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igloo4you


Posts: 522
Joined: Oct 2009
Last Visited: 16:28
22nd Apr 2021
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 11.18hrs on Sun 21 Feb 16
Completely agree getting the Cliffy back up and running will be a big job after 72 hours of heavy snow which will have completely buried the whole derailed up-line. However once we have the gearbox back I am sure we will be able to pull out all the stops to get it dug out. The delaying factor is the gearbox not the derailment.

Maf


Posts: 161
Joined: Feb 2007
Last Visited: 15:44
3rd Apr 2021
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 14.58hrs on Sun 21 Feb 16
All the discussion of hands free ski passes seems a bit over the top to me. Surely people would rather than money went into ski lifts 1st, then piste bashers, then cafes. As long as there's a cash only window you shouldn't have to queue much to buy your pass and then you can get on up to the new lift that the money has been spent on. I think Glencoe have got their priorities right.

Cairngorm have a hands free system though...... but who is happy with their uplift situation ?

Beastie


Posts: 128
Joined: Dec 2013
Last Visited: 09:19
17th May 2020
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 19.40hrs on Sun 21 Feb 16
Never really understand how folk can get delayed by temperamental card machines more than once. I just always take cash for tickets & shrapnel for the cafe when they run out of change, simple.

Glad coe is getting a lot of snow, I hope to get up the road for a slide soon smiling smiley



jabuzzard


Posts: 885
Joined: Jan 2010
Last Visited: 11:02
16th Apr 2021
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 13.34hrs on Mon 22 Feb 16
igloo4you Wrote:
Jabuzzard,

We currently have laid new fibre across the mountain this summer and have great internal communication but unfortunately our adsl lines connect at a speed just above the old dial up. Our main phone line suffers from bad interference, our satellite broadband is sporadic at best and our back up mobile broadband gets swamped when we get busy. Having an online system when we cannot rely on being able to connect to the outside world would be a disaster. We plan to introduce an online solution but cannot do so until BT upgrade the exchange and we have a robust and reliable internet connection. Unfortunately that does not look like happening any time soon. Until then a new extra cash window is the best we can do.

Through the marketing group Ski Scotland the centres co-operate on a lot already, all area passes, trinum, websites, video, marketing, promoton etc.


I am well aware of the bandwidth problems the centres face, but that is in my view a cop out. Let me explain.

You only need to download that a particular ski pass (aka RFI tag) is valid once on any given day. You then store that information locally on a server. So every few minutes the server at the ski centre needs to contact the central server to get a list of new tags relevant to that centre that are valid today. Once you have got the tag information once on a day the server marks it off as already downloaded and never presents it again.

So now the question is exactly how much bandwidth is required to get this information. Well a industry standard tag has 96 bits or 12 bytes of identification information. Lets also assume that you have 5000 people all registered their passes for Glencoe at in the same minute. That is 480,000 bits of information to be downloaded. My maths tells me that will take 50 seconds on a 2G 9600bps GPRS connection assuming no overhead. Or you could just push it using SMS text messages from the server if you really wanted.

This is all wet string levels of bandwidth, and hence the issues of limited bandwidth at the centres should not be a barrier to the implementation of my proposed scheme.


Ad_Hynkel


Posts: 222
Joined: Mar 2010
Last Visited: 12:28
12th Feb 2021
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 13.39hrs on Mon 22 Feb 16
Is that a reliable piece of wet string you are basing your calculations on or a sporadic unreliable one? As it is the latter that Andy seems to be suggesting what they have at present.

Edit: The webcam pics look amazing at the moment though! Wish I was there.



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 13.41hrs Mon 22 Feb 16 by Ad_Hynkel.

jabuzzard


Posts: 885
Joined: Jan 2010
Last Visited: 11:02
16th Apr 2021
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 13.43hrs on Mon 22 Feb 16
Chris H Wrote:
What Nevis Range have had is something quite different where you needed a Skidata ‘keycard’, and you could only buy the pass in advance if you had this keycard first. As these needed to be ordered first from Nevis Range, and the card itself carried a cost, albeit a small one, it never proved very popular and this system is currently offline. I think an app based system would be a far different proposition and would prove an instant hit with customers.


I don't think many people would be happy getting their phone out all day long. The idea was to link a "keycard" to your app (read a number of the back or on better phones just scan it), and then use the app to top up the card. That is then pushed from the central server out to servers at the individual centres. See my previous post for just how little bandwidth this would actually consume.

In bulk these cards are under £1 each, and would be a one off payment. They cost a bit more if you are going to print on them and have increase online storage. That is probably something you might want to promote for season or week long passes, photo printed on the card and a digital version stored internally.

Lots of places on the continent have machines that return the deposit (usually €1) allowing the card to be reused. That said most skiers in Scotland are repeat customers so they would most likely opt to just keep the card.


igloo4you


Posts: 522
Joined: Oct 2009
Last Visited: 16:28
22nd Apr 2021
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 13.50hrs on Mon 22 Feb 16
Jabuzzard,

We don't have a reliable connection at all, so some days what you suggest would work fine, other days we are operating almost blind and cannot even send e-mails or process credit card payments. We have a system in mind which will deliver what you suggest but are not prepared to make the investment until we get broadband and phone connection to the outside world more robust.


Bomp


Posts: 172
Joined: Nov 2010
Last Visited: 17:00
22nd Apr 2021
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 13.51hrs on Mon 22 Feb 16
jabuzzard Wrote:

I am well aware of the bandwidth problems the centres face, but that is in my view a cop out. Let me explain.

You only need to download that a particular ski pass (aka RFI tag) is valid once on any given day. You then store that information locally on a server. So every few minutes the server at the ski centre needs to contact the central server to get a list of new tags relevant to that centre that are valid today. Once you have got the tag information once on a day the server marks it off as already downloaded and never presents it again.

So now the question is exactly how much bandwidth is required to get this information. Well a industry standard tag has 96 bits or 12 bytes of identification information. Lets also assume that you have 5000 people all registered their passes for Glencoe at in the same minute. That is 480,000 bits of information to be downloaded. My maths tells me that will take 50 seconds on a 2G 9600bps GPRS connection assuming no overhead. Or you could just push it using SMS text messages from the server if you really wanted.

This is all wet string levels of bandwidth, and hence the issues of limited bandwidth at the centres should not be a barrier to the implementation of my proposed scheme.

Sounds like you are in an ideal position to quote to Andy for a new system. Should be easy money - if you're right...

enduro-aid


Posts: 87
Joined: Jan 2010
Last Visited: 21:50
17th Feb 2018
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 14.09hrs on Mon 22 Feb 16
Andy......what's the centre's position on folk "touring" up the side of the piste?

just asking as i have a day off tomorrow and ahead of a trip to austria i fancy trying to learn to "tour".....going to try it out there but would like a head start.

I'll be buying a lift pass anyway but it was really for a decent underfoot condition for ease of learning??...I know some areas arnt keen on it

Next question.....anyone know where i can hire some touring kit around Glasgow or Glencoe, i know braemar rent it but that means glenshee or cairngorm

Ad_Hynkel


Posts: 222
Joined: Mar 2010
Last Visited: 12:28
12th Feb 2021
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 15.14hrs on Mon 22 Feb 16
enduro-aid, I don't know anywhere in Glasgow or up Glencoe way that does touring gear hire.

Edinburgh Ski Touring club hire stuff out, but from their website it looks like you need to a member with up to date subs. Supposedly Blues at Tiso Perth hire equipment out, at least according to Tiso website courses page, but that might not be alot better than Braemar for you?

igloo4you


Posts: 522
Joined: Oct 2009
Last Visited: 16:28
22nd Apr 2021
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 16.08hrs on Mon 22 Feb 16
enduro-aid,

Happy for tourers to go where they want on the mountain as long as they show consideration to our other customers.

alan


Posts: 10768
Joined: Nov 1994
Last Visited: 17:02
27th Mar 2024
What's this?What's this?What's this?
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 21.12hrs on Mon 22 Feb 16
After the storms the depth and width of cover on the mountain has increased significantly and it's possible to get the full Summit to moor vertical of 2400ft in via the fenced Red Access Run.


^Old Mugs Alley is now more a motorway than an alleyway!


^Much increased depth on the Plateau Poma and Run, all the green terrain in the triangle served by the Poma, Rope Tow and new Coire Pollach Tow is in fantastic shape now.


^Between the Blue and Red Access Runs on the front face around 1900ft.

Full report & pix: [www.winterhighland.info]

alan


Posts: 10768
Joined: Nov 1994
Last Visited: 17:02
27th Mar 2024
What's this?What's this?What's this?
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 00.49hrs on Tue 23 Feb 16
Meall a' Bhuiridh by moonlight:





Edited 1 times. Last edit at 00.50hrs Tue 23 Feb 16 by alan.

Attachments: access2200-2016.02.23.00.jpeg (95kB)  
Ad_Hynkel


Posts: 222
Joined: Mar 2010
Last Visited: 12:28
12th Feb 2021
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 11.37hrs on Tue 23 Feb 16
alan Wrote:
Meall a' Bhuiridh by moonlight:


Fantastic. For some reason that looks to me like a set from the old Thunderbirds... did Gerry Anderson film by moonlight to create the magic?

Mountainaddict


Posts: 271
Joined: Nov 2006
Last Visited: 19:38
6th Jan 2021
Re: Glencoe Snow 2016
Date Posted: 12.29hrs on Tue 23 Feb 16
Hello Igloo4you.


Any update on the Cliffy?? Are the broken bits back from repair? Any chance of it running this weekend?

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