Where to Ski And Snowboard - Video yourself across the Alps this season

Video yourself across the Alps this season

7th January 2013, by Abi Butcher

Skiers can film themselves racing down the new Videopark in Les Gets

Were you hoping to get a GoPro for Christmas? If Santa hasn’t delivered, fear not — ski resorts around the Alps have installed video systems in their half pipes and freestyle parks, with automatic uploading to social networking sites such as facebook.

Les Menuires, Megève, Val Thorens, Méribel, Les Gets and Tignes, Verbier, Fiss, Laax

and Livigno have all installed video cameras in their parks. There are probably more — tell us on facebook and twitter if you know of others — but here are the details of cameras in resorts we know about.

Les Menuires has a video system in its BK Park, with a new and improved version of the boardercross run, which is accessed via the Becca chairlift. Snowboarders and skiers just need to press their lift pass against a reader that will identify them, choose between a jump and a rail, and go for it. Their video — taken from several cameras — will be available immediately at the bottom of the park, and can be sent to the rider’s phone or facebook/twitter account for free.

In Megève, the Waidzai Park with its 10 jumps and boarder cross run is equipped with three video cameras, and the footage is available on Facebook. For the more sedate, still cameras are available at the top of Rochebrune and Mont d’Arbois slopes, where skiers can have their pictures taken with Mont Blanc in the background — just by pressing their lift passes against a reader. The photos are sent to the lift company’s facebook page for downloading.

The freestyle park in Val Thorens has video cameras filming two jumps. And in Méribel, the Moon Park is equipped with cameras. In both parks, skiers activate the cameras by pressing their pass against a reader at the top of the park. Videos can be watched in the park and are sent to freestylepark.fr from where riders can download and share videos.

If you’re not into jumps? A new videopark in Les Gets offers a video system on a slalom run. Skiers and snowboarders can film themselves racing down the slalom run, on the Perrieres areas on the slope of Melezes, then see their race at the bottom.

And Swatch has teamed up with five resorts — Verbier, Fiss, Laax, Tignes and Livigno — placing high-definition cameras in their snowparks, projecting all the tricks on a giant screen in the parks. Users can rate each other’s videos and download them from swatch.com.