Part 4: Tech to take a casual interest in; 2027+

In part 1, part 2 and part 3, we discussed the top technologies every resort should be adopting, developing and considering.

In our last part we gaze deep into the future, highlighting key technologies and how they may relate to our industry in general.

Given the significant development still needed for the following technological areas, these are a long way off for ski. But, definitely worth thinking about and daydreaming on how they could work at your resort. 

Quantum computing

While traditional computers make calculations based on whether bits (1s and 0s) are on or off, quantum computers have qubits which, thanks to their third state of “superposition”, can represent a one or a zero at the same time. Meaning they can calculate many different variables all at once, resulting in their biggest benefit; speed. 

Quantum computers will not replace traditional computers, rather they will be used in addition and for very specific problems. For example, solving complex, multi-faceted optimization problems such as figuring out the best way to schedule flights or determining the best delivery routes for fleets of delivery trucks.

So how could this apply to the Ski industry? 

• Perhaps the shift towards less crowded slopes will continue, requiring real time optimization of ticket sales, access times and queue management.
• Or industry consolidation accelerates, requiring cross-resort optimization of staffing, capital equipment maintenance scheduling and food & beverage ordering to maintain profitability.
• Maybe the climate crisis deepens, creating unpredictable weather events than need predictive modeling in order to maximize visitation and profitability in smaller timeframes.

Biometric tech

Biometric technologies refer to the use of technology that identifies an individual based on an unique biological element. The main examples include:

• Fingerprint scanning
• Facial recognition
• Retina scanning
• Voice recognition

And their primary use is for security; granting or denying physical access somewhere. The obvious use case for ski, is gate access using facial or voice recognition. But as with many other technologies, biometric tech poses deep ethical problems such as mass surveillance, data privacy, and racial bias. 

Bring Your Own Identity (BYOI)

This one is already in play yet a long way off from mass adoption. As TechTarget explains, “BYOI is increasingly being used for website authentication. Instead of requiring visitors to create a new username and password during the registration process, the website allows visitors to use their existing social identities such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ or Amazon to log in.”

The proponents for it claim that by removing the burden of protecting user credentials reduces administrative overhead, simplifies data management and lowers storage costs. While adversaries rightly worry about identities and identity theft.

Summary

The future of technology is opaque, but there are many exciting and challenging opportunities for us in the ski industry to think about now. 

Review

Part 1: Tech you should be further developing, in order to thrive in Winter 2023
Part 2: Tech you should be adopting, in order to thrive in Winter 2023
Part 3: Tech to investigate and consider its possible use in the medium term, around 2024 - 2026