Like so many other Coloradans, I love to spend as much of the snowy months in the mountains as possible. How is a girl to decide when and where to go? The proof is in the pudding – snow or no snow will be the deciding factor in whether or not people flock to the hills. With limited business days and big competition, Vail Resorts has taken on social media to get the word out about the snow as soon as it starts flying. They’re on a quest to find the most resourceful and innovative ways to reach out to their target audience and get skiers and riders to spend their $$$ and “sick days” (ahem…) on THEIR slopes.

Adage made news of how technology and the social media culture continue to revolutionize how companies advertise and connect with consumers. In the past, ski resorts relied on traditional mediums to get word out – such as magazines, TV and outdoor. Inclusion in ski porn is also a big promotional vehicle resorts like to be involved in. Many resorts still stay true to this method, however, Vail Resorts has realized that technology now puts information within instant grasp of the consumer – letting them decide at a moment’s notice how they will spend their day and where.

Vail CEO Rob Katz recently spoke in Denver about how his resorts are addressing the new reality of real-time decision making. Consumers wake up in the morning, check the conditions and decide what they are going to do. Even vacationers traveling from out of state are making decisions closer to their departure date. Vail has realized that by utilizing the new mediums online they are able to promote themselves within a relevant amount of time and interact with their consumers instead of talk at them.

An experience I had recently is a great example of this. A couple of Fridays ago I was mining through my twitter feed with no intention of going snowboarding as it was still pretty early in the season. I saw that Keystone Resort’s Twitter feed (@keystonemtn) had a contest to win VIP tickets to their concert series. On a whim I retweeted and hours later was crowned the winner. They were helpful about telling me how and where to pick up my passes – everything ran smoothly. The next day I found myself packing up my car and having a great day on the slopes. Vail may be the first resort to answer the question: If you tweet, will they come?