Are ski resort web sites getting worse? I have just looked at the Val Thorens web site - it is almost unusable. When you visit the web site you want to know information: look at a piste map, look at the web cam, look at a resort map so you can see where your accommodation is, or to make a booking for lift pass, ski hire, lessons, accommodation etc. I doubt if you really visit the site for rock music and flashy videos.
 
On the ease of use criteria the Val Thorens site is a horror, whereas Courchevel is pretty good. Tignes is also bad. Just to show that things can change quickly in the ski industry the Val d?Isere site has from good to bad.
 
Can we have some nominations for the best and worst ski resort web sites?
 
John

I tend to ski the Arlberg resorts and each resort has excellent user friendly websites, ie St Anton, Lech, Oberlech and Stuben. In fairness most of the Austrian websites are all good and most have interactive piste maps with pictures and descriptions of each run, interactive village maps that allows you to pick hotels/rooms where you want (eg close to lifts etc), loads of webcams and accurate descriptions of how to get there.
I did go to La Plagne a few years back and thought the website was OK, and went to Claviere a couple of years ago and there’s was non existant.
Best website Lech
Worst Claviere

Yes,
 
The lech site is good - pity the descriptions of the pistes are all blank, but it is a really good idea.
 
BTW my vote for teh worst goes to Val Thoren. http://www.tignes.com doesn’t count
 
John

I was thinking of posting a list of good resort web sites, but unfortunately cannot find any. There is no point in posting the bad ones since it will run into hundreds. As a group I think that ski resort web sites are the worst ones we see Look at the clutter for example on the Charmrouse site for example.

What I would like to see in a good resort web site:

Clear access to the piste map, lift opening times (and Navettes) and lift pass prices/online purchasing.
An accommodation booing page
Snow conditions and weather forecast.
Directory listing of services such as bars, ski hire shops,sports centres etc.
Links to ski schools
Web cams (the village is more interesting than the piste).
Maps showing me where everything is.
Speed of access

What I don’t want is:
Music - itunes does this better.
Flash especially videos of skiers with wings on!  - KISS
Lots of pictures of smiling kids (I have my own)
Slow loading
Confusing navigation.

My simple thoughts are:
Ask the question : is this photograph necessary before putting it on the site
Ask the question : just what information is this music giving the visitors.
Ask the question ; Why would some one want to visit this site - what do they want to get from it.
Present the most important things up front.
Allow the full screen to be used, not just a tiny bit in the centre.

John

BTW I think the WTSS site asked these questions before designing their site.

I just noticed an error in my previous post. Due to a slightly old key board the odd character often goes missing.

Though an accommodation booing page may prove very informative I really meant an accommodation booking page.

John

The Val d’Isere website over the last 2-3 years has been a model of what’s needed. Very comprehensive and informative and - importantly - quick and easy to navigate. It’s new at the start of each season but so far they’ve been successful in maintaining their information and ease of use standards. Also, if you find something odd on the site there is a facility to liaise easily with the site designer - who does come back quite quickly with a comment, or to make a change. A very positive attitude!

One of the worst sites this last season was for Breckenridge, USA. Complicated (through trying to be interactive), difficult to navigate and far from being fully informative. A classic example of trying to be too clever and actually failing to sell the resort as a result.

A thought I should have added to my earlier comments, and to reinforce what everyone else has been saying. It would be interesting for WTSS to forward this thread of comments to at least some of the major resorts, to get through to them the opportunities they miss by not having well designed sites which address the points which have been made.

Peter