Park City, UT – America’s most coveted ski and snowboarding lift ticket, the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association’s (USSA) Gold Pass, is going high tech to celebrate its 40th anniversary this coming 2012-13 season.
The Gold Pass first started in the 1972-73 winter season as a fundraiser for the U.S. Ski Team in a unique partnership with U.S. ski resorts. It has continued to grow in its 40-year history to become one of the largest single fundraising tools to support Olympic skiers and snowboarders, generating over $3 million annually for athletic programs. The pass is accepted for unlimited use at any National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) member resort nationwide and is fully transferable. A limited number of Gold Passes are minted each year and are provided to donors who contribute $10,000 or more. A portion of the donation is tax deductible as a contribution to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation.
The unique pass will become the first pass globally to fully integrate each of the industry’s RFID, scanning and other lift access technologies into one pass. The USSA and NSAA have teamed with ski industry leaders including RTP, part of Active Network, SKIDATA, Siriusware, Axess / North America and ExtenData, to produce a single Gold Pass integrating HF, UHF and barcode technologies for access control, to be produced by SKIDATA AG. The innovative new technology will fully integrate bar code, RFID UHF and RFID HF into one pass allowing Gold Pass holders to go direct to lift at 65% of NSAA resorts. At resorts that have premium tracking programs in place, such as Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass, the Gold Pass will offer the same tracking capability.
“Our resorts are making huge strides to enhance the experience of skiers and snowboarders through technology,” said Michael Berry, NSAA President. “This year’s Gold Pass is an amazing demonstration of how far we’ve come by integrating multiple systems into one pass offering not only direct to lift access for pass holders but also the premium tracking services being put into place at leading resorts.”
The innovative Gold Pass is now available for sale through the USSA with proceeds going to support America’s Olympic skiers and snowboarders.
“Our National Ski Areas Association resorts and the Gold Pass have been vital to the success of our athletes as a Team for 40 years,” said USSA President and CEO, Bill Marolt. “We’re proud to be able to showcase our resort industry’s emerging new technology through integration of direct to lift access into the Gold Pass.”