SlopeViews Announces OnSnow™ – a 360° Video Mapping Application for Ski Resorts
Interactive video trail maps seek to boost resort bookings by allowing prospective guests to explore the entire resort experience and feel more comfortable choosing their destination.
Vail, CO, March 24, 2010 --(PR.com)-- SlopeViews (www.slopeviews.com) announces the beta release of a new virtual tour application that allows ski resorts to showcase their ski runs, lifts, and base village in 360° street view style. However, unlike the still images in street view, OnSnow features full motion video, and integrates the interactive trail maps commonly used by ski resorts. For tourists planning a winter vacation, OnSnow provides complete access to the resort experience, allowing them to fully explore resorts as if they were actually there. OnSnow is a marketing tool for ski resorts looking for a unique way to engage prospective guests online and, ultimately, convert more bookings.
"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." – Sarah Allen of Powderhorn Resort.
OnSnow integrates 360° video with any trail map, village map, or building floor plan. 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. 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.” – Charles Townsend of the Vail Resorts interactive marketing team.
To capture the unique slope view footage, the Colorado-based company uses a spherical camera system with 11 separate lenses. Simultaneously capturing high resolution digital video and audio in every direction, SlopeViews creates a spherical world which brings the video to life.
“We are extremely excited to bring our full-motion interactive video maps to the travel industry. OnSnow can give resorts a competitive edge and drive purchase intent by helping prospective guests feel more comfortable in choosing their destination. 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,” said James Hay, co-founder of SlopeViews. “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.”
OnSnow is available for preview at www.SlopeViews.com. The featured footage was shot by noted skier/camera operator, Craig Adkins of Immersive Media, on whose technology platform this project is based. Immersive Media has gained worldwide attention through its coordinated efforts with CNN to cover the earthquake damage in Haiti, and its collaboration with NBC to provide behind-the-scenes access to the TODAY Show at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
About SlopeViews - SlopeViews' founders are accomplished adventurers and action-sport athletes with experience spanning tourism, mapping and digital media. SlopeViews is focused on bringing 360° imagery off the streets and onto ski slopes, golf courses, destination resorts, sporting events, music venues, and much more. SlopeViews provides a way for resorts to help their online viewers achieve full location awareness and convert them to confident, booked guests through captivating virtual experiences.
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"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." – Sarah Allen of Powderhorn Resort.
OnSnow integrates 360° video with any trail map, village map, or building floor plan. 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. 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.” – Charles Townsend of the Vail Resorts interactive marketing team.
To capture the unique slope view footage, the Colorado-based company uses a spherical camera system with 11 separate lenses. Simultaneously capturing high resolution digital video and audio in every direction, SlopeViews creates a spherical world which brings the video to life.
“We are extremely excited to bring our full-motion interactive video maps to the travel industry. OnSnow can give resorts a competitive edge and drive purchase intent by helping prospective guests feel more comfortable in choosing their destination. 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,” said James Hay, co-founder of SlopeViews. “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.”
OnSnow is available for preview at www.SlopeViews.com. The featured footage was shot by noted skier/camera operator, Craig Adkins of Immersive Media, on whose technology platform this project is based. Immersive Media has gained worldwide attention through its coordinated efforts with CNN to cover the earthquake damage in Haiti, and its collaboration with NBC to provide behind-the-scenes access to the TODAY Show at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
About SlopeViews - SlopeViews' founders are accomplished adventurers and action-sport athletes with experience spanning tourism, mapping and digital media. SlopeViews is focused on bringing 360° imagery off the streets and onto ski slopes, golf courses, destination resorts, sporting events, music venues, and much more. SlopeViews provides a way for resorts to help their online viewers achieve full location awareness and convert them to confident, booked guests through captivating virtual experiences.
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Contact
SlopeViews
James Hay
970-390-7620
www.slopeviews.com
James Hay
970-390-7620
www.slopeviews.com
Contact
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