White Pass Ski Area in Washington took one from the Discovery Channel playbook this last winter with a new “TV” show: Cash Quad. If you haven’t seen Cash Cab before, the idea is simple. A taxi driver picks up a few unsuspecting riders who are now part of a game show. If they miss too many questions, they get dropped off right there, no matter where they are. If they get the questions right they can earn some cash.

So, White Pass made their own version. On the lift-ride up you’ll get a series of questions. Contestants do get life-lines or “cheats” where they can ask skiers down below or on the chairs near them, call a friend, or use the trail map. Miss three questions before the top and they’ll lower you to the ground from wherever the chair is. Their tagline:

“There are 12 ski areas in Washington State but only one pays you to ride their lift.”

The first question earns the rider $5 and the amount doubles for each question after that. Here’s the first episode:

The first contestants failed and, true to their word, were lowered from a stopped chair by host Wes Vimont. Speaking of Wes, I think he does an awesome job as a host. He’s not loud like some “personalities” can be, but he’s confident in front of the camera, fun, and seems like a fun guy which closely fits the tone a ski area needs.

Also clever is their use of multiple POV cameras, just like the Cash Cab show, so they can switch up footage frequently and keep viewers’ attention. Here’s episode #2:

It’s fun, clever, and is a great way to talk about the features on the mountain, history of the ski area, and even toss out some love to the grub being served at the bar.

Awesome work, guys, one of the best resort video ideas I’ve seen in a while.

About Gregg & SlopeFillers
I've had more first-time visitors lately, so adding a quick "about" section. I started SlopeFillers in 2010 with the simple goal of sharing great resort marketing strategies. Today I run marketing for resort ecommerce and CRM provider Inntopia, my home mountain is the lovely Nordic Valley, and my favorite marketing campaign remains the Ski Utah TV show that sold me on skiing as a kid in the 90s.