EpicMix Action Photos Fun New Way to Share Mountain Experiences

In case you weren't aware yet, the EpicMix photo program at Vail Resorts is now capturing action photos. The new feature was launched December 13th, 2011. Regardless of how you feel about EpicMix overall, there's no doubt that the photo program has been incredibly successful. It's a great way to easily get photos taken at the mountain and instantly share them with your friends/family on your social networks. I have yet to purchase a single hi-res photo, but I've taken many shots with friends at the top of many peaks. Since our riding crew for the day is constantly changing, it's a good way to commemorate the season for someone like myself who typically can't be bothered to take a picture of anything. With the new release of action photos, Vail Resorts has stepped it up a notch.

Action photos are a fun new way to capture your exploits on the mountain. Maybe it is a bit of a vanity thing, but if you want to make all your working friends jealous, there's no better way than to post a photo of yourself kicking up a cloud of fresh powder. Want to see just how good/bad your form is? The action photos will show you. As it stands currently, it's a bit of a treasure hunt to find the action spots on the mountain. There's currently no way to find out where they are on any given day, except randomly stumbling upon them. I'm hoping they find ways to communicate where you can find them. From what I've seen so far, you're most likely to find them on blue or green runs where the trails are wider and less steep. Look out for the guys in the green suits on the mountain and signage indicating there's a photo spot. I have yet to see them on a black run. I think the safety risk would be too high. I don't believe they want people queuing up for photos in the middle of a run with people bombing down at high speeds.

Here's how they work. Simply approach the employee at the top where the first sign is. When the photographer is ready, they will signal you to start. Ski toward the photographer and get some good turns in. Stop when you get to them, but try not to powder the cameraman! Those cameras are expensive, and they don't appreciate getting covered in snow. The cameraman will then scan your pass and upload your photos to your EpicMix account.

As for EpicMix as a whole, I'm hoping they find innovative new ways to make use of their smartphone apps. Push notifications and real time info on terrain updates, closures, weather conditions, etc. would be very beneficial to technology-savvy resort-goers. They also need to work out the issues with inaccurate stat tracking. Tracking any stat becomes quite pointless when the stats aren't accurate. From the complaints on their Facebook page, it's clear that there are many people who care about this feature and are displeased by the discrepancies and missing lifts. In only its second season, EpicMix is still very much in its infancy for a widespread social engineering program like this. Keep in mind this is a resort company and not Google or Apple. These are companies where technology is not their primary business. They're definitely at the technology forefront among resorts, but the program is far from perfect. What features or improvements would you like to see from EpicMix going forward?