An RFID Tag in Every Ski – Item-Level Tagging in the Ski Industry ...

An RFID Tag in Every Ski –
Item-Level Tagging in the Ski Industry
Florian Michahelles, Christian Flörkemeier,
Mikko Lehtonen, Steve Hinske ∗
Abstract
Radio-based identification has become common in a number of niche applications, such as car
immobilizers and animal tagging. More recently, RFID has been considered as a promising technology
to automatically identify individual products over their product lifecycle. In this paper, we
provide a comprehensive overview of efforts within the ski industry to equip each ski with a tag.
Our analysis, which is based on a joint research program with the European ski industry, illustrates
a number of different usage scenarios of a tag in the ski. These include rental, maintenance,
theft, and supply chain applications. Since there is no single “killer” application that justifies the
use of the technology alone, there is a need to choose a technical solution that supports at least
a majority of the potential usage scenarios. In this paper, we illustrate that the development of
a common technical solution based on standardized interfaces is not straightforward due to the
partly conflicting requirements and constraints.
1. Introduction
Radiofrequency identification (RFID) has appeared in a variety of applications where access control
and robust data carriers without electrical contacts are required. Examples include keyless entry
badges for building access [8] and ski ticketing [9], car immobilizers [12], and animal tagging [7]. In
these application domains, the RFID system serves a single, dedicated application, e.g., access to a
building. The tags are attached to the same known object and they also remain within the vicinity of
the deployed RFID infrastructure for their entire lifetime. The latter helps to build a solid return-oninvest
for the use of the technology, while the known operational environment means that an RFID
system can be custom-built for a certain scenario.
More recently, RFID systems have been considered in novel application domains, where large numbers
of individual products are tagged. Due to the lack of a predominant “killer” application that
makes the use of RFID attractive for a single application or product type alone, the adoption of RFID
for item-level tagging mandates that a number of applications benefit from the deployed RFID infrastructures.
The result is that a variety of different products need to be tagged successfully and
that the readers are distributed across different organizational boundaries. The latter means that the
entire RFID solution needs to be based on common standards, although the different applications and
product characteristics impose conflicting constraints and requirements.
In this paper, we illustrate this challenge using the ski industry as an example. The insights we
present are the result of a joint research project with the European ski industry, where we analyze the
RFID application landscape in the ski industry and identify the requirements that a future industrywide
adopted RFID solution has to meet. The contribution of this paper is two-fold. Based on
interviews with industry insiders, we provide a comprehensive overview of RFID applications in the
∗ ETH Zurich, Switzerland. fmichahelles@ethz.ch, floerkem@inf.ethz.ch, mikkol@ethz.ch, hinskes@inf.ethz.ch

ski industry. On the other hand, we also illustrate the partly conflicting constraints imposed by each
of these applications and discuss the impact of different technical decisions. We believe that these
challenges that result from the lack of a single application that absorbs the overall system costs are
characteristic of item-level tagging efforts in other industries, e.g., automotive. The different technical
trade-offs, discussed at the example of the ski industry in this paper, apply thus also to these other
item-level tagging efforts.
This paper is organized as follows. In Section 2, we present the applications that benefit from a tag in
the ski. This includes existing applications, such as rental, but also novel applications domains, such
as theft detection, maintenance and supply chain applications. In Section 3, we present the different
levels at which standardization needs to occur and illustrate the different constraints that need to be
addressed.
2. Application landscape
The use of RFID within the ski industry is not new. RFID-enabled ski ticketing has become common
in ski resorts, since it provides user convenience and reduces manual labour at the ski lifts. In this
paper, we focus exclusively on applications of an RFID tag in the ski. The usage scenarios presented
in this section are either existing RFID applications that are already deployed on a small scale, such
as the rental application, or novel application scenarios that are currently discussed within the ski
industry.
2.1. Rental shop
Today’s rental shops operate largely with bar codes that are attached to the product locally in the rental
shop, when the new rental skis arrive at the beginning of the season. The result is that product information,
such as manufacturer, product type, length, and serial number, need to be entered manually
into the rental software that manages the rental process. An RFID tag in the ski eliminates the need
for this error-prone and labour intensive process, since the product data can either be directly stored
on the chip or alternatively retrieved from a backend infrastructure using the tag data as a reference.
Staff at the rental shop simply scans the tag in the ski to add it to the virtual inventory. This RFID
solution is currently deployed in a number of rental stores that operate in North America.
The tag in the ski also helps when skis are rented out and returned. An employee uses a handheld
RFID reader to identify the ski and to associate the ski with the customer. When the customer returns
the skis, the ski is simply scanned again and the inventory is updated. According to rental shop operators,
this check-in/out process of rental equipment also works successfully with bar codes attached
to the skis in the rental store and there is little advantage in using an RFID tag due to the manual
nature of the process. The failure of bar codes in harsh environments observed in other applications
is thus not an issue here. It is interesting to note that source tagging of skis with bar codes by the ski
manufacturer has not succeeded. Ski designer reject bar codes on (non-rental) skis because of their
missing visual appeal. RFID tags with increased read ranges would yet unlock new benefits for an
RFID rental application. It would enable the rental shop software to automatically and continuously
inventory the rental skis placed in the racks.
2.2. Theft prevention
Theft of skiing equipment is becoming more frequent in ski resorts. Two start-up companies [6, 10]
currently work on an RFID technology-based solution to counter the theft of skis and snowboards.
They propose to embed RFID tags into skis during the manufacturing process in order to make the

emoval of RFID tags from stolen equipment unlikely. A network of RFID readers deployed at the
gates to the ski lifts will monitor the tags that pass by. If equipment gets stolen, the owner will report
the theft of the equipment and the tag IDs of the stolen skis are distributed to all RFID readers. The
appearance of skis which are reported stolen at any monitored ski lift will then raise an alarm. While
this solution might not deter professional thieves, it is generally believed that this approach will reduce
the likelihood of insurance fraud and the “opportunistic” theft of skiing equipment.
2.3. Marketing
The marketing department of the ski manufacturers lack today information on many details about the
product lifecycle. They have for example little information on the resorts their skis are used in and
how often and for how long customers use the skis. Readers deployed across ski resorts to deter skier
from using stolen skis could thus also gather data about the type of skis and usage patterns in different
resorts.
2.4. Maintenance support
Throughout the lifecycle of a ski, an RFID tag might also be used to maintain the ski more effectively
according to ski manufacturers. They believe that with the advent of maintenance equipment that
adjusts its settings to the characteristics of each ski, the tag in the ski can provide the corresponding
product data. This might include information on how to sharpen the ski edges and wax the base
appropriately, given the characteristics of the ski. The tag in the ski can also be used to store binding
calibration data that need to be measured as part of the new ISO norm 11088 [1]. Furthermore, RFID
technology may be used to store records of the maintenance history of the ski in order to guarantee
a more tailored treatment in the future. These maintenance applications requires the use of RFID
tag mainly because the industry-wide application of bar codes into skis failed because the visual
appearance of the bar code has a negative impact on the aesthetics of the ski.
2.5. Supply-chain management
There are many similarities between supply-chain management issues in the ski supply chain and
other industries, such as retail [5]. Common issues include shop floor out-of-stocks, automated receiving,
and upstream replenishment. Out-of-stock is the most commonly cited improvement opportunity
for retailers in the retail industry. RFID at the store-level can help to monitor, prevent, and to
respond to incidents of shelf-level out-of-stock. This is desirable in particular when product display
density is high, staffing levels are low and handling/mishandling of merchandise is frequent. RFID
can be further used to establish automated receiving. Item-level tagging has the potential to increase
the accuracy of deliveries to stores and to streamline inbound receiving processes at the ski shop.
This is in particular true for the ski industry because shipments are highly customized and thus errorprone.
The benefit of RFID would be to eliminate invoice disputes between retailer and manufacturer.
Especially for seasonal items, such as skis, data captured by RFID could help to drive upstream replenishment.
Product shortages could be detected earlier. In the long-term, this data can be used to
better understand customer demand for future forecasting based on real-term data instead of out-dated
data from the past.
Moving up the supply-chain, the manufacturers may use RFID to measure in-house performance and
accuracy in real-time for cost-effective performance and quality management [11]. RFID introduced
on a larger scale can help ski manufacturers to more closely monitor outbound product flow and carrier
performance. Furthermore, RFID can reveal post-shipment diversion to unauthorized sales channels.

Thus, RFID could provide aid to identify sales policy violators, such as off-price or unauthorized
dealers.
3. Need for standardized interfaces
While RFID is offering a variety of opportunities for the ski industry, the previous section showed
that there is no single “killer” application that can absorb the costs of an RFID tag in every ski and
the associated investments in a reader infrastructure. The challenge is rather to define a feasible
technical solution that enables the majority of the above applications at appropriate costs. To provide
interoperability among these different applications, there is a need to agree on standardized interfaces.
This includes not only a standardized communication protocol between RFID readers and tags, but
also common numbering and data formats. In this section, we discuss these different interfaces and
present the different options that are available to the ski industry. We focus in particular on the tradeoffs
that make the choice of appropriate standards non-trivial.
To ensure that multiple applications can benefit from the tag in the ski, standardization needs to occur
at the following four different levels listed below:
Communication protocol between RFID readers and tags There are a wide variety of communication
protocols that govern the data exchange between RFID readers and tags. These differ
in the operating frequency, coding, modulation, timings, anti-collision algorithms, and the supported
command sets. The choice of an appropriate protocol depends on the desired read range,
data transfer speed, rate at which large tag populations can be identified, and form factors of
tags and readers. The different communication protocols also influence cost of the tags and
the susceptibility to interference, e.g., from metal objects nearby. The metal pieces commonly
built into skis to improve their material properties favour RFID protocols that operate at low
frequency (LF). Compatibility with item tagging efforts in the retail and pharmaceutical industries
requires the use of protocols such as ISO 15693 [2] or 18000-6 [3] that operate in the HF
and UHF frequency band, respectively. The latter is not suitable for operation outdoors because
snow between readers and tag will make the radio-based identification impossible. The integration
of HF tags into the base of the ski mandates changes to the ski design to provide a small
metal free zone. The choice of an appropriate protocol thus presents a significant challenge to
the ski industry because they effectively have to choose between the technology that requires
the smallest number of modifications to the skis (LF) and the one that is compatible with tagging
efforts in the retail industry (HF or UHF). The adoption of the latter might also decrease
the cost of RFID tags and readers in the long term, as the economies of scale can help to reduce
system cost.
Product/tag identifier To further guarantee interoperability, the identifier stored on each tag needs to
be standardized as well. This identifier can be a unique serial number that identifies the tag, but
contains no information about the tagged product. Alternatively, an identifier code can be used
to uniquely label the tagged product. Such an identifier code contains additional information
about the tagged product, e.g., manufacturer and product type. The Electronic Product Code
(EPC) [4] is the most common example of such an identifier code. A common numbering
scheme for the tag/product identifier means that, even if the communication protocols between
RFID readers and tags are not harmonized because of the challenges mentioned above, there is
at least interoperability at the application layer. The ski industry could opt for an identifier code
that is not compatible with existing numbering schemes, but is specifically designed to identify

skis. This would result in a minimum memory footprint – possibly important to keep chip cost
at a minimum – but the result is that the solution is no longer compatible with the numbering
formats used in other industries, such as retail, without additional translation.
Tag position in the ski To facilitate the identification of the tag, there is a need to standardize the
placement of the tag within the ski. Common choices include the integration of the chip directly
in the ski, e.g., in the tip or just above the binding. Alternatively, the tag can also be integrated
into the binding of one or both skis. The anti-theft application mentioned above requires that
the RFID tags are integrated into the ski. Otherwise, the RFID tags could simply be removed
on stolen skis. The best position of the tag in the ski depends also on the stresses the tag has to
sustain in the various possible locations.
Product data exchange The previous section showed that applications in rental and maintenance
rely on product data, such as ski manufacturer, product name, and ski length. The RFID tag can
provide these data either directly, if the data are stored on the tag, or indirectly, if the tag/product
identifier stored on the tag is used to look-up the appropriate product data in a product data
catalogue. For trading partner to exchange product data, they must have prior agreement as to
the structure and meaning of data to be exchanged, and the mechanisms by which exchange
will be carried out. This applies to data storage on the tags as well as tags used as pointers to
entries in a background infrastructure. The latter necessitates the agreement on the appropriate
transport protocols and authentication mechanisms. This means that the ski industry needs to
begin defining common product data schemas that allow them to accurately convey the product
information to their supply chain partners.
4. Conclusions
In this paper, we outlined that there are a variety of applications that could benefit from RFID tags
in skis. Nevertheless, there is currently no single killer application absorbing the costs of putting a
tag in each of the approximately four million skis produced annually. Thus, the main challenge for
the ski industry will be to develop an RFID platform that allows for a majority of the aforementioned
applications to benefit from the tags in the skis at affordable costs. The other challenge will be to
create interwoven business models and to set up partner alliances in order to drive this development
as a joined effort of the entire skiing industry. From an operational perspective, work within the ski
industry on an appropriate migration path needs to continue. Focussing on selected applications first,
such as ski rental, could help to test the RFID platform before a full roll-out. In this step readers are
only required in selected rental shops without the need of an established network. As the developed
technical solution matures, the maintenance scenario may be added. Later, the payback achieved from
rental and maintenance can fund the deployment of readers for theft prevention. Once a significant
number readers have been set up in the main ski resorts also the break-even for selling meaningful
marketing data may be reached.
In order to ensure interoperability among these different applications in a cost efficient manner there
is a need to agree on standardized interfaces and to focus on the ”core” features that are essential
for the industry. The discussion in this paper illustrates that the decision which standards to adopt is
not as straightforward as one might initially think. Our analysis illustrates that the ski industry needs
to answer a number of difficult questions before they can move forward. The ski manufacturers for
example have to decide whether they are prepared to alter existing ski designs to improve RFID read
rates at HF. They also need to discuss the importance of choosing a communication protocol that is

compatible with one of the protocols that are currently considered for item-level tagging in the retail
industry. Given the uncertainty about the appropriate communication protocol for item-level tagging
in the retail industry (HF or UHF), this decision will remain difficult in the short-term. Although the
industry has already carried out numerous tests, the outcome of these tests have to be consolidated to
find the best place to put the tag in the ski. The industry has to continue with tests and identify its
own needs, but simultaneously has to be ready to adopt emerging standards from related industries,
such as retail. The industry also needs to decide whether possible privacy concerns, justified or vastly
exaggerated, can have an negative influence on their brands. A preliminary analysis indicates that the
high-tech nature of skis in general and the fact that we do not carry them around with us in our daily
lives limits the possible privacy concerns of the individual skier.
These very challenges of defining standards, creating partner alliances, finding migration pathes, mapping
specific requirements to technical solutions at reasonable costs are witnessed in other industry
sectors as well. Some, such as the retail industry, may be a step ahead because the roll-out of standardized
RFID solutions has already begun. Other industries, such as the pharmaceutical, aerospace,
and automotive industry are at the same stage as the ski industry, where individual niche solutions of
RFID need to be replaced by a harmonized RFID framework that scales.
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