Aspen’s Silver Queen gondola is being upgraded this summer to allow skiers and boarders using the lift this winter to connect their mobile devices wirelessly to a sound system in each cabin and play their music through it.
Gordon Bronson skiing on Aspen Mountain, Aspen, CO
The Bluetooth-enabled technology is an upgrade to a system installed in the cabins in 2010 in the pre-wifi era when gondola users could connect first-generation iPhones to the lift’s sound system using a headphone jack. The service was reported to be a world first at the time.
The sound system is powered by solar-charged batteries but, according to local media reports, has a reputation for being a bit erratic. The battery and speakers will remain the same but Aspen expects battery life and the connection will be better by using wireless connectivity.
The resort hopes that all the cabins on the lift will be converted to the new tech in time for opening day on November 23, each using a different wireless frequency.
