It started with a little bike and surf trip to Madeira in May 2021 and has now expanded into an island hopping adventure across the Atlantic. Sami Sauri’s Into the Atlantic Islands project will see her and her friends Sergio Villalba and Christian Rosillo explore the Madeira, Canary, Azores and Faroe archipelagos by bike and board. More than just adventure, the goal of the project is to produce art in the form of analog photography, printed fanzines and videos showcasing each trip. Money raised from selling the fanzines will go towards Frodeno Fund, a cycling association that supports children with bikes and equipment. Read about Sami’s journey from wild child to adventurer here. Watch episodes on each trip here! On the first trip to Madeira, the trio began their journey at Sant Antonio Da Serra, on the northern side of Funchal, the capital of Madeira. Over five days, Sami cycled 152 km, with 4260 m elevation gain, pulling her surfboard on a trailer that together weighed 30 kg. She wild camped along the way and surfed at two beaches. “My inspiration for this project came from following my dream of wanting to combine two sports,” Sami says. “I’ve been sort of doing it with cycling and running, but I wanted to discover and try more. I started surfing in my teens and I always love it and miss it so I thought traveling to a new place would motivate me more than ever to try new spots and also a new pretty board. Madeira came to my mind and we literally booked and went there within three weeks. “I think the special thing about the Atlantic islands is that all of them are so completely different. The charm of these islands and the story of how they were discovered and how they are now I find really interesting.” Watch all three Madeira episodes here and follow Sami’s next trip to Denmark’s Faroe Islands here. All images: Sergio Villalba

Over the course of 2021 we’ve had the pleasure of being involved with some excellent adventure films. Now the holiday season is upon us, we decided to curate our favorite short films for you so when you have some downtime soon you can kick back and watch them. Scroll down for our seven favorites! From Rails to Trails Just watching this will make you shiver. Our very own bike lover Antti Laiho and his buddies Timo Veijalainen and Erkki Punttila went on an overnight bikepacking tour in the Finnish Lapland in the middle of winter. The landscapes look like something from a fairytale. Truly magical. Rails to Trails from Kona Bikes on Vimeo. Peak creators Since forever there’s been a connection between creativity and the great outdoors. In this series of films we talk to an artist, a photographer, an architect and a trail builder about their creative process and how the outdoors inspires them. Canary in the coalmine Decorated technical diver, explorer and filmmaker Jill Heinerth explores the veins of the Earth. She sees close up how the impacts of humanity are affecting our planet so considers herself a canary in the coalmine. How fast can Kilian run a vertical k? This film shows just how much the Kilian pushes himself during his lightning fast ascents. He might be the GOAT mountain athlete, but that doesn’t mean it’s a walk in the park for him. Watch him attempt to break the fastest vertical k record and push his lungs to their limit. Immersed Swedish slopestyle mountain biker Emil Johansson won the 2021 world championship and is now the most successive slopestyle rider in history. But it very nearly wasn’t to be. A mysterious autoimmune disease came close to derailing his dreams. This film is about his journey. Finding myself Suunto ambassador Sami Sauri fell in love with cycling as a teen and says it gave her a new purpose in life. Since then she has done epic bikepacking tours across the US, and elsewhere. When she’s not riding, she might be out surfing or trail running. Arctic Lines season two Finnish freerider Antti Autti has embarked on the second season of his Arctic Lines project, the goal of which is to ride 30 lines above the Arctic Circle. He and his team document each trip and release a film about the experience. Watch as they face brutal cold, the polar night and their physical limits in the pursuit of sweet, sweet rides. Lead images by Jaakko Posti Photography

Another big year is coming to a close and if you are anything like us, it’s about time for some quality rest and relaxation. May we suggest you put your feet up and read about some of the awesome people we’ve spoken to this year. We’ve covered sustainable living, mountain navigation, articles about our new ambassadors Anton Krupicka and Sami Sauri, hill training and much more. Don’t let it slide by - read on for some adventure goodness.   Sami regularly travels to the Canary Islands where she rides, runs and surfs. © Sergio Villalba Meet the wild child who found her best self adventure cycling Spanish cyclist, surfer and trail runner Sami Sauri ran away from home in her teens and fell in love with bikes when she encountered her first fixed gear. Read about Sami’s journey and her approach to adventure. Emelie Forsberg’s principles for a sustainable lifestyle With the climate crisis and biodiversity loss ever more pressing challenges, we all need to do our bit to live more harmoniously with the Earth, because there’s no planet b. Find out about the four Rs and the other sustainability principles Emelie lives by.   Susi provides an eight step process for planning out your training year. © Berghasen 6 keys to planning your training year This is a relevant article to read now if you’re thinking about your sports goals for 2022. Sports scientist and coach Susi Kraft breaks down the process to create a smart training plan for the coming year. Training stress score in Suunto app Training load is an essential metric of goal-oriented training. Gradually increasing the load will improve fitness and performance. Suunto app quantifies training load using Training Peaks’ Training Stress Score, also known as TSS. Find out how it works.   Anton likes to mix his adventure sports - riding, running, climbing and skiing. Photo by Joey Schusler Anton Krupicka - human powered doorstep to doorstep He started out as an ultra runner and quickly rose through the ranks to become one of the world’s best. Then injury forced him to reassess his approach and now he is a passionate allround mountain sport athlete, from bikepacking, to trail running, climbing and skimo in the winter. Meet our new ambassador Anton Krupicka. Don’t miss a turn! Learn how to use your Suunto together with Komoot, one of the leading route planning tools out there. Komoot’s turn-by-turn navigation on your Suunto watch will keep your adventure on track.   This photo of Tenji was taken while filming the Everest VR movie. © Jon Griffith Turning ideas into action Nepalese mountain guide Tenji Sherpa climbed with the late and great Ueli Steck and has blazed his own trail as a high alpinist. We talked to Tenji and learned about his humble beginnings and how he became a climber and he and Ueli’s respect for one another. The importance of diversity in the outdoors Ultra runner Ryan Montgomery explains why diversity in the outdoors is such an important topic and what we can do to create a more diverse and welcoming outdoor scene.   Susi trains in the mountains around Salzburg. © Berghasen Get faster on those hills now Sports scientist and coach Susi Kraft breaks down why improving our vertical speed is so hard and the necessary steps to do it. Fyi: some of her tips seem counterintuitive like “embrace running on the flat”.   Lead images: © Tenji Sherpa © Jon Griffith  

A first of its kind research project in Norway is inviting Suunto users to help them gain insights into how we make decisions in avalanche terrain, and what we can do to reduce avalanche accidents. The Center for Avalanche Research and Education (CARE) at UiT the Arctic University of Norway wishes to follow 10 000 winter sports fans for 10 years to examine how we make decisions in avalanche terrain, and how we can all be safer. To join the CAREpanel and help with this important, and first of its kind longitudinal study, you must be involved in a winter sport like skiing, snowboarding, ice-climbing, snowmobiling, hunting and so on. Photo by Audun Hetland How to contribute You can contribute by joining the longitudinal study at www.carepanel.no and also by sharing your activity data with the avalanche researchers at CARE. To send your activity data to the researchers, go to the activity in Suunto app, tap the three dots on top right and select 'Export GPX workout'. Why it’s important Nine out of 10 fatal avalanche accidents are triggered by the victim or someone in their party. According to EAWS, the European Avalanche Warning Service, there were 130 avalanche related fatalities in Europe alone in 2020-2021. By understanding and improving decision making CARE aims to save lives. Normal short term studies do not provide much in the way of insights into human factors and their impact in triggering avalanches. By following such a large number of people over time the CAREpanel research project will reveal how education or experience impact people’s perception of risk and their following decisions. Photo by Audun Hetland What’s involved The carepanel consists of an introductory survey and a yearly survey. The surveys take about 15 minutes to complete. The CARE panelist will also be asked to join a GPS survey. If you share your GPS data you will get an offer to answer a few questions about the tour in avalanche terrain. The researchers will run the GPS track through a terrain model and compare it with the current avalanche conditions from the warning service varsom.no. This will let them create a rough estimation of exposure risk under the current conditions. In the future the researchers also aim to provide feedback to the participants based on their GPS tracks. Some participants may also be invited to join additional short studies. These are optional. How to sign up To become a CARE paneilist, first read important information for participants. Then complete the CARE panel recruitment survey. Lead image: Jaakko Posti / Arctic Lines

Suunto athlete, ultra-runner and diversity champion Ryan Montgomery is set on waking up the outdoor scene to its ongoing failure to be an accessible and welcoming place to people from all walks of life and ethnic backgrounds. It’s not going to change by itself; only with awareness, validation and deliberate action can it be reversed. Read on for Ryan’s sage advice on diversity and how we can all contribute to a more open minded, welcoming outdoors. Ryan having a blast at the Javelina-Jundred 100-miler in Arizona. By Ryan Montgomery We all love being in the outdoors—with its multi-colored trees and endless plant and animal species—all thriving in uniquely different yet interconnected ecosystems. The existence of these different species and ecosystems tells us that the outdoors is inherently diverse—essentially diverse. I believe we can all agree that nature’s ecosystems thrive because of its inter-dependences across diverse plants, animals, and climates. The outdoors teaches us that diversity is necessary for survival—to thrive. However, when I look at the people who are most often outdoors and adventuring in nature, they seem to be the least diverse and more binary compared to nature’s diversity standards, as mentioned above. The outdoor diversity problem For outdoor enthusiasts and adventurers, the outdoors provides a sense of belonging. We feel connected to the tree, the mountains. Nature is an integral part of all human experience, but a major gap today is that diverse communities across the world do not feel included in the outdoor spaces, let alone having access to these spaces. In the United Kingdom, for example, racial minorities represent only about 1 % of visitors to national parks. In the United States, while people of color make up 40 % of the nation’s population, 70 % of visitors of National Parks and Forests are white, according to the National Health Foundation. Based on the past treatment and lack of inclusion of people of color (i.e. slavery), it is no wonder why people of color perhaps do not feel safe to travel outdoors, let alone be by themselves outdoors. LGBTQ communities have gathered in cities, farther away from the outdoors, to escape prejudices and to find community. Also, for women, the outdoors is often perceived (and unfortunately is) as a place where men can take advantage of them. It makes sense why our outdoor spaces have become increasingly homogenous given our history and systemic problems in the past and present. Ryan and his partner connect before the race kicks off. Focusing on diversity - what can we do about it? When I spoke to environmental US-based LGBTQ advocate Pattie Gonia about the importance of diversity, they say that “humanity is an ecosystem, and we need to support each other if we want it to survive.” And that’s all people—people of color, women, people with disabilities, and more. Until we can help marginalized communities realize that the outdoors is for them—and that it’s accessible too—all of humanity’s ecosystem cannot truly embrace what the outdoors has to offer. Reframing what it means to be in the outdoors One key to inclusive in the outdoors is to reframe what it means to be in outdoors and what it means to experience it. Oftentimes, the ‘outdoors’ is a man climbing a mountain, but that is a very narrow perspective. Pattie said that we can help others “redefine what outdoor experiences are, because we know we can’t get away all the time to be surrounded by a mountainous landscape. We can see so much beauty simply from the birds outside the window,” for example, or even in the small grass park within a city. Outdoors experiences can be had everywhere—not only in national parks, which are often 2- to 5-hour car or train rides from metropolitan areas where diverse communities typically reside. Pattie Gonia and Ryan celebrate at the Javelina-Jundred 100-miler. Show me the money Money is a major concern for diverse communities to get in the outdoors, too. Having the proper attire for snow or mountain climate, to simply having a vehicle that can get you into the forest or mountains, are barriers for many people of color (and others) to getting into mountain sports. We can support diverse communities by contributing to non-profit and programs that explicitly help diverse communities get outdoors. Some of my favorite organizations doing this work are Brave Trails, Harlem Run, and the following organizations on this website. Celebrating diversity on the trail As a queer, gay trail runner and outdoor lover, I have gained many micro experiences overtime that have helped me realized that the outdoors are for me and that there are other people like me out on the trails. That realization was a really empowering, life-changing moment. These experiences can easily be seen in my recent race, the Javelina Jundred 100-miler in Arizona, USA. The race is all about celebrating diversity and dressing up in costumes to express yourself however you want. I ran the race in a female-presenting crop top with rainbow tattoos on my arm. I felt fun, free, and excited. This type of expression at a race helped me, most likely mentally, in my performance because I was able to cross the finish line in 2nd place with a leg-crushing time of 13 hours 33 minutes. I held a rainbow Pride flag at the finish line next to my boyfriend. My performance earned a Golden Ticket to compete in the elite field at the US-based Western States Endurance Run in June 2022. It’s clear: Inclusive outdoors experiences help diverse people show up as their best authentic selves in outdoor places and in sport. It is my hope that we can provide that same inclusive, safe experiences to our diverse communities outside so that they too can experience the same love and belonging that you and I feel in the outdoors. All images: Nick Danielson

Suunto athlete and intrepid Finnish freerider Antti Autti is bracing himself for days of bone chilling temperatures as he searches for snowboarding lines in mountains above the Arctic Circle. Season two of his Arctic Lines project is underway. The goal is to ride 30 unique, unridden or iconic lines in the frozen wilds of northern Finland, Sweden and Norway. Getting to each line is no walk in the park. He and his crew must contend with long approaches, minus temperatures, the poor visibility of the Arctic’s polar night, difficult to predict snow conditions, blizzards and obstacles. In this article, Antti guides us through how he breaks down each trip and how he navigates to each line and back. Watch each episode of Arctic Lines as it drops here!   Have a plan This sounds obvious, but the importance of having a thought-through and agreed upon plan can’t be overstated. Having a plan b is also important. Make sure each person in your group knows the plan and has agreed to it. To achieve this, Antti creates routes in Suunto app and shares them with his crew for feedback. If everyone is happy, he then creates GPX files and syncs them with their Suunto 9 Peak watches. Click here for Antti’s 8 planning steps! Start cool You reach the road end and get out of your toasty warm car and into the biting cold air. Don’t make the mistake of piling too many layers on too soon. It’s better to start a little cold and then warm up. Otherwise you’ll have to stop after 20 minutes to remove layers.   Let your watch guide you “It’s really helpful to have the route planned in advance and to follow it on our watches,” Antti says. “When I’m at home and draw the route in Suunto app I can’t see all the obstacles we’ll encounter on the ground. But following the route with my watch means I can go off route by 100 m to avoid an obstacle and it will guide me back. It’s a huge help.” Should you decide to change your plans and follow a predefined plan B, with your Suunto 9 you can also change the route you navigate during an activity. Just long press the middle button to enter the 'options' and the 'navigation' menu: there you can select the new route you want to follow. And if you do wander further away from your route, you can always zoom out on the navigation view. Simply long press the middle button on a navigation screen and zoom out – or in – with the buttons to see your position related to your planned route. Read here how to navigate with a Suunto 9. Break it down Antti breaks down each trip into five sections: below the treeline, observation, the traverse, the ride and, lastly, the return. Each section has a different focus and tasks. Below the treeline: Important to conserve energy and follow the easiest way in as possible. This is why it’s important to start on time so there’s no rush to get in. Observation: At the treeline, Antti and his crew have a 30 to 45 minute break to observe and assess the situation. “At the treeline we can see if the route we made in Suunto app is going to work,” Antti says. “This is when we make critical decisions about which route to take to get to the line. The shortest way might be more exposed. The longer way might be safer, but use more energy. This is why we take our time here to make a good decision because after that it’s full on.” The traverse: Antti tries to follow a route that affords him protection from snow or rock fall. Where possible he tries to stick to climbing ridgelines. “This is when we approach the face and climb to the top of the line,” Antti says. “We need to do that quite fast and this is where we use the most energy. It’s also when we get to know how the snow is and make a decision whether to go ahead or pull the plug.” The ride: “If I plan a lot ahead, then the descent is super nice because all I need to do is ride really well,” Antti says. “If the conditions are good, it’s all fun, but if not it can be really tricky. It’s always hard to know how the ride will be. If you have a big face with multiple options, then you have to be able to change your original plan.” The return: After they’ve ridden the line he and his crew are usually quite pumped and excited. While this is great, if they get carried away by it this is when mistakes can be made. “When we get excited after the line it’s always good to stop and regroup a little,” Antti says. “When you’re playing in the mountains, it’s so important to regularly regroup and refocus.” Even if you are not following a preplanned route, the breadcrumb trail on your Suunto is super useful during the return: it will help you get back on your skintrack and the trailhead where you started. Read about Suunto's Find Back feature here. Be prepared to change plan Being exposed to cold in the mountains is serious business. It’s all about managing time and energy, and responding to unforeseen challenges. Stubbornly sticking to a plan can be dangerous. Antti advises to keep an open mind, and to check in regularly with your group to see how you are all doing and whether any course correction is required. Keeping tabs on sunrise and sunset times is especially important in the mountains: learn how to use sunrise and sunset alarms in your watch here.   Have a safety back up Antti uses the SuuntoPlus Safe - My Location feature on his watch. There is always a risk that something goes wrong and they need to call for help. This feature for Suunto 9 watches provides information that they can give to a rescue team. It provides location info and the direct distance and altitude from the starting place. Antti also takes his smartphone with him as a backup in case he needs to reassess the route.  Watch Arctic Lines here! All images by Jaakko Posti