Poll Digital promotions on chairlift bars?

[Tricia]

Alpine Media Technology, a Centennial startup making chairlift panels with digital screens, has raised $150,000, according to SEC filings.

Co-founder Freddie Peyerl said the money will help Alpine produce its products for the upcoming winter season.

Alpine Media Technology has signed agreements to install their digital media screens on chairlift safety bars at Winter Park Resort and Wachusett Mountain Ski Area, with plans to install up to 180 display screens – one for each seat – on Mary Jane’s six-person SuperGauge chairlift at Winter Park, as well as up to 120 displays at Wachusett.

If the digital panels receive the necessary approval from the lift manufacturer and USFS in time to install the units for the upcoming season, Alpine Media Technology hopes to move forward with 4,000 to 6,000 displays at 10 resorts next year. They have not yet signed contracts with advertisers, but is pitching to Meier Skis, Craig Hospital CDOT and Intrawest.

Example of content:

Product overview:

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Please no. They had better be ski pole proof.

 

[quant]

Please no. They had better be ski pole proof.

You have a point. Some idiot could take offense at an advertisement, smash the display, and no one would know he was the person who committed the crime. Is this display necessary at smaller areas? No. The smaller areas probably couldn't get the advertising to support it, anyway. Would it be useful at the few larger areas in the USA, where a lot of us ski? Sure. Do skiers want it? I sure don't. I ski to get away from electronics and advertising.

 

[Ken_R]

We are bombarded with advertising on the road, I dont want it on the hill...

 

[Bad Bob]

Do it on the cheap and put a larger screen in the lift line ques.

Not my idea of a good time, but this might be better than being bombed by ads all the way up a lift.

 

[neonorchid]

I like it for very large tourist destination ski areas primarily because I don't carry reading glasses on the mountain and at my age fine print is not so easy to read, presbyopia. I find it diffucult to read the pocket sized trail maps and even the huge area maps we have on some chair lift safety bars. No trouble reading the billboard size trail maps by lifts etc., which is usually enough. Still, I think the GPS tracked you are here visual illustrated in the video is nice. Would be great with an option to magnify sections of the map. I agree about nuisance advertisements, but hey, nothing stopping us from looking away and enjoy the scenery. Actually, an off button would be nice too. I think if done right it could be good, at the same time I'm not going to lose sleep over it if it doesn't happen.

 

[Brian Finch]

Worse concept than the gas station TY.

 

[François Pugh]

NO!

 

[Monique]

OMG. This was bad enough before I realized it would be animated. What an excellent way to distract me from what I actually want to see from the chairlift. I'm also curious about weight - the existing panels already weigh so much that I don't put the bar down when I'm solo. Now add a battery??

Glad I don't ski at WP, but I fear this is going to infest all of our mountains soon.

@neonorchid when this does take off, I hope it's done well enough to actually help you with navigation.

 

[at_nyc]

I think it's a bad idea.

Not that I'm bothered by it though. If you don't like the ad, just put your arm on it and NO ONE gets yo see it.

 

[nemesis256]

I ski to get away from electronics and advertising.

This.

Sucks that they're planning to do it at Wachusett, where I used to ski a few years back. They'll need to do a lot to protect the screens. Some people kind of flick/whip the bar up and let the weight of it smash at the top. Could be a little too jarring for electronics.

 

[Jilly]

Without my readers.....couldn't see it anyways!

So would it add weight to the bar. Some are already heavy enough. Break proof. Maybe these people haven't thought this through all the way.

 

[Jenny]

Can't they leave us alone somewhere? Guess I'll just continue a version of my policy of not clicking on ads, ever.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

It'll be weird skiing with a small hammer.

 

[Philpug]

Just another reason not to put the foot rest down.

I understand the need to advertise, we do it here, but where do we draw the line?

This post brought to you by Sharpie Markers, when you must draw the line, do it with a Sharpie Marker. ​

 

[bbinder]

NO!

 

[Jerez]

I just find it terribly sad. Can we not amuse ourselves for 7.5 minutes with the beauty of the mountains without a screen distraction?

Even the idea that it will reinforce the Code is just a thinly veiled excuse and it will be a net negative for safety. How many more people are going to end up going around the bull-wheel now?!

IMO, this is ultimately bad for skiing and will hurt the mountains that use it. It will render the ski experience just that much less different than the daily life of a screen addict; an experience less special and, therefore, less worth the expense and logistical hurdle to participate.

 

[jimmy]

Don't tell anyone but i left my phone in the car last night. 14 hours not in contact with the world. What did I do while you were gone? Well I almost got run off the road, twice on my way home from work, enjoyed a "whisky and triscuit" dinner and fell asleep on the couch. I survived with out my technology. I am not much for disrespecting others property but i know i would resent this as much as those GPS rangefinders that they are putting in golf carts. Golf is a "good walk, ruined". Don't ruin my run.

 

[Guy in Shorts]

We are bombarded with advertising on the road, I dont want it on the hill...

Hawaii, Vermont, Alaska and Maine all have banned billboards. This new fangled attempt will be about as successful as every previous lift ad program.

 

[Philpug]

Don't tell anyone but i left my phone in the car last night. 14 hours not in contact with the world. What did I do while you were gone? Well I almost got run off the road, twice on my way home from work, enjoyed a "whisky and triscuit" dinner and fell asleep on the couch. I survived with out my technology. I am not much for disrespecting others property but i know i would resent this as much as those GPS rangefinders that they are putting in golf carts. Golf is a "good walk, ruined". Don't ruin my run.

But do you want to have to go through four ads before you use the range finder? Because that IS coming..or for $2.99 you can by pass all the ads.