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| Snowmotion product strategy is to develop digital media technology for the electronic entertainment industry. Shoot to Thrill believes that its best opportunity to demonstrate the full potential of this technology, is to: (1) leverage its strong involvement in the adventure mountain sports industry to acquire compelling content, and then, (2) to create an exciting game simulation within an interactive website utilizing the Company's core technologies. |
| To accomplish its objectives, SNOWMOTION is dedicating significant resources towards creating world-class adventure sports content using its proprietary technology. The Company's first effort will be to develop a new entertainment product called Chute to Thrill. This sophisticated new media product will combine the adrenaline rush of extreme mountaineering, skiing and snowboarding with critical skill training on mountain safety. |
| Chute to Thrill will utilize the 3Dit proprietary 3G wireless streaming technology for transmission, and its 3D video capture and playback technology to create content that will take full advantage of next-generation gaming consoles and live broadband services. The product will also include the use of a variety of precise geographic, sensory and biofeedback data, unique to Chute to Thrill. |
| The objective of the product is to create an exciting, interactive experience
around mountain adventure sports, while allowing the user to gain a clearer
understanding and respect for the many critical elements required for a
safe experience. |
| Initially, SNOWMOTION will make the Chute to Thrill core content and technology available on its dedicated website (http://chute2thrill.com), primarily as a marketing tool for the game and video sales and TV production efforts to license the content and technology to brodcasters, software publishers, console manufacturers, and game engine firms. |
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| INTRODUCTION |
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| The origins of extreme sports can be traced back to impromptu challenges
between friends - where comradeship, skill, courage and adrenaline met in
an atmosphere of daring-do. From these simple roots has sprung the phenomenal
popularity of today's professional events. |
| The extreme genre has become a mainstay of television programming, feature films and video games. James Bond, Warren Miller movies, BRAAAP films downhill ski races and the seventies freestyle movement all have contributed to the winter extreme phenomena. The explosive growth of the snowboard industry and its' inherent "Go Big or Go Home!" attitude, further stretched the boundaries of the achievable, while exploding its' popularity. Similar ideals of adrenaline, deep-powder and big air, supercharged the extreme faction of snowboarding's new "bad-boy" image of the sports industry. Similarly Snowmobiling has Extreme Hillclimbing & Freestyle snowmobiling.
Extreme Machineson extreme Hilllimbing is still a realativly new event.
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| WORLD EXTREME SNOWMOBILE CHAMPIONSHIPS (WESC) proposed |
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| In 1992, the first World Extreme Skiing Championships (WESC) was held in Valdez, Alaska. During WESC's operation (1992-2001), the extreme ski world was crowned by this end-of-year event. similarily we hope to establish a UPHILL snowmobile vertion of this event. |
| Chute to Thrill's Creative Director, Scott Fullmer was integrally involved throughout the WESC movement, functioning both as as its documentary filmmaker and historian (releasing feature films and television documentaries of the contest). . our intention is to Do the same with the Chute to Thrill events The event broadcast production footage for TV can be used in several projects.
the main intention is TV as well asa Home video component.
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| The demise of WESC has left a gaping hole (and opportunity) in the adventure TV film industry. The relationship's gained by our two principals with the competitors, sponsors and other related parties will prove critical to the success of the Chute to Thrill venture. This is still a pretty new type of event. This gives the organisors a lot of flexibility in hosting the events and the events structure as well as Format.
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| MOUNTAINS DEMAND MOUNTAINEERS |
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| To date, extreme skiing and snowboarding events have all included mostly the descent mode, with participants using ski lifts and/or helicopters to access their runs. Although eminently suited for the medium of television broadcast - this distorted format has resulted in accidents whereby skiers and snowboarders have "hucked" or jumped blindly into terrain they were unfamiliar with. While the chute to Thrill event is different that the Ski events the logitics are similar, we will put in place some rules and guidlines to minimize the risk to participants. As such Rules are still being worked out. |
| There is no getting around the fact that with great challenge comes great risk. But minimizing the chance of accident for the competitor, by ensuring they are prepared for the ordeal, would ideally be prerequisite of all such events - unfortunately, this has not been the case. Chute to Thrill strives to improve on the current extreme skiing/snowboarding concept in our snowmobile events-- and address this dangerous imbalance -- through re-integrating the roots of mountaineering as a required skill within our world class competition. We will use the avalanche control experts from major ski resorts to do some avalache control work pror to each event and we are also running Avalanche tranciever and GPS geo cashe events as part of the events skills. |
| The reasoning is simple - mountains are not to be toyed with (as any aspiring mountaineer will quickly learn). Lift service, works great for recreational snowmobiling or skiing/snowboarding. It does not, however, provide the tactile feedback athletes require to maximize their safety. Putting one's life on the line, in "You fall - You die" conditions demands a thorough understanding of the mountain's challenges (and possibilities). This knowledge can only be acquired through the athlete climbing their proposed route and learning first-hand what the mountain has to offer. |
| THE COMPETITION |
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| The Chute to Thrill Championship will be held as an invitational event spanning 2 days of competition, scheduled for early April 2009. Canada has historically produced a majority of extreme snowmobile champions and will enjoy ample representation within our international contest. The weekend will be slated for the competition to allow for maximum participants attendance. The competition will be run as a limited invitational open to qualified athletes from the snowmobile disciplines. The competitors, will climb a line of the mountain that they also plan to descend The decent does not have to be the route up But decent is part of the Judged process. A panel of skilled judges will qualify the climb, as well as the Sled descent according to established criteria being created at the compeators meeting prior to each event (see below). |
| THE MOUNTAIN AND RESORT |
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| There are few mountains in the world that can provide the level of challenge that is required to determine the "best of the best". Snowmotion highly values the new Kicking Horse Resort (located in Golden, BC) as a willing partner in Chute to Thrill Championship. The actual event is not on the ski hill but nearby at Gorman (venue subject to change) A Traditional hillclimb at the Resort may also happen. |
| Kicking Horse, located next door to the world-famous Bugaboos Heli-Ski operation, opened recently.. Presenting one of the largest new ski area developments built in the last 20 years, the area's 4,300 vertical feet of lift service make it the second largest ski-resort in North America (after Whistler). With an average yearly snowfall of more than 1,000cm, Spring will see the mountain possessing its' maximum snow coverage, combined with sunny April weather. |
| Most importantly, the resort provides easy access to the phenomenally challenging surrounding peaks, where the competition will actually be held. Spectators will have superb views from within the location itself, but without compromising safety. they can nt sit at the base of any Climb zone. |
| Competitors and operational new media personnel will be lodged in the town Golden, BC, 10km from the trail head |
| WHY GOLDEN AND KICKING HORSE |
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| "British Columbia's newest ski area, Kicking Horse will hit the big time
in no time. Not bad for a place that was merely wishful thinking a few years
ago." RON LEVITT SKI MAGAZINE, TRAVELLER SECTION, SEPTEMBER 2000 |
| In respect to Canadian Heritage, Golden has an incredibly valuable history.
Golden is where the Swiss mountain guides were first brought by the CPR
as the "birthplace" of Canadian mountaineering ", in the early 1900's. Since
then, Golden has developed as a mountain community long before mountaineering
was even recognized by the mainstream of Canada. |
| There are few places more aptly fitting, than the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort to stage the Chute to Thrill Championship event, although alternatives are available in Whistler and other parts of BC. |
| Kicking Horse Resort is situated 18km from Golden. Golden is home to many established outdoor adventure snow operators and guides, thus already providing a community dedicated to similar activities put forth in Chute to Thrill. As a town striving to become a more visible destination resort, Golden will greatly benefit and is willing to contribute to this world-class event. |
| Kicking Horse Resort is also the newest big mountain ski development in North America (find out more at: www.kickinghorseresort.com). For the last two and a half years, Peter Chrzanowski, creative director for Chute to Thrill, has been working on a documentary film in Golden (see Golden Rush press articles) on the transition of a mill town to a tourist destination. The area, as with many small towns in BC, is going through a very challenging transformation. Golden and Kicking Horse Resort, can definitely find value in Chute to Thrill exposure, especially since a multi-million dollar investment has been made by the BC government, developers and the Columbia Basin Trust. The event, as well as the ensuing video game venture would create an exceptional value-added asset to the community and resort, and act as an example for other small towns looking to turn to tourism to drive their economy. |
| Or, for another way of explaining Why Kicking Horse, try this Video. |
| THE INVITATIONAL |
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| In its first year, the Chute to Thrill Championship will be an invitational with 20 male competitors hand-picked (ten teams of two). The women's category will include eight women competitors (four teams of two). It will also have a new "unisex category", whereby women and men will be encouraged to team up together. The competitors will be represented by international ski and snowboard celebrity athletes, as well as mountain guides from outdoor outfitters around Golden (e.g. CMH, Chatter Creek, and Selkirk Heli-Skiing). |
| JUDGING COMMITTEE |
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| A panel of judges will ensure a fair representation of all the disciplines included in the event. These will include:Snowmobile Industry celebrities & Experts as well as a prominent and knowledgeable figures from the outdoor industry |
| JUDGING CRITERIA |
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| Form: Technique, movement and style will be the key factors in this category. In addition, the judges will consider experienced use of equipment. In a scenario where ice or steep snow sections were encountered, the competitor may Stop use an ice axe, or an ice screw to demonstrate mountaineering savvy and the use of available gear to wait for a rescue.. |
| Fluidity: To score high in this category, a competitor will be
required to keep a rhythm or pace throughout the event. As with all categories,
the challenge for the competitor is to balance the other criteria and end
up with the highest score overall. For example, if a competitor chooses
a very difficult line, the fluidity of the run may be compromised. |
| Aggressiveness: This category demonstrates a competitor's physical
and mental condition. To successful complete a very aggressive run, competitors
must have a tremendous amount of focus. Distractions due to weariness and
lack of concentration, usually results in a competitor's run being more
conservative or receiving lower scores in other categories. |
| Line: The terrain path selected for both the ascent and the descent
is the line, and is judged on the overall difficulty. A good climber may
complete a difficult and technical route on the ascent with ease, great
form, fluidity and be aggressive, yet may lack the skiing/ snowboarding
skills to execute an equally challenging descent. |
| Cut-Off Time: The terrain will be foreran by skilled climbers
and skiers and snowboarders to determine a fair average speed for both the
ascent and descent disciplines. For every five minute a competitor is over
the cut-off time, a point will be lost. |
| Technology Description |
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| Chute to Thrill project will integrate numerous high technology innovations developed by ACA Telefilm to provide for content acquisition requirements. The interactive website (and later the video-game version of Chute to Thrill), will allow users to customize their experiences by selecting camera angles, as well as reception of comprehensive environmental and competitor data. All data types will be intuitively presented adding to ease-of-use experience and efficient archival viewing. |
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| VIDEO TEAM AND CONTENT ACQUISITION |
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| SCOTT FULLMER will lead our mountain sports camera-crew (comprised of four digital camera operators strategically located to capture course terrain). Two other camera stations will record 3D footage, using SNOWMOTION and proprietary software, 3D-It!, for pan and tracking shots. Post event, the content will be edited for inclusion within a future video-game version of Chute to Thrill (planned as an Xbox title, created in conjunction with a TBA third party game developer.) |
| COMPETITOR DATA SETS |
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| Competitors in the Chute to Thrill event will also be utilized to expand the amount of video content acquired, by wearing a miniature Pocket PC computer; providing exhilarating 3D "point-of-view" video and heart-thumping audio commentary. Onboard data receptors will provide capture of additional data sets including: GPS (ascent/descent speed and exact positioning for plotting on website 3D topography map), and biometrics stats (pulse rate). |
| OTHER DATA |
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| Environmental data will also be well represented and available to enhance
the user experience. Data sets describing weather, snow temperature and
snow pack conditions at various points on the mountain will be collected
and available for viewers. A high-resolution 3D topographic map will be
included to provide users with an overhead perspective, and which will directly
interface with the competitors' GPS positioning record. Comparatives of
deviations from ascent and descent routes will also be available for analysis. |
| WEBSITE EXPERIENCE |
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| Video and other data types will transmit wirelessly (utilizing 3D-It! wireless burst transmission technology) to Chute to Thrill mission control for website server input and website integration. Video will be digitized during capture (with commentary) to Quicktime streaming format. Digital media streams will be playable on both Windows and Macintosh computers using Quicktime. |
| Encoded video will be made available for viewing at broadband speed of
100kb and 400Kb feeds, (3D video will require usage of commercially available
3D glasses for $25 and up). Project partner, ITV.net, will provide the Webcast
technicians and perform all encoding and streaming delivery. ITV.net will
also handle LAN, wireless and streaming-server networking (team to be overseen
by executive producer, Allan Crawford). |
| VIDEO-GAME ENGINE MODULES |
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| An additional, (and perhaps primary) business opportunity provided by the Chute to Thrill project is our intended strategy of using the Chute to Thrill competition and related video footage as a working example of how Silicon Image 3D and 3G technology can be utilized to expand capabilities of next-generation electronic entertainment, particularly relevant to new broadband services. |
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