Tech diving means going deeper for longer and requires, as the name suggests, a more technical understanding of what's going on with your gases. In this second part on Suunto algorithms, we go deeper into Suunto's RGBM. For technical divers, there are two key reasons Suunto’s Reduced Gradient Bubble Model, or RGBM, algorithm stands out. The first is microbubbles. No other brand of dive computer takes into account the accumulation of inert gases on this level. At any given point, even when you’re on dry land, your veins and arteries have microbubbles filled with these inert gases. When small, they’re of no consequence. But when they expand from time at depth, they begin to limit off-gassing. The deeper you dive, the greater a risk factor microbubbles potentially become. Suunto’s computers will force you to decrease your ascent rate when microbubbles start to become an issue. Second, Suunto is the only brand whose computers factor in the risk of isobaric counterdiffusion (ICD), which can potentially occur on ascent. Normally, as you breathe while making your way back to the surface, you’re off-gassing; however, depending on your gas blend, these inert gases could travel further into your system as opposed to out, due to the increasing partial pressures of gases upon ascent. Suunto’s computers will alert you when you’re at risk of ICD, and will alter your ascent plan as necessary to keep you safe. How does ICD affect divers? Hear Dr Wienke explain below and check out our other video guides to our algorithms here.

In the first episode of #SuuntoAdventure Video Series you will meet Swedish trail runner, ski mountaineer and mountain lover Emelie Forsberg.  Emelie is all smiles – but don't let that fool you: she is fiercely competitive, too. Read Emelie's profile here.  Watch also the other episodes in the series: Face to Face with Greg Hill – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 2 Face to Face with Kilian Jornet – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 3 Face to Face with William Trubridge – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 4 Face to Face with Conrad Stoltz – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 5 

Talk to Emelie Forsberg and you'd think she's just another mountain-loving adventure girl with a fondness for baking home-made cookies. But behind the fun-loving Swede is a phenonenal podium-winning athlete – one who has excelled in several trail running disciplines – as well as competition ski-mountaineering. A three-time Sky Running World Series champion (2012-2014), Emelie exceeds at marathon and ultra distance events. These are mountain trail races which feature several thousand meters of vertical ascent and range from 30 to over 50 km long over terrain that can range from loose rock to high altitude snow fields. To mountain runners these are races that are steeped in legend and lore, races like Zegama, Pikes Peak, Kima and modern classics like Transvulcania and the Diagonale des Fous. She is fiercely competitive and has an impressive medal tally – too long to list here – but it's clear that winning is not her primary goal. “I'm not going to remember a win in 40 years time — I will remember the view or the feeling,” she says. There's a photo of her taken just before she crossed the finish line of the 80 km Mt Blanc marathon, a race that would crown her 2014 Skyrunning Ultra champion. It's distinctive for one feature – an enormous smile she can't contain. She looks as if she's just run a 5 k, far less a gruelling double marathon. “From my heart I can truly say I enjoyed every second of it,” she wrote on her Facebook page shortly afterwards: “Pure skyrunning. J´adore! I love!” It's Emelie's infectious love of running that shines through above all else. “It's hard to describe it's so good,” she says. “You get a really good feeling in your legs. You feel so light – you're just flowing over the ground. You feel like really wow, I could go on forever, or wow, what a great feeling.” It was this feeling that propelled her onto the professional circuit. One of her first wins was a local uphill mountain race in Norway's Yotunheimen national park in 2010. What is extraordinary is that prior to the race, and on the same day, Emelie decided to go for a run that became a 50 km ultra with 4,000 m of vertical. “I was free that day so thought I would run around,” she says by way of explanation. “It was super beautiful.” Not all races are beautiful experiences however. During the 2014 Kima she took a wrong turn and dropped from 1st to 5th position. She still finished 2nd. And besides official races, she's also a fan of the Fastest Known Time (FKT) movement, which are self-organized and (often) solo attempts to break speed records on mountains. In 2014 she set the overall record on Sweden's highest mountain Kebnekaise, shaving 15 minutes off the previous record. Big mountains play a big part in her life. When she's not competing Emelie loves to hang-out in the mountains, camping, hiking, climbing and skiing in winter. Of course, that also means competing on skis too, in the ski mountaineering world cup. Despite being a relative newcomer to the sport, 2015 brought Emelie her first podium, a third place in the Trofeo Marmotta. “I like to be out in the mountains in the winter too,” she says, “and this is just another way. The training is the same as before just different on skis. It's fun to race, it's good training – actually the hardest training I have ever done!” Where next for the Swedish athlete? Whatever it is, it's bound to involve some big mountain adventures. “The best times are when you're in the mountains, where the clock and the world outside don't count. Mountains are simplicity, freedom and responsibility — everything that I love!”

There are marathons and ultras. And then there’s Pat Sweeney’s personal challenge – a 5,000km run across America. The real-life Forrest Gump has been running steadily since January and is hoping to complete his epic west-to-east mission mid May in Boston. He tells us he’s having a great adventure and meeting some interesting characters along the way – including Elvis and several snakes… “I have picked up my mileage and am trying to now average around 40 miles (64 km) a day and even ran over 50 (80 km) on back to back days. The weather is getting better and my spirits are up. I ran through Arkansas then across the Mississippi river and up the Blues highway to Memphis Tennessee. I stopped at Graceland to see Elvis and am currently just south of Nashville.” Staying hydrated is vital to staying the distance. ©Pat Sweeney He adds: “Last week a sheriff in Mississippi let me stay in a tornado shelter when the weather was good. Then a couple days ago while in Tennessee there were actual tornado warnings in the area I was running. Storms come out of nowhere and I have got stuck in the hail a few times. It's now spring so it's fun to be outside and see the seasons change. Flowers are blossoming animals are getting frisky and I have seen seven snakes in the last two days.” Time to run – Sweeney enters the deep south.The Suunto supported runner is now clocking over 200 miles a week. “My body is tired and fatigued but I keep trudging along with a smile and look forward to each days adventure.I'm hoping now to finish my run in Boston by running the Boston Marathon course since I will be missing this year’s race. I should get there around May 10th if all goes well. It should be a lot of fun.”

Knowledge is power – and having an understanding of what's going on inside your dive computer will help you dive more safely and with peace of mind. Here's what you need to know on Suunto's algorithm that keeps you safe: Think of dive algorithms as you do the Internet: Few of us can actually explain how email works, but we all agree that life is infinitely better with it. The algorithms powering your dive computer are much the same: You need only appreciate how you benefit. Algorithms are ever-adapting formulas that constantly measure how much nitrogen is accumulating in your body as you remain underwater. © Janne Suhonen When you first started diving, relying on the tables was fine because, most likely, your air consumption wasn’t efficient for you to stay down long enough to complicate things. Then, at some point, you noticed everyone with a dive computer was enjoying longer dives. They could duck down a few meters to swim nearer a shark or turtle, and this didn’t significantly shorten that dive or subsequent dives. Simply put, they were carefree. They knew their computers were factoring in these depth changes to keep them safe. When we dive, inert gases—such as nitrogen, which our body doesn’t need—are dissolving into the bloodstream. At any given point, even when you’re on dry land, your veins and arteries have microbubbles filled with these inert gases. When small, they’re of no consequence. But when they expand, say, from time at depth, they begin to limit off-gassing—that is, your body’s ability to expel nitrogen.Only Suunto factors microbubbles into their algorithms. The deeper you dive, the greater a risk factor they potentially become. Their dive computers will force you to decrease your ascent rate when microbubbles are starting to become an issue. Suunto’s Reduced Gradient Bubble Model, or RGBM, is the industry’s most accurate representation of what’s happening in your body when you dive. It automatically adjusts to what you’re doing underwater. After you’ve told it you are diving air or a particular Nitrox blend, it requires no further manual input, leaving you free to enjoy your dive.

Kilian Jornet and Emelie Forsberg climbed to second and third overall respectively in the Ski Mountaineering World Cup rankings after some solid performances at Prato Nevoso, Italy. Kilian pushing downhill. ©ISMFAnother exciting weekend for Suunto Ambassadors, Kilian Jornet and Emelie Forsberg. The pair joined dozens of the world's best ski-mo racers under the incredible blue skies of Prato Nevoso, Italy for one of the final races of the season.Kilian had some mixed results – finishing second in the vertical race, fourth in the individual race and 22nd in the sprint. He has two more shots at reaching his ultimate goal at the end of April – winning the overall ranking in the World Cup, which combines the different Ski Mountaineering World Cup disciplines. Currently, Kilian lies in second spot behind overall leader Robert Antonioli. He said: ‘‘The combined World Cup is a title I’d really like to try to win because it proves the versatility of the skier in the different events. I’m second right now, but I am I hoping to score enough points in the two races left, to be able to fight for victory against Roberto.”Emelie in action. ©ISMFNot to be outdone, Emelie Forsberg placed second in both the individual and sprint races, and fourth in the vertical race. It was her first-ever second-place finish in a World Cup competition, and with two team races left, moves her up to third position in the overall rankings.She said: “I am feeling very well in this moment of the season. The results this weekend couldn’t have been better and now I am third in the overall ranking. I’ll try to keep the good energy for the races left.” Despite the individual events coming to an end, the Ski Mountaineering World Cup is far from over. Check out Check out ISMF on Facebook for updates, photos and lots of exciting videos from the Ski Mountaineering World Championship.RACE LINK:http://www.mondoleskialp.it/All photos ©ISMF