Professional Photos for Guests is launching a month earlier than expected
BROOMFIELD, Colo.— Nov. 3, 2011 — It’s not just the start of a new season. It’s the start of a new era for vacation photos. When Keystone opens for the 2011-2012 season tomorrow (on Friday, Nov. 4, 2011), skiers and snowboarders will experience EpicMix Photo, the highly anticipated second generation of its award-winning popular mobile and online application that this year includes free professional photos and will revolutionize how guests take and share photos on vacation.
Starting tomorrow, a month earlier than expected, skiers and snowboarders at Keystone will be able to have their RF-enabled lift ticket or season pass scanned by any on-mountain EpicMix photographer, have their photo taken and automatically delivered to their EpicMix account. They will then be able to share these professional photos on Facebook and Twitter for free. In addition, this release of EpicMix will include numerous other improvements in functionality and new features. Vail Resorts is planning a pre-holiday update, adding even more to the EpicMix experience.
“The feedback we have received about the second generation of EpicMix and how we will incorporate photos into the experience has been overwhelming and we knew it was critical to get as much functionality as possible launched for the start of the ski season,” said Rob Katz, Vail Resorts chairman and chief executive officer. “Capturing the memories of a vacation is a critical part of the “Experience of a Lifetime” we look to provide our guests. EpicMix utilizes state-of-the-art technology to give our guests a seamless and easy way to save their special moments with friends and families but does so without in any way interfering with their time on the mountain. It also changes the paradigm of professional vacation photos by giving free photos to our guests as part of their experience to share with those closest to them.”
Early Release of EpicMix Photo
EpicMix professional photos will be available for guests starting tomorrow at Keystone and will be available at Vail Resorts’ other five mountain resorts as they open for the 2011-2012 season. Other new functionality of EpicMix that will be available for an early preview for guests includes:
o A re-designed user experience and enhanced functionality for the web site (www.epicmix.com), mobile site and mobile apps (for iPhone and Android)
o The ability to view vertical feet, stats and digital pins for both the current season and for last season
o The ability to see where your Facebook friends are skiing or riding and what they’ve accomplished
o The option to connect your EpicMix account with Facebook and Twitter to automatically share your photos, activity, and special accomplishments
o The ability to see how to earn more than 350 digital pins across all six mountains
More EpicMix Features Available in December
Additional EpicMix functionality, including user generated photos and the ReMix collage, will be released before the holidays as originally planned at all six resorts.
Guests will be able to take their own photos and combine them in one place together with their vertical feet, digital pins, professional photos and memories of other special moments of their visit through the new EpicMix platform. They’ll also be able to create a “Remix” collage, a singular snapshot (or jpeg) customized with their digital information that captures their entire mountain experience. EpicMix allows all of these images and information to easily be shared on Facebook and other social sites as a collage, or uploaded to popular photo websites.
Opening Day Pins and 350 Total Pins
To celebrate opening day tomorrow, Keystone guests will receive the “Keystone Opening Day” Pin through EpicMix and the first 100 guests will receive the “Unlocked” pin. Additionally, Keystone will offer a special EpicMix Photo booth at the base of the gondola at Friday’s opening day. Special opening day pins will be available on opening day at Breckenridge (Nov. 11), Vail (Nov. 18), Heavenly (Nov. 18), Northstar California (Nov. 18) and Beaver Creek (Nov. 23).
This year, more than 200 new pins will be available across all six resorts – Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly and Northstar - and, new this year, skiers and snowboarders can get information on www.epicmixphoto.com on how to earn all 350 pins at all of our resorts.
Expanding the Scope
Last year, the true innovation of EpicMix was that the app and online site allowed guests to selectively share stats and information via Twitter and Facebook without requiring skiers or snowboarders to do anything other than enjoy their skiing and snowboarding experience. Instead of manual check-ins, the RF-enabled pass or ticket allows for automatic check-ins at each lift at all six resorts, which then tracks the vertical feet and rewarded guests for accomplishments like riding every lift in one day to earn the Conqueror pin.
Nearly 100,000 guests activated their EpicMix accounts last ski and snowboard season which equated to a 15-percent adoption rate and resulted in 275,000 social posts on Facebook and Twitter, and more than 35 million social impressions (based on Facebook’s estimate of 130 friends per person).
This year, Vail Resorts is broadening the scope and offering nearly all guests the opportunity to participate in EpicMix by replacing almost all paper lift tickets for the 2011-2012 winter season with a reusable and durable RF-enabled card that can be loaded with their daily lift tickets or season pass.
How to Get EpicMix
EpicMix will be available to all Vail Resorts guests who purchase any lift ticket or season pass on a RF-enabled card this year.
Vail Resorts season passes are currently on sale and the popular Epic Pass™ is back for its fourth season providing unlimited, unrestricted access to seven world-class resorts, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly and Northstar, as well as at Arapahoe Basin at $669. Visit www.epicmix.com or www.epicpass.com for more information.
Once guests get their RF-enabled pass or lift ticket, they can simply log on to www.epicmixphoto.com and activate their EpicMix accounts and download the free EpicMix mobile app for the iPhone, Android or other smart phone.
Privacy
The safety and privacy of guests is the highest priority for Vail Resorts and no information collected through EpicMix will be shared unless a guest “opts in” and specifically chooses to share their information. All information collected through EpicMix is subject to the strict privacy policies of Vail Resorts. Guests can choose to disable the RF chip in their pass to prevent any scanning. Children under 13 participating in EpicMix will have limited features and a connection only to their parents’ account.
For more information and to watch a video of EpicMix, visit www.epicmixphoto.com.
About Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company's subsidiaries operate the mountain resort properties of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone mountain resorts in Colorado, and the Heavenly Ski Resort and Northstar California in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada, and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. The Company's subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort hotel company, manages casually elegant properties across the United States and in the Caribbean. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.
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