By Press Release

January 13, 2000

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 13 -- SF Interactive ( http://www.sfinteractive.com ), the San Francisco-based digital marketing agency has partnered with Vail Mountain to build a microsite ( http://www.blueskybasin.com ) to promote the new backcountry ski area known as "Blue Sky Basin."

Vail's Blue Sky Basin is one of the largest resort expansions to happen in years. The enormous new area consists of backcountry-like groomed and ungroomed trails within graded terrain and some of the deepest powder available. The challenge was to develop a site driven by experience and emotion rather than by information all while keeping the dial-up audience in mind. The Flash introduction leads into an HTML based site that allows users to see terrain pictures, trail maps, and enter a contest to win a trip for two to Blue Sky Basin to experience the terrain for real.

"Under a deadline, we were able to develop a sound strategy, great creative and an implementation plan to meet Vail's aggressive timeline. The new site builds anticipation and generates user excitement by creating an online skiing experience," said Bruce Carlisle, president and founder of SF Interactive.

"Our main objective in building this site was to 'heat the oven' and build anticipation for skiing and snowboarding in this new terrain. We wanted to build an engaging site that would capture the excitement and adventure of this innovative ski terrain expansion," explained Bruce Mainzer, vice president of marketing, Vail Mountain.

Upon entering the site, users see a Flash introduction movie, which reflects the experience of skiing through the actual terrain. Each step of the way users must select their path reflecting the actual backcountry skiing experience. Users can't turn around and go back until they reach the bottom. This allows users to discover different aspects of the site for themselves in repeated runs as if they were skiing.