RFID has its benefits and drawbacks.
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Big Burke announcement
- Thread starter the original trailboss
- Start date
Smellytele
Well-known member
I agree the RFID is a waste. They still have to have a guy sitting there to correct issues. I had to do a jig every time to get through - squat, move back and forth for the thing to read. It was in a pocket all by itself at stomach level. My kid had an issue a few times as well as did a lot of other people.
I still don't understand the Burke scanner guy either when there are only 50 people skiing. Why scan every time? Who cares how many runs I take?
Ary does. Take too many runs in a day and he will send out a bill and claim your lift ticket purchase didn't cover the expenses of your trail usage. Just ask KT or the local schools. 
Edd
Well-known member
I like the RFID. I had no issues at Stowe recently. I put the card in a pocket on my forearm and it worked well.
VTKilarney
Well-known member
I guess I've been lucky with RFID.
MEtoVTSkier
Active member
If he doesn't stay busy scanning, Ary will let him go too!
VTKilarney
Well-known member
When you figure that they have at least two people being paid to scan tickets all day, every day, the cost of an RFID system doesn't seem so bad. It would pay for itself in 5 years or so.
It doesn't do away with a lift ticket checker. It might reduce staff some, but not a lot. As mentioned, at Jay they have people there helping deal with guests who have a problem with the checker.
Again, what's so hard about buying a clip to attach your pass to the outside of your clothing? That's some serious first world problems if you can't be bothered to take your pass out of your pocket, won't employ the many available inexpensive solutions and are relying on the mountain to solve your problem.
Again, what's so hard about buying a clip to attach your pass to the outside of your clothing? That's some serious first world problems if you can't be bothered to take your pass out of your pocket, won't employ the many available inexpensive solutions and are relying on the mountain to solve your problem.
VTKilarney
Well-known member
Uh... I have a clip. A couple, actually. Keeping your lift ticket in your pocket is a side-benefit. What I really like about an RFID system is the ability to tailor tickets to all sorts of options. (e.g., A set number of rides, create-your-own time window, etc.)
I've seen this done very nicely in Europe. Jay Peak, on the other hand, hasn't really embraced this idea.
Smellytele
Well-known member
Nor has Stowe or Squaw or any place I have used them in the USA.
Then why did you start the conversation by saying you wanted RFID because you didn't want to take your pass out of your pocket??
And I think it would be great for what you are suggesting, but skiing culture is so much different in Europe. People are fine with taking a run or two and then a two hour lunch and maybe a run or two more. You've got massive complexes where a ski day might be just take a couple of lifts and runs to go hang out in another village in another valley. Here in the state's it's go, go, go and get in as much vert and runs as you can. Because of that, a resort is going to want to force people into a full day rate. Hell, look at the "half day" rate. At most places it's 75+% of a full day ticket cost. Very little financial incentive to ski a shorter session.
I don't think that they have enough traffic to justify RFID.
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trackbiker
Active member
I was there on Saturday and felt like it was a weekday at most other mountains. Maybe a 5 minute wait at most lift line at the HSQ but the trails were empty. I didn't know that they ever groomed the East Bowl but it was the ROTD. Great snow and relatively empty so you could ski it fast. Last year it was rocks and pucker bush and the run out was bad. I found the the employees to be very friendly but can't believe that they can be profitable on the volume of skiers that were there on a sunny mid 20's Saturday. Conditions on all the trails were great. I do agree that the trail map could be improved.
mbedle
Well-known member
I love the RFID tickets, use them at my local hill and also at Stowe during last month. Can't say that I saw any major issues with them (couple of kids having some problems). Are local hill also takes advantage of them but offering 4, 6 or 8 hour sessions and including 15 bucks worth of food on the 8 hour ticket. Nice thing is the time interval starts at the first time you get on the lift.
VTKilarney
Well-known member
Another nice feature of RFID tickets is that the mountain can forward stats to ticket purchasers, such as number of runs taken, etc. I know some mountains are already doing this.
Sure, great.
Why encourage that investment when the number 1 problem is snowmaking? The number 2 problem is marketing. No one has ever heard of Burke. They'd get a much better ROI spending that money on a grand marketing campaign than some needless technology that can email stat geeks their skiing efforts for the day.
On the list of needs that Burke has that would bring in business, I'd put RFID somewhere out in a pasture beyond the tennis facilities.
Why encourage that investment when the number 1 problem is snowmaking? The number 2 problem is marketing. No one has ever heard of Burke. They'd get a much better ROI spending that money on a grand marketing campaign than some needless technology that can email stat geeks their skiing efforts for the day.
On the list of needs that Burke has that would bring in business, I'd put RFID somewhere out in a pasture beyond the tennis facilities.
VTKilarney
Well-known member
I said the same thing once you mentioned how much a system costs. That doesn't mean that people can't wish.
Big Wave Dave
Member
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Burke has always had significantly less skiers per acre than other ski areas in Vermont. I bet someone on here knows this but I thought they were 50% less than the next closest "major" area in VT (excluding places like Lyndon Outing Club) in terms of skiers per acre. That to me is what makes it special. Not too many places where you can do run after run on consistent vertical/pitch and not even run into another skier. I am happy to sacrifice this a bit for longevity though!
I actually skied Burke on a weekend last weekend avoiding Quebec vacation at Jay and to me it felt like a good crowd- both Saturday and Sunday there were waits of a few minutes at the upper and lower quad when I went down below to join up with family. I consider Burke to be busy if all the chairs are filled. A 5 minute wait at Burke is jammed to me. Just goes to show you why i think Burke is ripe for picking ski visits away from the "urban" skiing over on Rt. 93!
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