Vail, CO – Vail, Colo.-based SlopeViews is creating 360° video GPS-referenced trail maps, the first company to have launched such a product for the ski resort industry.nThe maps called “OnSnow” allow online viewers to ski the mountain with the ability to look around anywhere as they go by simply clicking and dragging their computer mouse in the video player. They can ride the lifts, go into restaurants, or stroll through the village. It is designed to allow the viewer to familiarize themselves with the resort before they book their trip.
The product from SlopeViews is based on the Immersive Media technology platform, the original company behind Google Street View. To capture the unique slope view footage, SlopeViews uses a spherical camera system
with 11 separate lenses. Simultaneously capturing high resolution digital video and audio in every direction,
OnSnow creates a spherical world.
“We have worked closely with Immersive Media in getting this mapping product to market,” explains James Hay, co-founder of SlopeViews. “We’ve seen the success of street-level imagery from online mapping and travel portals, and adding the element of motion capture to 360° imagery is the next step. The key advantages with OnSnow are immediately noticed.
OnSnow is alive with 360° video, allowing viewers to take a run, ride the lifts, and experience many of the
amenities offered. This is a true virtual tour with complete interactivity.”
“Resorts are always seeking that competitive edge to drive business and help prospective guests choose
their destination. What better way than to show exactly what your resort offers and merge it with a booking system?” asks Sarah Allen of Colorado’s Powderhorn Resort.
In a double-paned window, users can see an interactive trail map in one pane, and synchronized 360° immersive video in the
other. Ski runs, lifts, and select mountain features represent “video paths” shot with SlopeViews’ 360°
video camera. By clicking on any point of a “video path,” users are immediately taken to that location via
360° video. With a simple click and drag of a computer mouse, each user can control their point of view, and
the entire resort experience is suddenly available for exploration. The experience is completely immersive,
allowing the viewer to look around in any direction while the video is playing, or pause and zoom in on an area of interest.
Vail Resorts is an early adopter of interactive video for its resort websites. “The immersive technology
allows us to provide our website visitors with the true experience of each mountain resort, before they
actually arrive. As a result, skiers and riders can have a one-of-a-kind viewing experience each time and can
truly preview an area that they’ve never seen,” says Charles
Townsend of the Vail Resorts interactive marketing team. “We employ a lot of video on our sites, and feel as if these
videos allow us to go one step further in bringing the experience of the great outdoors to life.”
OnSnow is available for preview online at www.SlopeViews.com.