HELLY HANSEN BIG MOUNTAIN BATTLE CHOOSES FLAIK FOR EXTREME RACE TIMING
flaik GPS system tracks participants’ performance, safety – and bragging rights – via satellite and the Web
The next generation in race timing technology will be on display this winter as the Helly Hansen Big Mountain Battle series of races keeps track of its snow riders using the flaik GPS tracking system.
The first snow-sports tracking system to successfully integrate global positioning and
wireless telecommunications technology, flaik tracks where each user is and what he or
she did on the mountain, then transmits the data to the Web.
It’s the perfect timing solution for the Big Mountain Battle, in which two-person teams of
skiers and boarders tackle courses designed by big-mountain expert Chris Davenport. With its GPS-enabled tags, the flaik system will let Helly Hansen Big Mountain Battle officials locate individuals and teams on the mountain, track them as they pass electronic checkpoints, and deliver run-by-run and day-by-day statistics in close to real time.
Big Mountain Battle fans can follow skiers and riders on the web, updated every few minutes. “It’s the first interactive ski race,” said flaik Inc. CEO Steve Kenny. Instead of 30 to 40 timekeepers, each race requires just two “and one of them is just keeping the other company,” Kenny said.
WHAT, WHEN AND WHERE: The Helly Hansen Big Mountain Battle series kicked off
Feb. 21 at Squaw Valley (Calif.) and continues with events at Sun Peaks (B.C.) Feb. 28,
Stevens Pass (Wash.) March 14, and Smugglers Notch (Vt.) March 21. Top finishers will
receive an expense-paid trip to Aspen/Snowmass (Colo.) March 29 for the final “Battle in
the Bowls.” Information: http://www.hellyhansen.com/bigmountainbattle.
About flaik
flaik, an early-stage, Boulder-based company whose satellite-based social networking
technology helps skiers track their vertical performance and resorts monitor ski and
snowboard school students, is the first tenant to join the 8th Continent Aerospace
Business Incubator in Boulder, Colo. In 2008, flaik was named Australian International
Product of the Year by the Australian International Design Awards, and was awarded an
IF Product Design by the International Forum Design in Hannover, Germany. For more
information, please visit at www.flaik.com, www.8cproject.com, and
www.boulderinnovationcenter.com.
BOULDER, CO – February 23, 2009 –
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Steve Kenny, steve.kenny@flaik.com, 303-847-6756
Drew Frey, dfrey@metzger.com, 720-833-5916
