TECHNOLOGY
AI ON THE HILL By Bob Curley How ski areas are experimenting with artificial intelligence ops tools.
tem for the last three years as part of a pilot program. Man- tis, which is now a development partner of Doppelmayr, is designed to integrate with lift control systems and handle more complex decision-making to enable fully automated lift oper- ations. “In Europe now, there are many installations that are running autonomously through Mantis and other suppliers,” noted McCullough. Regulations do not currently allow for fully automated lift operation in North America, but McCullough, who sits on the Quebec passenger ropeway committee for the CSA Z98 stan-
At ski areas exploring the potential of artificial intelli- gence, early use cases are emerging not as sweeping over- hauls, but as incremental innovations designed to improve safety, streamline work, and clarify planning. In Québec, Les Sommets is using visual AI systems to mon- itor lifts. In New Hampshire, Cannon Mountain is analyzing historical data with AI to strengthen operational planning. And at New York’s Greek Peak, leadership is pushing vendors to think bigger about what AI can make possible in snowmak- ing, beyond traditional automation.
dard, believes the code and culture can evolve. “It’s a little bit of a gray zone that we’re working on right now. It’s, as we say, a work in progress.” For now, Saint-Sauveur will use Mantis “as an assisted program, which will take the onus of operation off of the lift operator, but not 100 percent,” McCullough said. If the system detects a misload, it can automatically stop the lift, though a human operator is still required by regulation to be on site and handle restarts. Even for the best lifties, bumping chairs for hours on end becomes monoto- nous, said McCullough. Technology like Bluecime and Mantis helps mitigate the
SMARTER CHAIRLIFT MONITORING Les Sommets, owner of five Quebec ski areas, was an early adopter of comput- er-vision technology in lift operations. For more than seven years, the company has utilized a Bluecime SIVAO “third-eye” sys- tem at Sommet Saint-Sauveur to monitor whether lift riders are lowering restraint bars. This winter, Saint-Sauveur’s flagship six-place chairlift will also utilize Mantis, a more advanced camera-and-AI platform that assists with identifying and prevent- ing misloads. Greg McCullough, vice president of operations at Saint-Sauveur, said discus- sions with friends who used AI-enabled
“IF WE CAN HAVE A SAFER
OPERATION BECAUSE THE
MACHINE IS NOT GOING TO
MISS A FALL IF PROGRAMMED
PROPERLY ... THEN I HAVE NO
QUALMS JUMPING ON THIS
100 PERCENT.”
cameras to ensure quality control in printing operations helped him see the potential for improving lift operations. “In a frac- tion of a second, [AI can identify] a misprint on a label … and pick it off the [production] line,” he said. “Now, we’re talking about [applying similar technology to] chairlifts that have six- or seven-second interval arrival times.” With Bluecime, he said, “recognition is based on a photo of the [carrier] coming out of the terminal, and it triggers an alarm to tell the person that they must lower their bar.” The system also gathers performance data, such as real-time lift speeds, bar- down rates, and percentage of people on the chair. “The feedback that the system gives you from an opera- tional basis is really, really [valuable],” he said. “When we go into operation this year, we’ll have seven years of data already acquired by the system.” The resort has also been collecting data for the Mantis sys-
risks that come with inevitable complacency. “If we can have a safer operation because the machine is not going to miss a fall if programmed properly, if it has enough information, then I have no qualms jumping on this 100 percent,” he said. “I’ve been at it 40 years,” he added, “and I’m hoping that by the time I’m done, this will be a step that I’ve helped [us] move in the right direction.” STRATEGIC SNOWMAKING Greek Peak in Cortland, N.Y., is exploring how AI could one day transform snowmaking operations, and vice president of opera- tions Ayden Wilber is urging suppliers to expand their AI capa- bilities. While the resort uses automated fan guns today, Wilber is pushing for more sophisticated, decision-making tools that go beyond preprogrammed inputs. “Say you have an automated snow gun, and you want [it]
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