The US ski area of “Copper Mountain” is located around 75 miles to the West of Denver, Colorado, and is one of the highest and largest skiing regions in the whole of North America. It forms part of the POWDR Corporation, which is based in Park City, Utah, and also runs a further nine ski resorts in the USA. 78 Axess Smart POS systems and 38 AX500 Smart Gates NG will be installed ready for the 2017/18 winter season. The aim of the ski resort is to move to a “hands-free ticket control” model which uses RFID Smart Cards.

The Copper Mountain ski region lies at the very heart of the Rocky Mountains. Boasting 142 slopes and 23 lifts, it is one of the largest skiing areas in North America. Altitudes of between 2,960 meters and 3,753 meters also mean that it is amongst the highest. Both beginners and advanced skiers have plenty of opportunities for enjoyment. Since 2011, Copper Mountain has also been the official training venue of the US Ski Team. Salzburg-born Josefa “Putzi” Frandl, giant slalom silver medalist at the 1956 Olympic Games and a multiple World Cup medal winner, has lived and worked on Copper Mountain since the early 1980’s. She is a dominant figure within the skiing community in Colorado and with Axess taking on the task of equipping “Copper Mountain” there will be another link back to Austria.

“Hands-free ticket control”

Skiing regions are constantly adapting to meet modern developments and the needs of the ski guests themselves. The objective is to provide a smooth experience, and access management has a major role to play in this regard. The focus at Copper Mountain is to ensure rapid and reliable processing of skiers – at the cash desk, in administrative terms and for ticket controls at the lifts. The Axess RFID Smart Card will offer guests a particular degree of convenience. The installation of 38 Axess Smart Gates NG with wide-range antennae to both sides will allow ski visitors to Copper Mountain to benefit from “hands-free ticket control”. Regardless of whether tickets are held to the left or right, they are automatically recognized at the gate via a contactless process. Admission is then granted. Therefore, the smart access solution from Axess will be integrated into the existing RTP | ONE software environment. The validity of the tickets is checked online on the basis of the chip ID of the Axess Smart Card. Up until now, Copper Mountain has been reliant on employees using hand scanners and on bar code tickets. The new innovative and holistic solution supplied by Axess combines both ticketing and a gateway to the Axess DATACENTER, where configuration and evaluation of data is carried out without delay and in a centralized manner. The new system will be commissioned in mid-November 2017 when the winter season gets underway.

Upgrade of Mt. Bachelor

As long ago as 2006, Mt. Bachelor in Oregon became one of the first ski resorts in the USA to invest in “hands-free ticket control” and “RFID technology”. Like Copper Mountain, it is also owned by the POWDR Corporation. Mt. Bachelor is preparing for the forthcoming season by converting its gantry-mounted AX500 Smart Gates from turnstile to flap modules. This will provide contactless access to the gates and create even greater comfort and convenience for ski guests visiting the resort.

Picture credits: Tripp Fay, Copper Mountain Resort