Tyrol's Ski Areas Rely On Axess And Are The First To Offer BLE Technology

After an extensive three-year test phase in six major ski areas, Axess has now put the first standard BLE systems into operation in Austria. Since March 1, 2024, guests of the Olympic area Axamer Lizum and Innsbruck's local mountain Patscherkofel have been able to conveniently buy their ski ticket in the web store and save it directly on their cell phone in the Axess SkiWallet app. Afterwards everything goes as usual with a ski ticket.

“Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) refers to a radio technology that can be used to network devices within a certain radius. It allows the cell phone to communicate with the gate,” explains Daniel Wakounig, CTO of Axess AG. The ticket information is stored on the cell phone and can be accessed contactlessly. After activating the ticket in the app, the guest can start skiing straight away. As soon as the skier steps into the reading area of ​​the gate, the cell phone automatically connects via BLE and the ticket is checked for validity. Once released, the gate opens and grants access. The cell phone stays in the jacket and the gloves stay on. No more waiting at the checkout or picking up your ski ticket.

Axamer Lizum, a long-time customer of Axess, was the first ski resort to start standard operation of the BLE system across the entire ski resort. “Right from the start, operations run smoothly and at the same speed as with the chip cards or RFID tickets used. The skiers are enthusiastic and some well-known ski resorts from the Alpine region were already there to see this innovation live and evaluate it for their ski area,” reports Werner Frießer, managing director of Axamer Lizum Bergbahnen. With 7 lifts and a total of 40 kilometers of slopes, it is the largest ski area around Innsbruck.

The Tyrolean spirit of innovation is already paying off here: Werner Frießer notes with joy: “Since the introduction of the ticket on the cell phone, we have only had enthusiastic skiers who really appreciate this convenience. For us as a mountain railway, it is clear that we can achieve better economic results by increasing online bookings and better planning. Axess has made this market leadership possible for us.”

His colleague Adrian Egger, Managing Director of Patscherkofelbahn AG, can only confirm this: “Innsbruck’s local mountain has also already upgraded to the Axess BLE system and is completely satisfied.”