(NC)-Every winter we hear countless stories of mishaps in the great outdoors. Whether someone has suffered a minor injury on the slopes or a major disaster while out cruising on their snowmobiles, it can often take hours before anyone sends help - or even knows a hapless adventurer is in trouble. In a cold climate like ours, the risks can be much higher, so no one wants to waste precious minutes trying to locate you.
Communicating with family members, friends or emergency services isn't all that easy in the winter months when many sports activities will inevitably take you well out of cell phone range. Satellite phones are an option, but they're expensive, heavy and hard to work if you happen to be injured. They can't even provide GPS tracking capabilities to help people locate you, which is critical when time is of the essence.
GPS devices can let you know where you are but they don't let you notify anyone else of your location or that you're in trouble in the first place. In those cases, it can be a very long waiting game before anyone starts looking.
One of the latest innovations that can help the outdoor adventurer in all seasons is the SPOT Satellite Messenger™. This handy one-way communications tool combines reliable commercial satellite and GPS technology to provide a simple but effective signaling system that also includes your location coordinates. Users simply touch one of four buttons to send different types of outgoing text and alert signals - from a simple 'I've arrived and here's where I am' to an all-out 9-1-1 signal to emergency response services.
It's also designed to handle almost anything Mother Nature can throw at it. It's rugged, colorful (easy to see if you drop it in the snow) and waterproof (it even floats). SPOT is also affordable ($169 plus an annual $99 subscription fee); and is widely available at major electronic and specialty outdoor retailers. For more information visit www.findmespot.com.
- News Canada