EPIC -- Thanks to The Weather Channel, Second Life residents will now have a place to cross extreme sports with extreme weather.

The Weather Channel purchased five sims, four of which are void, as a promotional strategy for it's new program, Epic Conditions. The show premiered on television Sunday March 4, and features athletes partaking in their sport in challenging conditions.

Boston-based content developer Infinite Vision Media was chosen to create an immersive environment where residents can surf, cross country bike, ski and learn at the same time.

Executives at the Weather Channel were enthusiastic about working with content that SL residents had created and making the sims richly immersive, according to Hiro Pendragon (aka Ron Blechner) chief technology officer and lead programmer.

"The Weather Channel's way of going about doing it is focusing on community activities and educational material," Pendragon said. A weather headquarters serves as a base, where residents can watch shows from the Weather Channel, and offer information about dynamic weather conditions.

Project manager Quirky McArdle who was working on the finishing touches earlier this week as a reporter visited, said, "This is the best work we've ever done."
This project was the first where Infinite Vision Media had taken full control of a concept from creation to execution, Pendragon said.

Utah's Moab desert has been re-created with rich red sand and bumpy terrain, for cross country biking. After rezzing a bike and helmet, residents can navigate along the sand and jump over large boulders. Pendragon says builders consulted the U.S. geological survey to recreate the topography.

The surfing sim features large waves for surfing. Infinite Vision Media improved on the original surfing scripts already available in SL. A surfing demonstration is scheduled for Friday.

Avalanche skiing is possibly the highlight of the build so far. At the Epic ski sim, Users can pick up free skis, boots and poles at the ski lodge, and head over to the chair life. The lift offers great views and reaches up to the summit which is at almost 200 meters.

An SLNN reporter found the ski slopes steep and challenging, and often fell off the mountain into the ocean. The trick is to tap the W key or the "up" arrow key lightly -- there's no need to push off with gusto. The avalanche will take care of that.

While skiing scripts have been created by second Life residents, Infinite Vision Media created a script with more realistic movements.

Programmer Ciemar Flintoff created a weather system which includes wind, storm, and rain. During one visit, a reporter watched as a snow cloud blew across the lush tropical section which was dotted with palm trees.
Pendragon says the class 5 servers the firm built on held up very well. "We tested it and they withstood a beating."

Special events planned for the future include a possible visit from one of the Weather Channel's voice talents, Pendragon said. Machinima maker Pierce Portocarerro is preparing a 3 -minute promotional commercial.