Stevens Pass Winter Resort Launches High Definition Rich Media Website

Washington Ski Area Celebrates 70 Year Anniversary with Web Specials and Experiences

SKYKOMISH WA and AVON CO September 12, 2007 Stevens Pass Winter Resort and Resort Technology Partners LLC (RTP) are pleased to publicize the highly anticipated launch of the new web site celebrating 70 years at Stevens Pass, one of the Northwest's premier resorts.  The website, located at www.stevenspass.com was designed by RTP Interactive with the support of the Stevens Pass marketing and web team.>

In a move away from the standard resort websites, www.stevenspass.com – much like the resort itself – has gone back to basics, 21st century style. There are no spinning flash designs or ever so frustrating ‘please wait ten more minutes for the next page to upload’ messages.  The Stevenspass.com homepage greets the visitor with dynamic and dramatic photographs of its mountain infused with the energy and motion of people enjoying the Stevens Pass resort adventure, overlaid with clear site navigation links.

So far the feedback has been incredibly positive. Says Chris Rudolph, marketing manager at Stevens Pass, ”RTP has delivered a site which really suits us – rich in experience, user friendly and easy to find information, complete with the ability to purchase season passes, loyalty products and packages. Great stuff! The feedback has been fantastic and it has been extremely fulfilling to work with designers who  are responsive and understand the changing dynamics of our resort environment.”   The site was designed to capture the resort’s laid back, Northwest, look and feel; illustrating the natural beauty and friendly atmosphere that has been a part of Stevens Pass culture for generations.

Jerry Nichols, vice president of RTP Interactive, explains, “When we designed the layout for the site we asked: do the visitors really want flash visuals or rich content?  Increasingly we find the answer to that question is the latter, and for the Stevens Pass site we decided to enrich the site with high definition images and content instead. Based on our research we found that visitors go to ski resort sites to a) get facts such as snow and weather conditions, prices and directions, b) view photos, watch videos and explore interactive terrain maps, and c) get to know the resort layout, base area and activities offered. Stevenspass.com provides all this in a site that is easy to find, easily accessible and most importantly, displays content that reflects the personality and experience of Stevens Pass.”

Stevenspass.com is a culmination of many months work to develop a persona based site that facilitates easy navigation and planning for resort visitors.  By developing “personas” of typical website visitors, the resort was able to improve its website information architecture and navigation for faster and more direct click thru paths suited to individual visitor preferences.  Visitors arriving at the stevenspass.com homepage get direct instant access to many links, including:

• Season pass tickets, packages and specials
• Current weather conditions (supplied by the NOAA)
• Current snow depth and grooming reports
• Interactive trail and terrain park maps
• Mountain podcasts, web and traffic cams
• Email specials signup
• Enhanced photo and video galleries, with filters to search for Nordic and Alpine skiing experiences
• Calendar of events
• Hours of operation and directions
• Local dining, shopping and lodging

The site includes a custom-built eCommerce shopping area with browsing and search capabilities, a complete online purchase process and Web-based administration center for internal maintenance of the product catalog.  The back-end solution and programming for the resort managers to easily upload current events, specials, mountain conditions, photos, videos and images, 24 hours a day.

Season passes are now on sale at the website and the resort opens soon.

About Resort Technology Partners
RTP is the leading provider of integrated technology solutions for recreation businesses.  RTP’s solutions are designed to enable customers to increase competitive advantage, manage more effectively and improve the guest experience by integrating RTP software with eCommerce, web design, and distribution services.   RTP Interactive, a division of RTP, specializes in providing Experiential Web Design, Interactive Flash Maps, Search Engine & Email, Marketing, Content Management and eCommerce solutions for the resort and travel industries. RTP manages websites for over 300 resorts, tour and travel operators in the U.S. and abroad. RTP is a privately held company headquartered in Avon, CO.  For more information, visit www.rtpinteractive.com.
 
About Stevens Pass
Stevens Pass, founded in 1937, is located on the crest of the Cascade Range, on two national forests, the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie on the west of the crest and the Wenatchee National Forest on the east. Stevens Pass typically receives about 450 inches of snow annually, covering 1,125 acres of skiable terrain – including 37 major runs and numerous bowls, glades and faces. The ski resort has a variety of terrain for every age and skill level. Stevens is located 78 miles east of Seattle on U.S. Highway 2. Normal hours of operations run from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Monday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, conditions permitting. Spring operations begin in mid-March with operating hours changing to 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.stevenspass.com.