# Drones...?



## tonicusa (Feb 27, 2008)

You've got to be fucking kidding me... Wow it's crazy how far technology has come. That's pretty amazing stuff.


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

That is the one thing I didn't get this year that I wanted. Glad I waited since they improved so much.


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

Yes but you need to really do something cool.. I mean.. to justify the cost and all? Ore are we all now DEVO? ;-)


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## Kevin137 (May 5, 2013)

Here's the thing, the resort i have my family pass, would pay for videos of fly down the slopes, and on discussing with them, it would cover nearly the total cost for the family season pass simply by filming ALL there runs, and any new park features they built...

So really is the cost that big...??? Certainly not for me, and i am a huge gadget freak so would use it a lot...

The only thing that i am not sure about is this "follow me" feature from next level, and how it will integrate into different drones...

It clearly shows them using a DJI, but they do not list it as supported... Strange :dunno:

However, i have 3 or 4 months to decide, practice, and play for a couple of months before the new season, so that would all be good...!!!

I have already got the Ground Station app for the DJI Ground Station, and it is all very simple and self explanatory in how you use it, and the mapping side of things could not be easier when plotting...!!!


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## tonicusa (Feb 27, 2008)

I don't want to see a bunch of these silly drones following people around, the GoPros are bad enough. Hopefully these will be banned inside resort boundaries and the park. It's bad enough right now watching kids who can barely ride features have 4 buddies follow them around with a camera rig and stop on top of all the jumps like they are setting up for a documentary.


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## Kevin137 (May 5, 2013)

I agree, and in the USA i can see them being a banned toy at resorts...

The rest of the world will have the freedom to enjoy them, and to be fair, i never stand around anywhere on busy days, but filming big air from different perspectives and competition days for the kids would be really cool...

There is a hobbyist that built his own drone 6 blades, and he gets some awesome footage with it using a go pro, but i doubt very much that they will become common, not at $1000+ plus the extra stuff you need to buy to plot them and have them follow you i can imagine $1500 easily, and with that in mind, and knowing that the DJI2 batteries are $100 each, and that they don't last more than 20-25 minutes normal use, i think you will be safe from idiots... Haha :yahoo:


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## CassMT (Mar 14, 2013)

Hexacopter are six blades...very spendy though, not a hobbyist model

if drones start clogging up the skies i think we will see a lot of inventive ways of destroyin gthem, i'm looking forward to that

and they should never be allowed at resorts, riding time is a time of peace and in part communing with nature, i personally don't want all this sh!t flying aroung harshin' my mellow
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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

Cass, drones aren't nearly as bad as the duck lines of beginner skiers gliding across an entire run from top to bottom. Chances are they will be in parks more than anything and that is not a place of peace. I'd rather use it in steep terrain that not many people frequent than a park.


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

I won't weigh in on the debate about having these buzzing all over the resorts. I just wanted to say it is definitely a _WAY COOL _toy! :laugh: i wouldn't mind having one for lots of different reasons. 

...of course winning the Lotto will have to be first priority.


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## Manicmouse (Apr 7, 2014)

Like with my Contour Roam I'd end up taking hours and hours of footage that is 99.99% garbage  Cool toy though!


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## CassMT (Mar 14, 2013)

Argo said:


> Cass, drones aren't nearly as bad as the duck lines of beginner skiers gliding across an entire run from top to bottom. Chances are they will be in parks more than anything and that is not a place of peace. I'd rather use it in steep terrain that not many people frequent than a park.


it's all well and good til someone gets their nose sliced off


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

CassMT said:


> it's all well and good til someone gets their nose sliced off


then its amazing footage.


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## f00bar (Mar 6, 2014)

What could go wrong?

Roman Pirozek Jr: Man decapitates himself with his own remote-control helicopter | Mail Online


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

Actually, I was a bit surprized that it didn't have any sort of guards around those blades. Not foolproof, but it seems like a pretty basic safe guard. Wonder if it has some sort of a detrimental effect on handling/aerodynamics. :dunno:


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

They'll be the number one snowball target wherever they fly. Expect to go through a few of them.


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## Kevin137 (May 5, 2013)

f00bar said:


> What could go wrong?
> 
> Roman Pirozek Jr: Man decapitates himself with his own remote-control helicopter | Mail Online


That's a very unfair comparison seeing as drones have plastic blades that are designed to break, and as such are only £4 a set of 4 compared to the decapitation with a helicopter that has metal blades that act like a saw and will not break... 

This would be a fairer comparison...


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## francium (Jan 12, 2013)

I can't imagine these being allowed in European resorts either. All it would take is for the batteries to die and it crash into a ski school and you've got a whole lotta trouble.


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## Kevin137 (May 5, 2013)

MOST now have GPS enabled on them and have a fail safe of "fly home" when the batteries get low, that is a predetermined landing point or where it took off from...


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## f00bar (Mar 6, 2014)

Kidding aside with decapitations, the reality is there isn't enough air space over most areas to let everyone, or even a small number, willy nilly fly these things around. They aren't and won't anytime soon be capable of handling these sorts of situations.

Near term however I could see a few ingenious resorts having their own fleet that you can rent for a day/trip down the slopes.


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## Kevin137 (May 5, 2013)

f00bar said:


> Near term however I could see a few ingenious resorts having their own fleet that you can rent for a day/trip down the slopes.


If the "next level aerial filming" thing takes off and works, then i can see the use for resort drones but it will not be cheap, you will have to have someone employed setting it up, following, responsible for this...


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