Starting this November five popular ski slopes in Colorado, Nevada and California will start tracking powder time to award skiers achievements pins and the ability to level up.
EpicMix goes live on all but one of Vail Resports' slopes this coming ski season. Keystone, which opens on Nov. 5, will be the first to see the new RF-enabled tech in action. The resorts using the service this year are Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly.
Starting this season all Vail Resort season passes and PEAKS lift tickets with an RF logo on the back will be equipped with EpicMix. Every time you use your pass or ticket your stats will automatically be captured and uploaded to the EpicMix website. There are also mobile phone apps in the works for the new tech.
The program automatically tracks your vertical feet skied, which slopes you ride and when you ride them. All of that information shows up on the website and, as with games and a very scary possible future, is also used to earn special pins, points, and even gain levels. Vail Resorts says that in the future reaching certain levels will unlock "unique rewards and benefits."
Hot tub time machine?
Epic Mix [Vail Resorts, thanks Eugene]