Recommendation needed for camera for ski race course.

[gymnast46 0]

Hi,

 

I hope someone can give me some guidance. I run a ski race program at a mountain in Vermont. This coming season we're moving the course to a different trail. Unfortunately because of a bend in the course and some intervening trees I won't be able to see the lower half of the course from the start shack. I need to make sure the course is clear before sending the next racer. I could place a camera on a lift tower to provide me with a view of the hidden portion of the course. The camera would be less than 100 feet from the shack. It would need to be able to provide a view a few hundred feet in the other direction.

 

The camera would need to be battery operated and would be on constantly in cold temperatures. I could set up a spare XP laptop in the start shack to function as a monitor. At present there is no WiFi signal in the area but that could change. Are there models that act as a transmitter to a USB-based receiver at the computer end?

 

I see sub-$100 security cameras available online. Would one of these be appropriate for what I need?

 

I greatly appreciate your input!

[thewireguys 3]

Interesting, I just started our second Ski Resort install and I can say that installing cameras on mountains that create their own weather is a lot of fun and a huge challenge. We current have cameras installed at the tops and bottoms of the lift chairs directly in the line of fire of the snow guns. All the cameras are currently IP HD cameras running a the fiber network that runs up and down the mountain.

 

So now on to your issue. You want to see if the course clear before send the next racer down. You will need a higher resolution camera to see people all the way down the track or you will need a PTZ camera that you can control and zoom down in down the track to get a clear view.

 

Now nether of these solutions are sub 100 and I don't know any sub 100 solution that will give you the resolution you need and survive in these conditions. The only camera I know that will operate in this conditions with out a heater/blower is Mobotix. Most all cameras will need a housing and heater/blower to keep the snow/ice off the the camera and a battery will drain extremely fast with this much draw.

 

If you plan on mounting the camera on the lift tower you should have no problem getting power from either the top or bottom lift house. I would recommend you have a conversation with lift maintenance and/or the mountain electrician to see where they can get power for you.

 

If you have any other questions please PM me.

Edited November 14, 2011 by Guest

[gymnast46 0]

Thanks for the detailed response! Now we know what we're up against.

[thewireguys 3]

What resort is this for?

[gymnast46 0]

Okemo.

[Soundy 1]

I agree with thewireguys' assessment, there's no way you're going to do this and have it be both effective and reliable without putting some money into it.

[gymnast46 0]

Had a thought in the middle of the night. There's no reason the camera couldn't be positioned inside the base lodge looking up the hill. That would solve the problems of power supply and cold temperatures. I believe there is a WiFi signal there as well.

 

Here's a shot of the lodge (circled)

 

 

and the view from below (start of course is out of sight behind circle}.

 

 

Would I need a zoom on the camera? Assuming I can get a WiFi signal to the start shack how do I get the video stream? Is it web based? And lastly what affordable recommendations do you have?

 

I greatly appreciate your help on this!

[gymnast46 0]

Hate to show my ignorance but how does the signal emanate from the camera? Does it need to be connected to a PC in order to send the signal over a wireless network?