RFID Ski Lift Access

Mountain Pass Systems is using UHF 915 MHz RFID inlay tags for its ski lift tickets. These inlays are presently being used in the retail supply chain by companies such as Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, and other large retailers. The advantage of using these UHF tags is that the cost is low. In volume we can provide lift ickets for 15 cents more than a paper ticket. The other advantage is the long read range. With UHF tags the range can be typically 15 to 20 feet which will allow other ski area applications such as ski photography customer identification and vertical feet tracking.

For a large ski area such as Vail Resorts, it is estimated that over a million dollars per year is lost due to lift ticket fraud. One of the main advantages of using our system versus other methods of ticket verification is that it prevents all known ski lift ticket scams. Because it is a fully automatic gate, a valid lift ticket is required to go through it, removing the human element from the checking process.

Our automatic system will prevent skiers from distracting the ticket verifiers and skiing around them. Bunched tickets from previous visits can also distract the verifier who has been standing out in the cold trying to keep up with the rush of skiers in the lift line. Since most mountains check lift ticket only on the lower lifts. Once skiers get passed the first verification, they can ski the upper mountain all day with no further checking.

Some verifiers will let their friends or relatives get on the lifts without any tickets.

Most ski areas verify tickets only at the lower lifts. A popular scam is for a group of, say, 8 skiers to buy only 2 lift tickets. Two group members will ride the lift to the upper part of the mountain. One will come down with the two tickets and take another group member up. Within a short amount of time the entire group of 8 are skiing the top of the mountain having only paid for 2 tickets. Our BodyBiometrics(TM) will prevent this scam.

Using a personal computer and color printer, ski lift tickets can be copied very precisely. These fraudulent tickets can be sold in parking lots at discounted rates to skiers that think they are getting a bargain on a legitimate ticket. The bar code on a copied ticket will scan just as well as on a real ticket.

A lift ticket is designated to an individual skier. It may be for the person who purchased the ticket or it may be for someone who the purchaser designated. Once a person uses the ticket, he or she is the only one authorized to continue to use the ticket. However, in some situations, the designated person may no longer wish to use the ticket and may either give it or sell it to another skier. Although this transfer is not allowed, it becomes very difficult for the ski lift operator to know which are valid tickets and which have been illegally transferred. For multi day tickets, or season tickets, some ski areas are printing the picture of the legitimate holder right on the ticket. Although this may prevent some fraud, the picture on the ticket is relatively small and requires close examination by the lift operator. Skier wear helmets, goggles, ski masks, scarves, and other articles of clothing covering their faces making any type of identification impossible. The ticket is worn on the outside of ski clothing and may become folded or bent during skiing mishaps, making it more difficult to compare the photo with the skier.

A lift ticket is designated to an individual skier. It may be for the person who purchased the ticket or it may be for someone who the purchaser designated. Once a person uses the ticket, he or she is the only one authorized to continue to use the ticket. However, in some situations, the designated person may no longer wish to use the ticket and may either give it or sell it to another skier. Although this transfer is not allowed, it becomes very difficult for the ski lift operator to know which are valid tickets and which have been illegally transferred. For multi day tickets, or season tickets, some ski areas are printing the picture of the legitimate holder right on the ticket. Although this may prevent some fraud, the picture on the ticket is relatively small and requires close examination by the lift operator. Skier wear helmets, goggles, ski masks, scarves, and other articles of clothing covering their faces making any type of identification impossible. The ticket is worn on the outside of ski clothing and may become folded or bent during skiing mishaps, making it more difficult to compare the photo with the skier.

Various types of lift tickets can be sold at ski areas. As an example, the time duration of the ticket can vary. A lift ticket may be valid for only the morning or only the afternoon of the day purchased or maybe even for one hour of the day. Another possibility is to link the ticket to a credit card and charge each time a lift is used.

Another variation is the number of lifts that the ticket is good for. For instance, the ticket may be usable only at the beginner’s area and be sold at a lower price than a full mountain lift ticket or it may only be usable at a terrain park or on the expert part of the mountain. Our system allows this flexibility.

The lift ticket above is 4 by 1.5 inches made of sturdy mylar material. The square QR barcode can be imaged by a cell phone camera and allows the ticket to be reloaded through the ski resort’s website.

With gate attendants no longer focused on ski ticket verification, they can now focus on skier safety during lift loading.