more information is very appealing. It would certainly work best I suspect with roaming, but until we agree on flat EU roaming charges that could be a bit of a stumbling block. Once all this information has been gathered for a resort I wonder how easy it would subsequently be to link it to some sort of augmented reality function? (not that I've really seen one of these that works and of course they all rely on roaming to know where you are).
How often would it be realistic to update it? If it wasn't done at least annually it would risk becoming outdated very quickly.
Interesting idea though and one I'd be keen to see develop. Good luck.
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junorton4, Great. I will use it a lot before I go. I hope you add some Austrian resorts soon
In Serfaus website - for example - there are slopes movies attached to the interactive piste map. Videa + a little dot moving and showing the distance and hight. Brilliant.
http://www.serfaus-fiss-ladis.at/en/winter/winter-panorama/
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You know it makes sense.
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Thanks Mike Pow, much appreciated.
Nozawaonsen
I agree, current paper piste maps are certainly not going to disappear any time soon, but if you take a longer view, and we have a five year development deal with some of the resorts that we've partnered with (i.e. this is not a 'here today, gone tomorrow iPhone app') then you've got to think about how mobiles will develop further during this time, how the mass market will adopt them and what benefits that sort of capability will bring to everyone in terms of mobile media delivery and location based tools specifically. We've produced some really practical and useful tools for our online and mobile users - it's not just about the pretty pictures. You'll see more from April.
Eyeski will also be free, specifically to ensure that people give it a go and see what it can actually do.
Re: roaming charges, we're using some non-data text based services, but there are also options to use some data services with Eyeski - that being said, if you use data with Eyeski, it will never download video/pictures, only ever small amounts of text based info. In addition, Megeve in particular actually has a resort wide wireless (near-wimax) network which again points to the future for us and what we are planning to do. For example, stand at one of our Eyeski wifi points in resort and download/upload data on the wifi network without incurring any data roaming costs. You also mentioned Augmented Reality, which is again a big part of our plans for the next couple of seasons, as well as some other really interesting technology that we're developing with Megeve. Continuing development into these areas is the key to maintaining an interesting and up to date service for winter sports enthusiasts. We have some big plans. Thanks for your best wishes.
Tom W
We are working with a massive Austrian resort at the moment and will be filming 2, if not 3 major Austrian venues before the end of this season. Will have a look at your link, cheers.
One last thing...
Rayscoops mentioned Dragon's Den earlier in this blog and I actually wrote an article on Satski last week after their appearance on Dragon's Den to offer what we believed to be a very cumbersome, outdated and costly solution. We've seen very little in the way of good feedback on the products on here or anywhere else. See interesting article in the Mail today:
http://tiny.cc/6dgw0
Thanks again all.
James
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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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Tom W, I have just returned from a week's ski-ing in Corvara - it was our family's 3rd visit. we spent most of the time in the Alta Badia area, but my wife & I did the Sella Ronda one day.
I am struggling to find detailed piste maps for that part of the sella ronda outside the alta badia area ( going anitclockwise - say, from selva to arraba.
Do you have any tips on how to view the detailed piste maps I am looking for?
many thanks
Ian Morris - cape town.
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Poster: A snowHead
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junorton4, Looks great - when will it be in the appstore?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Would be useful to work out where the lumps and bumps the paper maps don't show are. Takes me a few runs to remember the run well enough to get a nice line.
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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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"eyeski will change the way we ski"
er, how exactly?
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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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Axsman, innit. How did you find the 3V last week? Usual story for me, get high and no problem.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Axsman, at least on the way down we can use eyeski look up what we just fell off
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We dont need Pistes so whats the point?
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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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Actually if it could show you the quickest route to the bar through the crowds that might be a useful application...
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FAQ
