Whistler is the latest Intrawest resort to fit kids with GPS units providing real-time tracking information for additional safety, while giving Whistler Blackcomb’s youngest guests a chance to track their day on the mountains. The service is available to children taking the Whistler Kids, Ride Tribe and private programs in ski school with the patented flaik GPS tracking tags, making it possible to locate children and guests on the mountain at any time, while also recording information such as lifts used, runs explored, average speed, how much vertical was achieved, number of trails explored and total distance accumulated. The tag itself uses cellular technology via a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) network and transmits information which is then collected by a central server, enabling flaik to not only pinpoint a guests exact location, but also his or her physical relationship to other guests or resort staff as well. Once registered on the flaik website, users can view statistics from their day on the mountains and share them with friends and family.
The GPS units have also been seen at other Intrawest resorts. Mont Tremblant in Quebec provided them to participants of its annual 24 heures de Tremblant relay race in December.
“Parents this season can look forward to a little more peace-of-mind knowing that we’ll be able to track their children, using flaik’s GPS system, no matter where they are on the mountains. So far, the response from parents and children has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Donna Kerr, general manager of Whistler Kids. “Our goal at Whistler Kids is to give our young guests the perfect blend of skill development, mountain exploration and fun social interaction in the safest environment possible.”
Whistler Kids offers group ski lessons for children ages three to 12, snowboarding lessons for ages seven to 12, as well as licensed childcare for children 18-48 months old. Ride Tribe on the other hand, gives youth, aged 13 to 17, the chance to learn how to ride and ski with a highly-certified professional coach who knows the mountains inside and out, top to bottom. Students are grouped in a session with their peers, based on their ability, and can either focus on the fundamentals, if they’re beginners, or take part in Halfpipe and Terrain Park clinics if they’ve got a little experience under their belt.
