Suunto Blog

“There is something special about the connection between women that cannot be explained with words alone. It is that deep feeling of affinity we have that brings us close and sets a common understanding of what we experience in our life’s triumphs and tribulations. It is a connection only a woman can truly understand. That is what makes the Suunto Jewel so special. The very essence of its existence and what it represents, expresses that unspeakable bond that brings us together,” the Scuba Diver Girls say. Last February, Suunto sent three Suunto Guiding Star pendants on a journey around the globe. The pendants were passed from one adventure-minded woman to the next, travelling from the Alps to the Arctic Lapland and onwards, and from the Pacific Ocean to icy waters in upstate New York and back under the Caribbean Sun. We have been following the journey of one pendant in particular, as it was passed on among some of the world’s most inspirational female divers. Here is an account of that journey, told by the divers themselves. While the list of adventures and places the jewel has seen is impressive, what strikes as most extraordinary, is the invisible bond of sisterhood the jewel has created between these women. The journey took off in the Maldives, where Scuba Diver Girls Margo Sanchez and Stephanie Adamson were the first women to wear the jewel. The jewel spent some memorable moments diving in the crystal blue waters around Maguhdhuvaa Island and later on travelled with Margo and Stephanie back home to San Diego, United States. “The jewel came with us into our beautiful backyard, an ocean full of kelp, sharks, turtles and a myriad of other amazing sea creatures,” Margo describes. “After a few weeks of enjoying our precious piece of art, it was time to pass it along.” Scuba Diver Girls chose to give the jewel to Becky Kagan Schott, the Emmy Award winning underwater videographer, photographer and tech dive instructor. “Becky embodies an amazing spirit that every woman should embrace. We passed our jewel on, holding it tight as to pass on our energy with it. By now it has traveled the world and laid over so many strong women’s hearts. The energy it possesses is most certainly magical,” Margo writes now, looking back to that moment in February. One of the strong women to hold the Guiding Star next was Jill Heinerth, the underwater photographer and film-maker specialized on demanding cave exploration and 3D imaging. She took the jewel on a National Geographic cave diving expedition in Cuba, where she conducted exploration and survey dives, working with climate scientists and paleontologists: “My job was to photograph and video our work and also deploy an exciting 3D imaging technology. I was able to take numerous calibrated photographs that were assembled into a 3D model of some of the paleo animal artifacts inside the cave,” she explains. “These files were merged into an accurate model that could be printed in 3D so that scientists could examine and work with a model rather than disturbing the artifact underwater where is remains well preserved and untouched.” During the months that followed, the Guiding Star traveled onwards to technical diver Renata Rojas, who in turn gave it to scuba diver and submersible pilot Erika Bergman, who handed the jewel to marine biologist, researcher and deep ocean explorer Megan Cook. In August, the jewel landed in the hands of the explorer, teacher and instructor Cristina Zenato, world renowned for her work with shark awareness and conservation. At the time she was in the Bahamas, hosting the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society’s scholar, teaching sustainable shark diving and shark conservation. Her work aims to change the economic situation of the Bahamians, enabling them to move from traditional fishing to different forms of work and income, including professional scuba diving. During her time with the Guiding Star, Cristina also continued her long term project and conducted cave diving exploration in the area, successfully mapping and connecting previously undiscovered caves and water systems. “It has been a solo expedition and work and the jewel happened to be with me on the day I did the two most important ones. I consider it my luck charm,” Cristina concludes. Cristina passed the Guiding Star on to technical diver Gemma Smith, the first woman ever to dive at the world famous Antikythera Shipwreck. Gemma took the jewel to Central France, to the Lot/Dordogne region, where she completed her internship and became an Introductory Cave Diving Instructor on Open and Closed Circuit and managed to log some long-awaited cave dives. “I was also fortunate enough to complete a major cave diving personal ‘bucket list’ goal during the trip. I wore the Suunto Guiding Star to guide me 2.2 kilometers through the earth, reaching depths of up to 80m to finally reach the stunning cathedral-like Bivouac Chamber in the Emergence de Ressel,“ Gemma says. The journey of the Suunto Guiding Star still continues and we wish every future woman to hold the jewel to get a spark of that energy and courage these women have passed on with the pendant. “It has been an honor to carry the Star on such big moments in my diving journey, and I really hope I've inspired other women to follow their own diving dreams, and show that size and gender should never hold you back,” Gemma Smith summarizes.   To learn more about the Guiding Star – or to get it for an adventurous woman who inspires you – visit suunto.com

Ryan is taking a break from elite racing until 2016. © Craig Kolesky / Red Bull Content Pool It’s not uncommon for runners to push themselves too hard. That’s why many of us choose to work with a coach – they often stop us from overdoing it. They stress the importance of recovery just as much as training. Without recovery, there’s no improvement. “If you get overtraining symptoms it’s important to back off,” says Ryan. “The best thing to do, is nothing, watch a whole bunch of movies to allow your body and hormones to recover and settle again.” No spring in your legs? You might be pushing too hard. © Craig Kolesky / Red Bull Content Pool 1. Beware, the grumpy runner! When we push too hard with training it’s easy to lose motivation and wind up feeling flat or, worse, irritable. One minute you're feeling great and then the next minute for no reason you are feeling super grumpy. 2. No bounce in your springs If you find yourself plodding through your training with legs that feel like concrete, it might be a sign you need to ease off. You should have pep in your step. There’s a difference between tired legs and legs with no spring. 3. The force field is down! Overtraining results in a weakened immune system. With your biological force field out of commission, one virus after another can cruise in and cause illness. If you’re catching one cold after another or just feel lousy generally, then you need to rest. 4. Restless nights If you are battling to sleep at night and then feel exhausted during the day this might be due to elevated cortisol levels from too much training and stress on your body. 5. The dreaded niggles Overuse injuries, tendonitis and stress fractures are signs you might need to change down a gear or two. Remember, trying to bulldoze your way through a niggle often leads to full-blown injury. 6. Stuck in the slow lane When your legs are becoming chronically fatigued, it’s not surprising to find your training times getting slower. Rather than trudging on, it might be time to consider getting those legs massaged and allowing them to recover. 7. Running on empty Loss of appetite can be another symptom of pushing too hard. This further compacts the problem by starving the body of the nutrients it desperately needs. Main images: © Craig Kolesky | Red Bull Content Pool

Think you can take on one of the world’s top ultra runners? We asked this year’s Ultra Trail World Tour silver medallist Gediminas Grinius for his favorite places to run around the world. Check out his list below. © Ultra-Trail World Tour Squaw Valley, California, USA Distance: 13.22 km (8.2 miles)Elevation: 970 m (3,182ft)Time to beat: 1:49’51Why: If you want to feel the Olympic atmosphere of the resort and at the same time climb the very first and the most beautiful part of the legendary Western States race this trail is for you.Click for Gediminas's tips on transitioning from road to trail running© Pete Forsyth via Wikimedia Commons Mt Teide, Tenerife, Canary Islands Distance: 63.95 kmElevation: 4,671 mTime to beat: 10:29’21Why: Long, but an amazing run, especially if you start in the evening. With a bit effort you can see the sunrise from the Volcano, which is the highest peak in Spain. © Nikodem Nijaki via Wikimedia Commons Roque Nublo, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands Distance: 38.23 kmElevation: 2,189 mTime to beat: 5:25’42Why: A nice run from Artenara Cave hostel to the picturesque Roque Nublo from where you have all the island stretched out on your hand. If the sky is clear you can see Mt Teide on Tenerife on the horizon. © H. Zell via Wikimedia Commons Piton de la Fournaise, Reunion Island Distance: 12.01 kmElevation: 544 mTime to beat: 2:18’30Why: It is must to run this trail, as it is in the middle of la Reunion island and part of the Raid de la Reunion race, also known as the Diagonale des Fous – the route of crazies. At the end of the trail you are on the top of a still active volcano. It’s an incredible and very difficult trail. © B. Navez via Wikimedia Commons. LTU Trail Running People trail, Lithuania Distance: 28.37 kmElevation: 1,263 mTime to beat: 3:08’45Why: This is what you are forced to do when you don't have real mountains :) But it is home and a place where the (local) LTU trail running community was born, so it’s close to my heart.© Kontis Šatūnas via Wikimedia Commons

Suunto ambassador Ueli Steck has set a new speed record on Eiger for the third time, beating his previous record by 25 minutes and the 2011 record set by Daniel Arnold. Ueli Steck, the Swiss Machine, took advantage of good climbing conditions this week and clocked a lightning fast 2h22m summit of Eiger via the classic Heckmair Route. The Eiger (3970 m), a mountain in Switzerland’s Bernese Alps, has long been an iconic testing ground for alpinists because of its severe north face and accessibility. The Heckmair Route boasts 1800 m of vertical gain. In 2008, Steck smashed his own record by over an hour, clocking an impressive 2h47m summit. This week he broke Daniel Arnold’s 2011 record of 2h28m. “I didn’t push myself as hard as in 2008.” “This time I had a good track, good conditions and I was pulling some gear that made it quite safe and I believe it makes much more sense this way,” Ueli says. “I didn‘t push myself as hard as in 2008 and I felt very comfortable. This made this ascent a beautiful experience and a great day.” He adds: “We can never compare ascents on a face like the Eiger because the conditions and weather are always different. This is what makes alpinism interesting and unique. For me it’s the personal challenge and your own experience that really matter.” The record breaking accent was a finale for Steck after spending the last few weeks taking advantage of good conditions to attemp a number of routes on the Eiger with fellow climbers and trail runners Nicolas Hojac and Killian Jornet. More about legendary climber Ueli Steck

Suunto ambassador and freediver William Trubridge has given his life to the sport of diving as deep into the ocean’s depths as any human can without scuba equipment. But he recently decided to explore the other end of the planet – the heights of the Himayalas. He trekked 300 km, with 10,000 m of vertical ascent. The longest day was 13 hours of hiking. We asked him what he learned at the top of the world. Why did you go trekking in Nepal? It was mainly to do something together with my father David and brother Sam, as we live in separate parts of the world. We chose the Himalayas, as my father loves the mountains, and neither Sam nor myself have seen those kinds of mountains. "I think freediving training definitely has a crossover effect to mountain climbing." Where were you?We trekked to Kanchenjunga base camp in eastern Nepal. Kanchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world, and one of the holiest. The remoteness of this area means there are few trekkers and even fewer amenities. This is exactly what we wanted. At 5163 m, the atmosphere is half as dense as at sea level, meaning half the volume of oxygen per breath.Vastly different environment than you’re used to – how was it? It was humbling. I realised just how un-adapted my body is to that kind of world. After 12 years of only freediving training in the water my knees were unacquainted with any kind of impact, and the first day's gruelling descent paid its toll. In fact, all the descents were tough for me. I really enjoyed going uphill because I was able to push myself. You’re used to having a lack of oxygen – how was the higher altitude for you? The altitude wasn't a factor. Our ascent was very gradual, which allowed the body time to adapt. I think freediving training definitely has a crossover effect to mountain climbing by developing haemoglobin oxygen storage in the blood. Freediving training stimulates erythropoiesis, which is the generation of new red blood cells, in order to store and transfer more oxygen. This benefits all hypoxic activities, whether apnea or trekking at altitude. What did you learn? It gave me an appreciation of volumes, and the vastness of the mountains, but also the seas. When looking up at a towering 7,000 m peak and thinking that huge mass could disappear in the huge well that is our planet's oceans it made me marvel at the scale of these environments. What can freedivers learn from trekking or the mountains? Trekking can be a kind of meditation, as the slow pace of changing scenery lulls your mind. It also gives you an appreciation for the 'other end of the spectrum' of our planet's ecosystem, and for the many other various forms that water can take: snow, rain, mist, waterfalls and rivers.

Suunto ambassador and underwater explorer Jill Heinerth dives the world's most incredible locations. Bell Island, Newfoundland is one such site. The video below shows why it's a diver's paradise. Tell us about the Bell Island and its wrecks. Bell Island is one of the few locations in North America that was under attack by German forces during the Second World War. In 1942, U-boats raided the island twice, sinking four iron ore carriers and destroying a loading wharf, killing more than 60 men. During the war, the mines on Bell Island, Newfoundland supplied iron ore that accounted for one-third of Canada's steel production. Germany knew that they could interrupt the flow of ore, even temporarily, and Canada's war output could be seriously affected. Click here to find out more about Jill Heinerth What drew you to dive there? I was part of a team documenting the recovery of a sextant from the wreck of the Rose Castle. Rick Stanley, owner of Ocean Quest Adventure Resort, worked for over a year to secure the correct permits and line up provincial conservators to preserve the important artifact that will be eventually be displayed in an extensive museum on Bell Island. Why is it such an amazing dive location? Newfoundland is a great destination for the adventurous divers. Today, divers visiting Newfoundland’s rich waters, can dive these remarkable wrecks that have transformed into stunning and colorful reef structures. Is there more to explore there? In the summer, divers can also enjoy diving on icebergs and swimming with whales that gather in the area to feed on capelin. I’ve been recently working with other cave divers to document the submerged mines which cover over 100 square kms. This coming season, mine operators hope to open diving activities to qualified cave divers visiting the area. The mine is still filled with all the equipment and artifacts of operations there. Seeing the large equipment, miner’s graffiti and personal items is an interesting opportunity.