YARMOUTH, Maine, Oct. 20, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DeLorme and SPOT congratulate American Eric Larsen, who made history by summiting the world's tallest mountain on Friday, October 15. At over 29,000 feet, Mt. Everest was the final challenge in Larsen's Save the Poles Expedition, in which he became the first person ever to reach both the North and South Poles and the Everest summit in a 365-day period.
Larsen announced reaching the summit on his Twitter Page, using the new DeLorme Earthmate PN-60w with SPOT Satellite Communicator to send the message via satellite. It was one of many such "tweets" he made during his ascent using the PN-60w/SPOT pairing, which lets users stay connected in areas where cell phone service is not available.
The Earthmate PN-60w enables users to create custom Type & Send messages for delivery by the SPOT Satellite Communicator. Messages are sent to a recipient's email and/or cell phone, and can also be posted to the user's Facebook page, in addition to Twitter.
DeLorme and SPOT are both honored to have been part of this historic accomplishment.
"We've been following Eric's progress, both on his blog and via the Twitter posts he's sent using the PN-60w with SPOT Satellite Communicator," said Caleb Mason, DeLorme Vice President. "The ability to track someone climbing Mt. Everest and see their short text messages all on the Web is a perfect example of how the technology we offer can keep people connected even from the most remote locations."
The Earthmate PN-60w with SPOT Satellite Communicator is available at retail and online from major outdoor sporting goods resellers. Both devices are included in a single package, along with DeLorme Topo North America 9.0 GPS maps and software. A list of retailers can be found here. SPOT services are activated via subscription.
About Eric Larsen
As a modern-day explorer and expedition guide, Eric Larsen's life epitomizes adventure. A polar adventurer, dog musher and educator, he has spent the past 15 years of his life traveling in some of the most remote and wild places left on earth. In 2006, Eric and Lonnie Dupre completed the first ever summer expedition to the North Pole. During this journey, the duo pulled and paddled specially modified canoes across 550 miles of shifting sea ice and open ocean waters. Eric successfully led his first expedition to the South Pole in 2008, covering nearly 600 miles in 41 days. Eric is now one of only a few Americans to have skied to both the North and South Poles. In November 2009, Eric returned to Antarctica for the first leg of his world record Save the Poles expedition. This time he completed a 750-mile ski traverse to the geographic South arriving on January 2, 2010. Two short months later he was dropped off at northern Ellesmere Island for a winter-style North Pole Journey. The international team reached the North Pole 51 days later on Earth Day – April 22, 2010. He has just summited Mt. Everest as the final leg of his Save the Poles expedition, and is currently on his descent off of the mountain. To learn more about this modern-day explorer, visit www.savethepoles.com
About DeLorme
DeLorme is the longtime leader in innovative mapping and GPS solutions for both consumer and professional markets. Based in Yarmouth, ME, DeLorme offers a unique set of core competencies across the complex areas of map data creation and management, software development, and integration with GPS. The ability to develop all the critical components necessary to compete in the fast-changing navigation world provides a distinct competitive advantage. DeLorme is one of a handful of mapmakers that still own and produce their own content, and its Street Atlas USA, Topo North America, XMap, and Earthmate GPS products have introduced countless first-to-market innovations. To learn more, visit www.delorme.com.
About Spot LLC
The SPOT product family uses both the GPS satellite network to determine a customer's location and the Globalstar network to transmit messages and GPS coordinates to others including an international rescue coordination center. Spot LLC, a subsidiary of Globalstar, Inc. (Nasdaq:GSAT), provides emergency notification technology that allows users to communicate from remote locations around the globe. Thanks to this affordable, cutting edge personal safety device, the company offers people peace of mind by allowing customers to notify friends and family of their location and status, and to send for emergency assistance in time of need, completely independent of cellular phone or wireless coverage. For more information on how Spot LLC is helping others stay connected – from disaster preparedness to outdoor adventure – visit www.findmeSPOT.com.
Note to Reporters:
A high-resolution image of the PN-60w with SPOT Communicator plus a video and fact sheet can be found at www.delorme.com/media.