Peter Potterfield Editor & Publisher, MountainZone.com

Quokka Sports announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire MountainZone.com in a $25-million deal. Regular users of MountainZone.com need not worry about losing their reliable source of mountain sports news and features. In fact, the merger of the two companies marks a milestone in the dynamic world of digital-sports entertainment. The combination of MountainZone.com, an acknowledged leader in interactive mountain-sports coverage, and Quokka, the $500-million-plus digital-sports entertainment company, creates an entity with unparalleled resources and capabilities.

"We've long admired the good work done by MountainZone.com. We view the acquisition as a way to combine the core expertise and passion of both companies to provide an even more complete experience..." — Quokka Sports Chief Executive Al Ramadan

"This move demonstrates our commitment to the outdoor community," said Al Ramadan, Quokka Sports chief executive. "We've long admired the good work done by MountainZone.com. We view the acquisition as a way to combine the core expertise and passion of both companies to provide an even more complete experience."

For the mountain enthusiasts who come daily to MountainZone.com, the announcement is good news. The greater bandwidth of the combined companies will result in improved live-event coverage and more thorough reporting across the full spectrum of mountain sports. Whether it's big-mountain expedition coverage, World Cup skiing and snowboarding coverage, mountain biking competition reports, or news and features from the world of hiking, content on MountainZone.com will continue to reflect the quality our audience has come to expect.

A company named after the persistent Australian marsupial that defied all attempts at extermination, Quokka first established itself through live coverage of round-the-world sailboat races in 1997. Since then, Quokka has expanded into areas such as track and field, America's Cup racing, and mountaineering (notably Alex Lowe's 1999 ascent of Trango Tower). Quokka Sports' stated approach is to build a sports entertainment network that captures the hearts and minds of enthusiasts through "immersive" sport experiences. This year, Quokka will showcase its unique style as it partners with NBC to produce the television network's Olympic Games interactive coverage in the United States.

The demonstrated technical expertise and worldwide orientation of Quokka will bring exciting new elements to the definitive, passionate reporting for which MountainZone.com has become famous. MountainZone.com's loyal fans can expect more of what they are accustomed to, but can look forward to enhanced content through this association with Quokka Sports.

The announced acquisition by San Francisco-based Quokka Sports of Seattle's MountainZone.com, corporate parent of MountainZone.com and SkiResorts.com, is subject to shareholder approval and other contingencies. Executives at both companies said today they hope to have the acquisition finalized by April 1, 2000.

—Peter Potterfield, MountainZone.com Editor & Publisher