Every second counts in the world of skimo racing, and a quick changeover between uphill and downhill sections can make all the difference. For regular ski tourers, it's always an impressive sight to see how the pros do it in just a few seconds. Here, ski mountaineering world champion Kilian Jornet reveals his top tips for an efficient transition. And check the video below to see him in action. 1. Think ahead As I arrive at the transition, I start to mentally prepare for both the transition and the downhill stretch of the race that will follow. Do I have any more uphill sections, or will this be the final run down? This is important as it determines how I remove and store my skins. 2. Get ready A few meters before I reach the top, I open my suit and remove my pole straps, ready to lay them down on the floor as I enter the transition area. See how Kilian does it. 3. Change modes After putting my poles on the floor, I switch the boots to ski mode with both hands, and then twist the binding into the downhill position. 4. Skins off If there are more uphill sections to come, I take the top of the skin in one hand before kicking my foot forward and ripping the skin off in one fluid motion. I fold the skin in half, tuck it in my suit and repeat the process with the second skin. If it’s the last downhill of the race I won’t need to use the skins again so I rip the skins off in quick succession and store them together in my suit. 5. Setting off Lastly I zip up my suit, pick up my poles, check my heels are locked in and get ready for the downhill descent.

Patrick Sweeney may have pulled out of Race Across USA but he's continuing anyway in a bid to cross the States from California to Washington D.C. by foot. Since setting out mid-January in a running race across the USA, the Suunto-supported athlete has so far clocked 2,000 km of the 5,000 km journey. Unfortunately he had to pull out of the race itself, but is continuing the journey anyway with New Zealand runner Jup Brown as a fundraiser for various charitable projects. Patrick Sweeney is a barefoot devotee, whatever the weather. ©Patrick Sweeney Says Patrick: “Since Jup and I started Run With Us America we have been professional speakers at a health expo, interviewed by four radio stations, featured in three newspapers, spoken to hundreds of children at multiple schools, been joined by runners from five countries and at least seven different breeds of dog and received thousands of waves from passers-by. Most importantly we have had a lot of fun and inspired a few people along the way.” Continuing along the same route as Race Across USA, the pair’s main goal is to raise money for the 100 Mile Club, a non-profit that encourages children to run 100 miles a year, with the aim of improving fitness, learning and self-esteem. So far the team have crossed the states of California, New Mexico and Arizona. They are currently in central Texas, nearly halfway to the US capital. Watch a video of their New Mexico leg below. “We have been able to run 30-35 miles (48-56 km) each day. My Ambit3 is working great and keeps me motivated,” he adds. Main image: ©Patrick Sweeney

As the Under the Pole team journey up Greenland’s coast they battle through howling storms and fast-freezing seas, but it’s all worth it for the spectacular scenes above and below the ice. Click the video below to see for yourself: Winter has truly visited Greenland, where a group of French explorers and scientists have been sailing up the west coast. After battling through a 14 hour storm – complete with mini icebergs bashing against the side of the boat – and spending New Year in the harbor town of Uummannaq, the team continue up the coast until the ice becomes too thick to sail any further. After two days of waiting, the sea around their boat freezes enough to walk and sled across, much to the joy of Kayak, the team’s Siberian husky. But the real reward comes after dark, when the team are able to dive under the ice itself, and get to witness the northern lights flickering behind the WHY (the team’s yacht). “We’ve only just started to explore but still we had so much fun,” says Ghislain Bardout, expedition chief. “Then to come out and see the northern lights and the “WHY”, I think is as nice as the dive itself.” The Under The Pole team has also released an educational video on the northern lights (Aurora Borealis), which you can view here. Turns out it’s not caused by the spirits of the dead playing soccer with a walrus skull… Main image: © Lucas Santucci / Under The Pole

The Mezzalama Trophy is one tough challenge. The iconic, high-altitude ski mountaineering race takes place in the Cervinia region of Italy every other year, and sees about 300 teams of three skiers tackle some of the toughest terrain in the Alps. We take a closer look at this historic competition and the Suunto athletes training for the 20th edition of the race. As part of the “big three of ski mountaineering,” The Mezzalama Trophy is among the highest alpine ski mountaineering events of the world. It's a 45 km race with 3,430 m of vertical ascent. But it’s not only the competition’s toughness and high altitude that makes it so appealing – it’s Mezzalama’s history. Established back in 1933, it’s one of the oldest races of its kind, and holds historic significance in the minds of many skiers. Like in 1934, when a young German solo skier called Anderl Heckmair overtook all competing teams despite starting one-and-a-half-hours after the pack. Heckmair would later achieve global fame for leading the hardest pitch during the first ascent of the North Face of the Eiger four years later. Check out the Mezzalama Trophy Trailer below: This year, in commemorating 150 years since the first ascent of the Matterhorn, the Mezzalama Trophy route will run in reverse. The race will guide athletes from Gressoney-la-Trinité to Breuil-Cervinia – the exact opposite of previous editions. The change adds about 350 meters of altitude to the route.Of those competitors, Suunto ambassador, Kilian Jornet will once again join his teammates in Italy. “As every year, I'm happy to compete and be able to combine different modalities and distances,” says Kilian.Also in the lineup, and further down the pack, will be a team from Suunto made up of guide Fabien Meyer, ice climber Matthias Scherer and digital manager for France, Franck Largeault. “Heckmair's incredible dedication to alpinism is for me a great example of the spirit of mountaineering,” says Matthias. “I would never dare to compare myself to him but I love his commitment and spirit. He was psyched to run this race, to be out in the mountains, to feel strong and alive. I am stoked to race it!” Franck Largeault is preparing for the challenge of his life. ©Franck Largeault The team have been training hard. “To create any good training plan, a good starting point is required,” Largeault says. “We therefore conducted aerobic and technical stress tests to assess our fitness levels. These starting points allowed us to establish our training plan and use the remaining 6 weeks to prepare.” Largeault explains: “We used the Ambit 3 Peak to perform the tests by measuring our heart rates, climbing rates etc.”The 2015 edition of the extraordinary Mezzalama Trophy kicks off on April 25. Stay tuned for more updates. Images ©pantacolor.it

Suunto’s next generation dive computer receives global iF Design Award 2015 Suunto is pleased to announce that Suunto EON Steel, the fully customizable dive computer, has been awarded the iF Design Award 2015 in the Product category. This award is an important recognition of the Finnish company's success in developing diving innovations in the last 50 years. Handmade in Finland, Suunto EON Steel combines advanced technology with a bright color screen and customizability to let you choose exactly what you want to see on your dive. The easy-to-use dive computer was developed in close relationship with active divers around the world. It has been extensively tested including dives in the caves of an old limestone mine in Ojamo, Finland. Creating reliable products designed for the harshest of elements has been a part of Suunto’s heritage for almost 80 years. Comments Björn Bornemann, the Designer of Suunto EON Steel: “We’re thrilled to receive this prestigious award which is a fitting tribute to the hard work of the whole product team. With heavy-duty housing, a stainless steel bezel, and user updatable software, Suunto EON Steel is built to last.” The iF Product Design Award was introduced in 1954 and is a highly prized seal of quality annually conferred by the International Forum. Every year the iF attracts more than 2,000 product entries from around 37 nations, which are judged by renowned experts. www.ifdesign.de

For ice-climber and Suunto ambassador, Matthias Scherer, winter is naturally a busy time. Recently, Matthias made a trip to Norway, where over the past few years, he’s gone in search of the ultimate ice lines. And this time, tucked away in the Fjords of the West Coast, he found just what he was looking for. Approaching Fjåene Fossen © Matthias Scherer“Ice climbing, like alpinism is always a quest. A quest for the ultimate ice line,” says the German climber.It’s that quest which lead Matthias back to Norway – a place where he had tried twice in vain to scale the lines buried deep within in the Fjords near Bergen. He was forced to retreat on both occasions due to bad conditions.“This time we checked the temperatures via the internet and decided to give it a go during the beginning of February. We knew that we had to be prepared both mentally and physically to face this big adventure.” A little clip of Matthias climbing in his home ground of Cogne, Italy in January. Arriving in Norway, his ‘adventure’ started almost immediately when a snowstorm blocked all the roads on his way in. And when the expedition finally commenced, Matthias and his crew were faced with crossing a waist-deep river of freezing water before reaching their line.“The climb up ‘Fjåene Fossen’ proved to be, as expected, an epic battle: bad ice quality and lots of water and snow pouring down on us. After several hours we reached the top of the line in a raging storm,” he says. But for Matthias, achieving one objective only leads to the next, on the way down they discovered another awesome-looking line.“Two days later in an even heavier storm, we reached the top of that line. We named it 'Stormbringer'.” On Pattinaggio © Matthias SchererYou’d think that after his Norwegian excursion, Matthias would kick back for a few days. Wrong. The climber has been busy climbing lines on his home turf of Cogne, Italy, as well as another trip back to Norway to climb in Rjukan. He's already looking forward to going back next year. “And next winter, I’ll be back on Norwegian ice once again.”