International Team Riders Antti Autti and Markku Koski to Compete for Finnish Team

Hood River, Oregon (February 1, 2006) - DAKINE today announced it will be the official glove sponsor of the 2006 Finnish Olympic Snowboard Team. DAKINE will supply the 2006 Olympic team, including DAKINE International team riders Antti Autti and Markku Koski, with the Mustang glove in an exclusive Finnish blue color way.

Antti Autti will make his Olympic debut in Torino as a medal favorite in the half pipe competition. Autti dominated the competition at the 2005 Winter X Games making him the first non-American competitor to take home Superpipe gold. His list of notable achievements is long and
distinguished: 2004 WSF World Halfpipe Champion, 2004 FIS Finnish National Halfpipe Champion and 2004 FIS World Cup Halfpipe Runner-up. In 2004 Autti won four out of the five FIS World Cup Halfpipe Competitions he entered. In addition to all of his impressive wins, Autti's most recent accomplishments include a second-place win in the slopestyle competition at the 2006 European Open as well as a third-place finish at the 2005 U.S. Open at Stratton.

Twenty four year old Markku Koski competed in the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games and brings depth and experience to the 2006 halfpipe team. It came down to the wire, but with a sixth-place finish in the 2006 Burton European Open on January 21, Koski secured his spot on the 2006 Olympic Team. Koski is currently featured on the European cover of Onboard Magazine and is known for successfully landing a 1440 (four full rotations) at the 2002 U.S.Open.

Backed by a pro team roster that includes some of the world's top action sports athletes, DAKINE has been an industry leader in action sports accessories for over a quarter of a century. Founded in Hawaii and based in Hood River, Oregon, DAKINE offers a complete range of innovative products, including sport-specific to street-savvy backpacks, bags, travel gear and accessories.