North American ski hills get about 80 million visits per year. Big White Ski Resort near Kelowna sees more than one million guests annually.
However, ripping down mountains in winter isn’t the safest activity. Canadian youths experience more than one thousand hospital emergency room visits per year from ski and snowboard-related accidents.
B.C.’s skiKrumb provides a safety net for outdoor enthusiasts braving the wintry hills. The Vancouver-born startup developed a compact, waterproof, and durable device that combines GPS technology with a software platform to mitigate the risks associated with skiing and snowboarding.
What sets skiKrumb apart from other tracking devices, the founders say, is its reliability in cold conditions, which tend to majorly reduce the battery life of conventional cellphones. A long-lasting power supply ensures a constant flow of data, making it reliable even in frigid conditions.
The wearable is being battle-tested this winter through an official partnership with the Okanagan’s most popular winter resort, Big White.
“skiKrumb was borne from my experience of getting separated from my son on the ski hill several years ago, and after years of research and development, I’m pleased to be unveiling a solution that will help give parents peace of mind at the resort, and help keep fun the focus this season,” says founder Keith MacIntyre.
skiKrumb devices are now available for pick-up at Mountain Lifestyle Outlets on Highway 33 in Kelowna, with additional pick-up locations to be announced, according to MacIntyre.
“As an Okanagan parent who spent many days with my kids on the ski hill, I couldn’t be more excited to be launching skiKrumb at Big White Ski Resort this season,” said the chief executive officer.
Mike Clarke, Founder of Mountain Lifestyle Outlet, is proud to partner with skiKrumb, as the tech represents another “innovative solution for our customers.”
skiKrumb provides location updates every 10 seconds, as well as video replay highlights from runs skied throughout the day. skiKrumb’s capabilities are unparalleled in the outdoor equipment industry, according to MacIntyre, thanks to a seamless collaboration between hardware, software, and resort infrastructure.
In addition to being available for public rentals at both Big White and Apex Mountain Resort, skiKrumb is also the provider of GPS trackers for Big White’s Ski & Board School, providing GPS tracking devices for children and youth skiers and riders taking lessons.
“We worked with Big White last season and developed a registration and scheduling software for the Ski & Board school,” said MacIntyre, adding that “With skiKrumb directly connected to the registration system, BWSS staff can see all of their classes live on the mountain.”
skiKrumb has been given to every child taking lessons since opening day this year, and will continue to be used by BWSS students throughout the 2023-2024 season. skiKrumb also introduced daily video replays, so parents can enjoy watching the lesson with their children.
A version of this article was originally published on Techcouver.com.
THE MIDWAY ADVANCE 