Cardrona Ski Area in New Zealand retrofitted 350 XLOCK Locks to replace an existing complicated lock system for day use and long term use.

Cardrona Ski Area in the Southern Lakes District of New Zealand, operated by Real NZ, sought a solution to their public locker systems which had been set up with a complex electronic lock system that required Wifi connectivity in a challenging environment due to the number of steel lockers involved. Their needs fell into two categories. Firstly a Day Locker system for 200 lockers, where mountain guests could rent a locker for the day while out on the slopes. Secondly a Seasonal Locker system for 150 lockers used by guests who are at the resort for longer periods, either staying on mountain or locally and accessing lockers for a specific time period.

The first solution for the Day Lockers was to provide XLOCK 40 locks and compatible Mifare wristbands. A guest wanting to rent a locker simply pays the “locker concierge” for the locker and they are given a silicone wrist band with a specific locker number. That allowed them unlimited locker access through the day and at the end of the day they returned the wrist band to the locker concierge. Any unreturned wristbands were deleted from the lock at the end of the day and a new one created for the next day. The system is uncomplicated and is working perfectly for them. Interestingly the rate of loss on the wristbands is proving to be minimal.

For the Seasonal Lockers a more sophisticated solution was required. We specified XLOCK 183 BLE locks with external antennas and emergency USB socket for powering up the locks in the event of a lock failure. With this lock they are able to program a wristband to operate for a specific time period. So for instance if a ski team member was at the resort for three weeks, their wristband could be programmed to operate for that time only. Additionally where families were renting long term lockers, additional wristbands could be programmed so several members can have access to the lockers. These locks are Bluetooth enabled, so for some users they can download the XLOCK App and again the administrator can program the lock to operate for a specific time period for those users.

In adapting these locks to the steel lockers we designed and developed a custom 3D printed adapter block for each of the locker types, showing how we can adapt to a range of challenges without significant cost

Overall the system has been a huge success. The staff reported having “tears of joy” at having a system that ran for them reliably and consistently, a stark contrast to the previous lock system.