Level up and earn achievements while skiing.

Cremlian

Level up while real life skiing
DAMN it someone already took my idea for life! There goes the millions.

I can't wait till Rym starts complaining about achievement whores getting in his way on the slope ^_^

Rym

If they're for tasks that actually represent one improving skiiing skill, then this is awesome.

Apreche

If they're for tasks that actually represent one improving skiiing skill, then this is awesome.

So it's perfectly ok to use mind control to trick people into doing things that are good, but not ok to do things that are bad? Also, while the people might be exercising and having fun, they're also being coerced into spending more money at ski slopes.

Rym

So it's perfectly ok to use mind control to trick people into doing things that are good, but not ok to do things that are bad? Also, while the people might be exercising and having fun, they're also being coerced into spending more money at ski slopes.

I'm a good skier, but I'm nowhere near great. I need checklists of what sorts of tasks I should accomplish while skiing, as attempting them is about as good as instruction. This would basically be free skiing lessons for people who have mastered the basics.

Imagine if the tasks were:

1. Make X time on Y mogul run
2. Make X-n time on Y mogul run
3. Catch more than 2 feet of air on Y mogul run
4. Catch NO air on Y mogul run

This is a succinct list of goals, directly related to the activity and utility (skiing), which will inherently teach someone attempting them particular necessary skills. Achieving all of them implies real skill growth and actual progress on something tangible.

Also, skiing in most contexts is a single player game, just in a shared space. Someone else practicing skills doesn't prevent me from racing or whatever. My only enemy is my own inability. In this context, achievements are direct manifestations of increased skill with no detrimental effects.

Sail

Can't wait for the first achievement-based lawsuit to happen.

Rym

Can't wait for the first achievement-based lawsuit to happen.

Skiers die all the time doing stupid shit. They also die doing sanctioned reasonable things. The resorts are well prepared to not have to deal with the effects of people who hurt themselves unless their equipment fails.

Cremlian

Also, skiing in most contexts is a single player game, just in a shared space. Someone else practicing skills doesn't prevent me from racing or whatever. My only enemy is my own inability. In this context, achievements are direct manifestations of increased skill with no detrimental effects.

Well It can also kinda be like a multiplayer death match on those blue square intermediate slopes with the mobs of people who can only barely skii ^_^

Sail

Can't wait for the first achievement-based lawsuit to happen.

Skiers die all the time doing stupid shit. They also die doing sanctioned reasonable things. The resorts are well prepared to not have to deal with the effects of people who hurt themselves unless their equipment fails.

Yeah, but those skiers are doing stupid shit of their own accord. I could see a case happen where some beginner skier does something ridiculous just to get an achievement and seriously injures themselves, then blames the resort for coercing them into doing it.

Apreche

I could see a case happen where some beginner skier does something ridiculous just to get an achievement and seriously injures themselves, then blames the resort for coercing them into doing it.

Exactly. If someone does stupid shit of their own accord, it's easy for the ski resort to avoid liability than if they had an achievement posted.

Also, someone has to verify these achievements. It's easy to verify time because people check in and out at the parking lot. Much harder to have someone stand there and watch everyone going down the hill.

Rym

Also, someone has to verify these achievements. It's easy to verify time because people check in and out at the parking lot. Much harder to have someone stand there and watch everyone going down the hill.

Ahh, but for anyone who would lie/cheat, they're removing of their own accord the only value the achievements had in the first place. This doesn't affect smart people.

Shiam

2. Make X-n time on Y mogul run.

For some reason I read that as "Make X(n) time...", and processed it as "Make O(n) time...".
Overall meh, interesting but only as much so as achievements in games. It doesn't seem like they're doing anything constructive, just rewarding your time on the slope in an largely meaningless way.

Andrew

I would be interested if they had physical pins you could wear when you go to the ski lodge. Chicks dig stuff like that. I would know, I'm a man.

Wyatt

I would be interested if they had physical pins you could wear when you go to the ski lodge. Chicks dig stuff like that. I would know, I'm a man.

Most martial arts have a belt system. I say most because I think Jeet Kune Do and some of the military martial arts skipped on the ranks/belts system. You could follow suit and do some modern day heraldry. I feel like different colors/patterns on an arm bands would be the most practical for skiers.

Rym

I feel like different colors/patterns on an arm bands would be the most practical for skiers.

Some places do it. In parts of Michigan, you had to demonstrate skills or have particular patches before they'd even let you board a lift.

TheWhaleShark

I feel like different colors/patterns on an arm bands would be the most practical for skiers.

Some places do it. In parts of Michigan, you had to demonstrate skills or have particular patches before they'd even let you board a lift.

This is a good idea. You could also break up the achievements into difficulty categories, using the same terminology that is used to break up ski slopes into difficulty grades. That gives skiiers a way to gauge which achievements they should be trying for.

Andrew

Some places do it. In parts of Michigan, you had to demonstrate skills or have particular patches before they'd even let you board a lift.

The best solution for something like this would be an RFID chip in your ski pass. Just tap it at the top of a run to start your run and tap the bottom to get credit for the run. You could also do rough run time calculations on it in addition to numerous other statistics. Eventually you'll be able to augment ski boots and equipment with sensors such as GPS or accelerometers to increase the number of metrics you can use for keeping track of your skills.