POC 10 – celebrating 10 years of uncompromising safety

(Stockholm, Sweden – 22.01.16) POC 10 – celebrating 10 years of uncompromising safety POC, a leading manufacturer of skiing and cycling helmets, eyewear, body armor, apparel and accessories was founded in 2005 in Sweden, with a strong mission ‘to do the best we can to possibly save lives and to reduce the consequences of accidents for gravity sports athletes and cyclists’. To mark POCs first 10 years in the market POC will hold a celebration at ISPO 2016 which will bring together many of the POC friends to celebrate 10 years in safety. Stefan Ytterborn, POC CEO and founder, who made his decision to start POC while out ski racing with his sons, said ‘creating POC was a big step but from day one our vision, to offer the best in terms of personal protection, was crystal clear and we wanted to support athlete safety with products of unquestionable quality and relevance.’ In 2005 POC was a very small newcomer to the ski industry, starting with one, then two, and moving on to four employees! To support the team POC created its own scientific forum, POC Lab, which brought together some of the finest minds in medicine and safety to provide support and advice. Stefan Ytterborn, continued – ‘when Libby Ludlow, as the first ever POC athlete, showed up at a World Cup race wearing POC gear the feelings and emotions were unreal. It really was happening and the response we received from the industry and the media was overwhelming and inspiring! One of the most important events in POCs first year was watching a relative newcomer, Julia Mancuso, take Olympic GS gold in Turin. She has since then gone on to become an integral part of the U.S. women’s alpine skiing Olympic history, earning four medals across three Games, including a Combined bronze in Sochi in 2014 and will be a special guest at the celebrations in ISPO. Commenting on her partnership with POC, Julia Mancuso said – ‘Safety is so important in ski racing, and having a close partnership with a company like POC means a lot to me. I have chosen to be with POC since they started and as we have worked closely on so many projects I feel like part of the family. POC’s commitment to quality, design and their attention to detail is essential when creating protection for use in such high speed sports like skiing.’ Stefan Ytterborn, added – ‘Having fun and always looking to improve on our mission to possibly save lives and reduce the consequences of accidents has meant that the last 10 years has flown by. We have been blessed to work with some of the best athletes around, including X-games medalists and World Champions, and we are immensely proud of our contributions to the mountain bike and road bike scenes. Ultimately our vision is for holistic safety, where we can develop systems to prevent accidents happening or, where they are unavoidable, to develop the best possible post accident management and support to all those injured. The Spine VPD 2.0 airbag vest, which has won an ISPO gold award this year, is a good example as it is an intelligent system able to predict a fall before it happens. What has stayed with us from day one is our dream and dedication to create products which have unquestionable quality and relevance. We may be ten, but for us it’s just the beginning!’ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Notes to editors ISPO celebration POC will be at ISPO (January 24-27), hall B6, stand no. 506 where the entire snow 16/17 product line will be presented. The 10-year anniversary celebration will take place on Sunday 24th from 17.00 - hall B6, stand no. 506 – everyone at ISPO is welcome. POC will also hold a celebration at SIA which will take place from January 28-31. POC-Celebrating-10-years-3 M.D.Ph.D. Medical director KI/Spinalis Policinic: Claes Hultling M.D.Ph.D. KI, Dept. of Clinical Neuroscience: Per Hamid Ghatan M.D. KI, Dept. of Orthopedic Surgery: Fredrik Lundh Former ski racer and trade expert: Magnus Wörnert