Sun Valley skiers and snowboarders can now track their exact routes taken down Bald Mountain, vertical distance descended in a day and their precise slope location and direction.
But they must also own an Apple iPhone.
A new iPhone application called Sun Valley Tapped was made available a week ago, using newly created GPS maps. It can also show friends' current locations on the mountain if they also have iPhones, and much more.
And Sun Valley Tapped isn't the only new tool for skiers and boarders. Another iPhone application, called REALSKI, allows skiers to orient themselves on the slopes by holding up their iPhone in its camera mode and scanning the surroundings. Digital signs pointing to ski runs, facilities and chairlifts automatically pop up and overlay on top of the video, showing the person what direction to head. And the signs will change in real time to match what the camera sees.
"These are just more ways of getting the word out," said resort spokesman Jack Sibbach, "and [providing] convenience for clients."
Sibbach said the resort didn't pay for either application but did aid the two companies in setting them up.
"They'll make money from selling the app," he said of Sun Valley Tapped, which costs $6.99 for life.
The initial version of REALSKI is free, but an updated version, when it's released, will come with a price tag.
Mike Fitzpatrick, Sun Valley Resort marketing executive, said he contacted Jackson Hole-based Resorts Tapped when he saw their application for the resort there.
"They were excited when contacted," Fitzpatrick said, "because they wanted to get major players involved."
Sun Valley is the third resort to have the Resorts Tapped app. Besides Jackson Hole, the other is Okemo Mountain near Ludlow, Vt.
Fitzpatrick said Resorts Tapped workers traveled here for a week and explored the mountain with the ski patrol, taking measurements, elevations and readings for the application's GPS map.
But the app does more than provide locations and a skier travel meter. It provides instant links to the resort's live Web cameras, up-to-date lift statuses, weather conditions and resort contact information.
"The application is really intuitive," Fitzpatrick said, adding that a one-touch button for contacting ski patrol is always on the screen for emergencies.
He said that in a couple of weeks, Resorts Tapped will have added a locator feature for the ski patrol to determine exactly where a person is, using his or her iPhone's GPS signal.
The REALSKI app also uses the phone's GPS, as well as its compass, camera and accelerometer measuring phone motion, to create its roadmap layered over real-time video. Creating company Resort Technology Partners, based in Avon, Colo., first made the app available for only five resorts in early December. Since then, Sun Valley and other major resorts have been added.
Fitzpatrick said he's amazed by the new technology. And these two iPhone apps were just born.
"I think it will get better as it goes along and there are more users and feedback," he said.
Modifications stand to be made, with more tools yet to come.
For more information, go to sunvalley.com, click on "The Mountain" tab and scroll down to winter trail maps.
Trevon Milliard: tmilliard@mtexpress.com
A new iPhone application allows skiers to navigate Baldy from the palm of their hand. Photo by David N. Seelig
