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In this article by Suunto athlete, ultra-runner and diversity champion Ryan Montgomery, he explains allyship and how we can all be good allies in the outdoors. Click here to read Ryan’s previous article on the importance of diversity in the outdoors scene.   By Ryan Montgomery Not everyone feels welcome, nor safe, in the outdoors. Diverse communities—our queer, LGBT, people of color, and peers with disabilities—often experience limitations that prevent them from getting outdoors. Each of us plays a role in eliminating barriers to outdoor spaces for others; being an ally is what will make outdoor recreation safe and accessible for all people.   Photo by Brave Trails, taken at Camp Brave Trails. What is allyship? Allyship: We all have heard this word at work, on social media, and in conversation. Perhaps it seems daunting or even time-consuming. However, when I think of allyship, I think of it as a process over time—a process of learning, action, more learning, and more action. Simply put, becoming an ally for others in the outdoors requires us take an action, using our own varying levels of privilege (which I define as money, knowledge, influence, tools, etc.) to amplify the work and voices of people who historically haven’t had a visible presence in outdoor spaces. When you can start to think of all the tools you have that can be leveraged for allyship, you will begin to realize you have many ways to make an impact right now.   Photo by Latinos Outdoors. What is allyship important? We want everyone to enjoy the experience of the outdoors. With this goal in mind, it’s important to remember that we all experience the outdoors differently. Think about when you pass others on a trail . . . do they smile, make eye contact, or say “hello!” back? Don’t assume these are universal experiences among everyone—they are not. While a lot of us enjoy spending time in nature, it often comes at a price, such as stares and unwanted comments about body weight, skin color, queerness and gender expression, or perceived ability. In more serious situations, the cost of being in outdoor places comes in the form of hostile encounters, racial slurs, or other forms of bullying and acts of discrimination. Allyship is important because it helps stop these negative outdoor experiences becoming a reality among marginalized communities.   Photo by Brave Trails, taken at Camp Brave Trails. How can I be an ally to others? Allyship is action. Yes, there are a lot of different actions you can take to start or develop your allyship. When people ask me how they can start or be a better ally, I suggest these 4 specific ally-building actions: 1 - Speak Up See something, say something. Don’t be afraid to share and talk about allyship. Have the courage to provide others with learning opportunities about diversity in the outdoors and how to be an ally. Speak about the problem at hand and share what you’re learning. This is a low-hanging action that’s simple, yet highly impactful. 2 – Pass the Microphone Highlight or elevate the voices of people who don’t act or look like you, including diverse athletes and outdoor leaders and organizations. Part of allyship is creating more access for marginalized people. If you don’t have a “microphone” to hand over, bring an extra chair, expand the table, or physically give your seat to a marginalized person.   3 – Learn, Don’t Assume You Know Everything: Probably the most important, is to focus on learning. Ask questions. Lead with curiosity. Listen to others’ stories. Learning about others is the foundational block to allyship. There are plenty of learning opportunities online. The Safe Zone Project provided self-guided LGBT ally training as a resource. In addition to The Safe Zone Project, I have enjoyed learning from the following guides, books, and creators: Black Faces, White Spaces by Carolyn Finney (Book) Whiteness in the Outdoors Guide (Guide) Being an LGBT+ Ally Guide by the Human Rights Campaign (Guide) Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Kimmerer (Book) Alison Desir, black runner and equity advocate (Creator to follow) 4 - Donate to Support Community Groups If you are privileged financially, consider supporting outdoor affinity or community groups. These groups span across a broad spectrum of non-profits that get communities outside, perform learning and development, or provide education in the outdoor industry and more. Some of my favorite affinity groups and programs that you can support are Brave Trails, Outdoor Afro, and Latino Outdoors. Photo by Brave Trails, taken at Camp Brave Trails. Together, we can make the outdoors thrive Remember that the outdoors teaches us that diversity is necessary for survival—to thrive. If we each do our part, leveraging our own unique privileges to make the outdoors more inclusive for our marginalized communities, then our human ecosystem can truly thrive.   Inspiring organizations and affinity groups to follow and to donate to: Brave Trails Latinos Outdoors Outdoor Afro Melanin Base Camp Brown Girls Climb Natives Outdoors Indigenous Geotags Brown People Camping Unlikely Hikers Fatgirls Hiking Indigenous Women Hike Boccrew Outthereadventures   Lead images by: Latinos Outdoors

Just like training, a little reading everyday goes a long way. And reading about training, about adventure, and about how to improve your core skill set keeps the fire of inspiration and discipline burning. So bookmark this article, and next time you’re in recovery mode and feel like you need a boost, flop on the couch and peruse at your leisure. You’ll find yourself itching for your next big training session or adventure.   Pau Capell (above) went after his own record on the UTMB trail this year. Welcome to the season of the FKT It’s been one heck of a year. But despite the disruption and the tragedy caused by the pandemic athletes and adventurers, like most of us, have had to adapt, and find new ways to keep the show on the road. With races cancelled, many have turned to fashioning their own personal adventures, including going after fastest known time (FKT) records on the world’s iconic trails. Read on to find out about the 2020 FKT phenomena.   Professional Xterra triathlete Karsten Madsen on his Everesting attempt. © @matthew.tongue No races? Conquer your own Everest? Another way athletes, particularly triathletes, have kept themselves busy and motivated is by scaling their own Everests. We talked to one Suunto athlete about this phenomena and found out how cool it is.   © Kelvin Trautman / Red Bull Content Pool The benefits of training to music and making your best playlist This year we’ve spoken to DJs about music and movement, and how they find the balance. Each DJ artist or group put together a playlist on Suunto’s Spotify channel, with each playlist designed to support easy, medium, intense workouts, or to vibe with your mornings, evenings and nights. We also found out about the benefits of working out to music and how to make the pitch perfect playlist. Get Suunto's playlists to work out to here.   © Philipp Reiter Start your path to mountain navigation mastery here Aiming to spend more time in the mountains? Then make sure to study our series on wayfinding in the mountains. Put together by Suunto’s navigator-in-chief, Terho Lahtinen, an elite adventure racer, these articles look at the core skills needed to become a competent navigator in big terrain.   © Kilian Jornet Finding the balance: Emelie Forsberg’s 7 motherhood tips for running mums Suunto ambassador and skyrunning champion Emelie Forsberg has transitioned from full time athlete to full time mum. She’s had some trial and error as she’s tried to find a balance between training and performing, and being a totally present and awesome mum. We caught up with her and found out what she’s learned along the way.   William is the first person to swim underwater across a major channel. 5 steps to therapeutic breathing to combat COVID-19 Suunto ambassador and world champion freediver William Trubridge knows a thing or two about breathing techniques and caring for the lungs. Breathing exercises, whether from the yogic pranayama tradition or from physiotherapy, are key aspects of freediving training. Concerned about the impact of COVID-19, William put his considerable research skills to work and discovered therapeutic breathing can go a long way to help with the healing process. Read on for his five steps.   8 tools for tracking the weather with Suunto Knowing what’s up with the weather is a question of personal responsibility and safety for outdoor people. Even more so if you’re heading out with a group under your care. Fortunately, the days of having to poke around online to put together a picture are gone; now, thanks to smart tech and apps, high definition weather intel gets beamed straight to your device. Read on to make sure you have all the tools at your disposal.   Know your species of cloud A little like bontanical knowledge, knowing the various species of clouds is more than just a geeky fascination; it can keep you and your group safe. Each species of cloud is telling you something, indicating what’s going on in the environment around you. We talked to Sarvesh Garimella, the chief scientist and COO at MyRadar about cloud identification and what to look out for.   Michael Arend coaches ultra and marathon runners, as well as triathletes and ski mountaineers. How to adapt your training when the unexpected strikes This year has been all about doing our best to adapt to the disruption caused by COVID-19. Given humans are creatures of habit, adapting isn’t always that easy. Oftentimes we hold on tight to our previous way of doing things until we have no choice but to let go. We talked to professional running and ultra marathon coach Michael Arend about how to adapt training when life blows up and you find yourself looking at the wreckage of your well laid plans.   Planning a route from scratch is just one of the many route planning options on Suunto app.   Six ways to plan a route for your next adventure Whether Suunto or via our partners, we have ensured our users have a fist full of ways to plan their adventures. There’s something to be said for carefully planning an unknown route in advance and then going out to explore it. That’s what adventure is all about.   Lead images: Philipp Reiter    

Suunto ambassador Jill Heinerth has been named the first Explorer in Residence of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, we’ve spoken to her to find out what’s involved in this new role. Jill speaking about her new role in Ripley's Aquarium in Toronto (Header image: ©Cas Dobbin 2016) Canadian cave diver Jill is well known for exploring little known places across the globe, and this makes her the perfect person to take up this new role. Read what she has to say about what she’ll be doing as Explorer in Residence. So, what does becoming Canada’s first Explorer in Residence mean for you? This appointment is a bit of a "girl's dream come true" story. The dream of a little girl who was told that nothing was impossible. The dream of a young Girl Guide who was taught how to live in balance with her world. The dream of a woman who discovered that doing what you love nets far greater gains than can be measured by a paycheck. It is certainly validation for a lifetime of hard work as well as an opportunity to reach out to more people with a message about exploration, discovery and conservation of our natural world. It must feel pretty great, right? I am incredibly honored to be recognised in my home country and given the vote of confidence that I can carry a great message, especially to young people pursuing new and interesting careers. Deck gun on the SS Lord Strathcona, Bell Island Newfoundland. Photo: Jill Heinerth, IntoThePlanet.com How did you end up being given this new role? In 2013, I was awarded the first ever gold medal for exploration given in Canada; The Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration, awarded by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, but this appointment was a complete surprise. I literally received a phone call while standing by the edge of spring in my drysuit. "Would I accept the appointment and help the society define the program for the future?" Needless to say, my waiting students were pretty surprised to see me jumping around in excitement on the cell phone in the middle of the woods. What does the role involve? I have two key goals. First, I want to reach deep into the educational system to inspire young people to explore…. both in person and through modern online outreach opportunities. I want today’s youth to understand that the world is at their fingertips through a connected global community. I want young people to recognise that they can make bold moves creating new careers and initiatives to solve emerging problems that are important to them. I want them to know that anything is made possible through diligence and teamwork. Secondly, I want to share my adventures to help nurture a better connection between Canadians and their water resources. I want us all to celebrate and protect the summer arrival of humpback whales feeding on swarms of capelin in Newfoundland. I want to inspire parents to take their kids to Lake Winnipeg to play, so they will want to keep safe the vast watershed it serves. I want our citizens to learn from our First Nations fore-bearers about how to live in better harmony with our natural resources. I want to help my fellow Canadians understand that everything we do to the surface of our land will be returned to us to drink. I want to us to fully embrace how water flows into and out of our lives. As a female explorer, do you think it’s important to inspire women and girls to get outside? As someone who was often searching for female role models in life, I realise that is a really important part of this appointment. I try to answer every email and take time with everyone that has a question. I recognise that even a single interaction and affirmation for a young woman can change her life and if I can help even one person find their direction, then that will be worth all the hard work! For women, or girls, nervous about getting into the water, or even out exploring on land, what would you tell them? I would like everyone to know that when we push the bounds of comfort, we will have great revelations in life. Being scared means that you still maintain a certain respect for your safety. That is important. But doing something a little outside your comfort zone will help you break barriers that might have contained your potential. Jill meeting with kids on Bell Island Newfoundland What will be your first adventure under your new title? I am currently working with the society on their Expedition of the Year uncovering the Hidden Geography of Bell Island, Newfoundland. I am documenting the shipwrecks and exploring the mine in order to create a visual archive that will be granted to the Bell Island Historical Society so that they can improve education and tourism outreach initiatives.   What projects have you got planned for the coming months? In the coming months, I will be shooting two National geographic projects in Mexico and the Bahamas. The first involves 3D capture of archaeological finds and the second involves documenting caves for a National Geographic TV special about the strange geological finds in underwater caves.

Basking Shark, UK. © Alex Mustard Alex Mustard has been taking underwater photos since he was nine years old and began diving when he was 13. He’s the author of Underwater Photography Masterclass, which distils his know-how on this challenging form of photography. “It’s the diversity of diving I love,” Alex says. “One week I might be aiming my lens at a great white, and the following week I am just as excited to be framing up sea slugs back home. Then it’s on to shooting in caverns, with cathedral-like light beams spilling in through gaps in the ceiling. And next, diving deep inside a wreck, searching for secrets nobody has noticed before. It’s all those things that I love.”Kittiwake Shipwreck, Cayman Islands. © Alex Mustard First things first The most important first step is to make sure you are as comfortable and as competent in the water as possible before you take a camera diving. Cameras take a lot of your attention underwater and you may not pay enough attention to your buddy, to your dive computer and remaining air pressure. If you're an experienced diver you will be used to paying attention to all those things. By being a better diver you get better pictures. Get a feeling for it Buoyancy and manoeuvrability are two of the biggest challenges to diving. Taking a camera down totally changes these two things. It’s good to know beforehand how this is going to feel. I always suggest people take an empty camera housing down as a good way to get used to it. Wrap a diving weight in bubble wrap or in a cloth and stuff it inside the underwater housing so it sinks. Then experiment with it in the shallows or in a pool.Kelp Forest, USA. © Alex Mustard The camera isn’t so important The camera is one of the least important parts of an underwater photography set up. It’s actually the lenses and the underwater flashguns that make far more of a difference to your photos than the camera. An expensive camera that’s not being adapted properly to underwater photography will always take poorer pictures than a very simple camera that has the right accessories. Invest in the accessories rather than the camera. The lenses that counts We use two types of lenses almost all the time. One is a close focusing macro lens for taking close ups from within touching distance and the other is an ultra wide-angle lens that focuses very close. Typically we use fish eye lenses a lot because they give us the widest possible view from as close as possible.Jellyfish Lake, Palau. © Alex Mustard Lights, camera … Almost every underwater photo is taken with a flash. We use flashguns on short, adjustable arms on either side of the camera to light up a subject. Water as you go deeper absorbs all the colour so if you don’t use a flash you’ll end up with blue or green pictures. Flashguns take time and skill to get used to. That’s really where the art of underwater photography lies. Up close and personal Almost every underwater photo is taken from within touching distance of the subject. This means you need to be able to maneuverer around a subject and in a way that doesn’t scare it away. If you’re thrashing about or racing around, you’re only ever going to see the tails of marine life. If you’re calm and at one with the environment you will get all the great encounters and that’s what gives you the good pictures.World War II Motorbike On Wreck, Egypt. © Alex Mustard Plan ahead of the dive If you go and speak to whomever is organising a dive ahead of time, they will tell you what you’ll see and where. There’s a huge amount of local knowledge you can benefit from just by asking people a few questions. Sometimes an advertisement will say it’s a great shark dive, but in reality they don’t come within five meters. But the coral scenery might be nice so you set up for that. One dive, one lens The only way to change your camera lens is to come up to the surface, change it and then go back down and that’s not very convenient. Usually it’s one lens for one dive. One of the big steps you make as an underwater photographer is when you realise the best photos come by realising the strengths and weaknesses of the particular lens your diving with and focusing your attention on the subjects that suit it.Diving Between The Continents, Iceland. © Alex Mustard Don’t be rude Underwater most marine life doesn't fear man. However you need to get within touching distance of it. Most wildlife doesn’t like heavy eye contact so try not to stare. Most wildlife doesn’t like you approaching fast so take your time to approach a subject. Don’t just race in as fast as you can because that’s bound to scare things away. If you see a subject slowly swimming along, swim parallel to it, and slowly close the gap. Dive with a photographer Diving with another photographer is a really good way to dive. You’ve got twice as many eyes. If you’re shooting scenery you can pose for each other. After the dive you have a friend who will be interested to see your pictures and talk about photography. For more incredible images by Alex Mustard, like his Facebook page. Lead image: © Alex Mustard

Nordic Gravel Series team member, rider and coach Joonas Henttala gives his essential tips for a successful gravel race. Joonas Henttala, a coach and a Nordic Gravel Series team member, has more than 10 years of experience in the professional peloton. In 2023, after ending his road cycling career, he turned to coaching and gravel event organizing, took up trail running as his personal challenge while also riding gravel. We got in touch with Joonas to get some tips for a gravel race. Read on and be ready for a big, fun day out! Progressively build your fitness Gravel races are long and require a strong, aerobic base, which is built by spending quality time in zone 2 and later layering higher intensities and race spesific efforts on top. Joonas says that consistency and progressively adding training load are the keys to successful endurance training. “Riding one hour five times weekly is a better start than a five-hour smash-fest once a week. After your body starts to adapt, you can progressively add more training load. It does not make sense to do a huge hero ride way beyond your limits on the weekend and then recover from it the entire following week. The body simply can’t assimilate that and progress will be slow. The aerobic needs required in a long event or race need consistent stimulus over long periods of time.” The slower speeds and smaller groups make the power output on gravel slightly different from the road. “On the road there’s often more coasting and higher power peaks, while gravel riding is more grinding, keeping constant pressure on the pedals,” Joonas explains.  Get comfortable riding in a group. (Image: NGS/Falling Leaves Lahti) Practice your bike handling Solid bike handling skills are essential as gravel riding can get technical, almost like mountain biking. Especially if your background is in road cycling, practicing your bike handling can be very beneficial. “If you come from the road, you may assume there’s grip everywhere. But gravel is different. You must learn to find the grip on a surface that’s moving underneath you. Practice different kinds of turns on different surfaces.” Mountain bikers are comfortable with the varied terrain. For them, Joonas recommends getting comfortable riding in a big group. The first hour of a gravel race can be especially hectic. Still, you should be able to stay relaxed and not get intimidated by leaning on one another or touching handlebars with someone. “Joining a few group rides before taking part in a gravel race is definitely a good idea. After a few of them, you will start to feel more comfortable,” he promises. “Solid bike handling skills and experience from group riding help you save energy, too.” Get to know the course Knowing the course well is definitely beneficial. However, pre-riding the entire course is often not an option as the distances of gravel events are so long. That’s when the Suunto app comes in handy: Import the route GPX file to the Suunto app (or sync it from a compatible partner service, like Strava or Komoot) and study the course. Look at the altitude profile to identify the big climbs – and descents. “Try to save some energy for the big climbs. That’s where the strong riders will make their moves,” Joonas instructs. “That same applies to other parts of the course as well: Try to save energy when riding easy sections, like roads. When the riding gets more technical and the speeds slower, be prepared to hammer.” The map in the Suunto app is a great way to identify those key sections: Look at the roads, tracks and trails. How wide are they? When is it getting technical? If, for example, a road narrows to a single track, you don’t want to be in the back of the group and stuck in a traffic jam. Take your positions early. The fun is about to get real! (Image: NGS/Falling Leaves Lahti) Refuel early In a long endurance event, a steady pace would be optimal – but often far from reality in gravel races. If you want to stay in the front, the first hour is decisive: You must weigh whether you can afford to ride a little too fast in the beginning to stay with the group without bonking. Try to also conserve energy: Draft in the group and remember to start refueling already at the beginning of the long race. If you don’t refuel during the first hour, you will have to pay for the consequences later. “Riding should feel hard, but not so hard that after the first hour, you’ll start to question if you’ll be able to finish the race,” Joonas says. Having the necessary energy in the bottle for the first hour might be a good idea. This way you don’t need to mess with gels and bars in the heat of the early part of the race. Remember what’s important People take part in gravel events with quite different approaches: some are there to win, others to test their own limits. Some simply want to have a good time on the bike and make new friends. “Gravel races are quite different from road races. Even in the lead group people chat and have smiles on their faces. I certainly hope it stays this way,” says Joonas. Whatever your goal, ride hard but be polite and considerate of others.  “If you cross the finish line with emptly legs and a big muddy smile on your face, the day has been successful – whatever your goal!” Coach Henttala himself after Traka 360 in Girona in May 2024.   Learn more about the Nordic Gravel Series

Sure, they had their mountain bikes with them. But with terrain so tough it’s hard to even hike it, what to speak of riding it, the question of what to call this madcap adventure arises. The ragtag group of riding buddies consisting of Kevin Landry, JF Newton, Margus Riga, Kenny Smith, and Peter Wojnar set off on a freeriding adventure deep into British Columbia’s wild and rugged Chilcotin mountain range in search of new freeride lines. The word expedition suits it better than adventure and 'challenge' doesn’t really do it justice. Watch the video below and read the report from the film crew below and maybe you’ll reach a satisfying way to define it. One thing is for sure, hardcore! So Far… We’ve Made It This Far “No sympathy for the devil; keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the ride...and if it occasionally gets a little heavier than what you had in mind, well...maybe chalk it up to forced consciousness expansion: Tune in, freak out, get beaten.”― Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Niut Valley // North Chilcotins // British Columbia, CanadaLat/long = 51.5900° N, 124.6917° WDay #4 of 810:90 Biking to Hiking Ratio [so far…] “There may as well have been fucking cows grazing over there and it was the hardest shit ever,” Kenny says, looking back at the snarled mess of terrain we’d spent the last two days traversing through, over and around. He was bang on, as compared to the convoluted mess of sheer granite, talus fields, and ancient glaciers that lay before us; where we had come from really did look like an idyllic pasture, one that cows could be happily grazing – and it really was the hardest shit ever. We’d ridden our bikes less than 10 % of the time, pushing or carrying them for the other 90… great bike riding trip. This wasn’t our ‘first rodeo’ as they say but looking down into the ‘venus fly trap’ valley this was the first time we’d contemplated changing our route because the terrain was too complex. Maybe we are getting smarter, realistically we’re just getting softer older. The steady decline in barometric pressure coupled with a few ‘storm warnings’ from our Suunto 9 watches helped to justify our decision while preserving a fraction of our collective egos. “Stuck in the bottom of the flytrap on a sunny day would be soul-crushing, add 20 centimeters of snow, and hell we might still be there.” The route, as planned by Captain Kenny from the comfort of his office back in Campbell River BC would wind its way through approximately 200 km, over eight days through the Niut Valley, a remote northern section of the infamous Chilcotins. The Niut, is where the Coast Range meets the Chilcotin Plateau but unlike the ‘Chill’cotins it has no trail network and rarely sees even the most intrepid hikers let alone mountain bikers. I’m not saying we were the first, but I’d bet we’ll be the last [mountain bikers] to that zone. Since 2016/2017 our little ragtag crew has been refining this style, colloquially referred to as ‘freeride bike packing, by our friend Brice Minnigh. A weird chimera of big mountain MTB riding, ski touring, thru-hiking, bike packing, and mountaineering. The route is usually a point-to-point attempting to link up ridable ridgelines and chutes while minimizing any travel at valley bottom where one must contend with soul-crushing bush. This brings us back to the siren song of the Venus flytrap, which became easier to ignore as the rain’s tempo crescendo picked up outside our shelters. Turning around the way we came was not an option, it was hard enough once, and would only be harder dragging our tails between our legs. It was becoming clear our only option was to head over the pass at the head of the valley we were currently camped in and attempt to link back up with our original route. As the crow flies, this was a ‘shortcut’, but not without its own unique challenges. Specifically, a glacier, which fed into an unstable talus field, immediately leading into a few pitches of grade five scrambling. One hand to balance your bike on your pack, one hand on the rock at all times steep. Topping out we were greeted with sideways rain, and a fresh cutting wind no longer sheltered by the lee side. At least this was the easy way I mused. At the most reductionist, trips in the mountains either work out or they don’t, it's binary once you get down to it. While we didn’t know it yet – the four of us were still shivering in Fraser’s tent at ridgetop – this trip was about to work out. Waiting for us just outside the tent was a phenomenal descent into a valley framed wall to wall with chutes just begging to be lapped. I won't bore you with the details, but we set base camp up for two days and methodically ticked off each one right to left. The weather was beautiful, the dirt was tacky, even went for a few swims in the lake by our camp. Of course, the fireside yarns always worked their way back around to the Venus Fly Trap. Granted, at that time we didn’t know the mellow 15 km “trail” back to the trucks was actually a 25 km overgrown mess of pain and frustration. Bush so thick we had to remove our pedals just to punch through. All images © Margus Riga

Suunto ambassador Courtney Dauwalter and her husband slash race support person Kevin Schmidt share their insights on the crucial role. Unconditional love. That’s what we all want on Valentine’s Day and every other day of the year. To be loved thoroughly even if we’re far from perfect. Or a bit of a mess. Or falling apart physically and psychologically during an ultra marathon we’re having serious regrets about entering. Those are the moments you need someone there you can really lean on, even lose it in front of and not worry about them walking away from you forever. Inviting someone to be your support person isn’t great for a first date. You need someone you know you can count on in the trenches. That’s exactly what Kevin Schmidt is for decorated ultra running champion Courtney Dauwalter. He’s her pillar out there. No matter how wild things get, she knows he’s got her back. And that allows her to run hard, to push herself. She’s not out there alone, but held by a loving support system. Courtney and Kevin are currently preparing for the Trans Gran Canaria coming at the end of February. We caught up with the couple and talked to them about the support person role and what it takes. Read on to get the goodness.   Courtney’s insights How does Kevin make racing easier for you? How doesn’t Kevin make racing easier for me?! He is a huge part of the team and I am so thankful that he loves this sport just as much as I do. Before races I can always count on Kevin to help me think through some of the race logistics and we talk through all the aid stations. During the race, he is incredibly organized and efficient, he is calm no matter what is happening, and he knows what to say to give me a boost (usually it’s a bad joke). What do you see as the essential skills a support person needs to have? It’s important that they like it! Knowing that Kevin is having a blast spending his day crewing me at a race makes me smile while I’m out on course. I think it’s also important that a support person is ready to help you get to that finish line no matter what. There is always another solution to try, another way to encourage, another type of food to offer. The finish line is something achieved by the entire team, so it’s important for a support person to be positive and prepared to solve all types of problems on the way towards that finish line. Does having your partner as your support person make it easier? It is probably different for different couples. For Kevin and I, yes it makes it easier. Doing this sport together allows us to share so many moments that we will hold onto forever and will smile about when we’re 90 years old. It also helps because we know each other very well, so in the toughest moments we know how to help each other.     Kevin’s insights What do you enjoy about supporting your partner on these big days? Crewing for a big race or adventure is a cool shared experience between Court and I. She’s out there pushing herself and doing what she loves, and it makes me happy to be able to support her and do my best to help her succeed. I love the preparation before, the problem solving during, and all of the stories we share about our days after. The whole experience is so much fun! What’s the most challenging thing about it? The most challenging is seeing her in her darkest moments, knowing the pain she’s working through. It’s hard seeing your partner suffer, but I know how much she loves these challenges so I’ve learned to embrace it and help out as best I can. What do you see as your role as a support person? If I’m well prepared, Court can be confident that all of the food and gear she needs will be ready at the next aid location and she can just focus on getting there. I think it’s also important to have good energy, be ready with questionable jokes, and to be a teammate in problem-solving with anything that comes up during the race. What are the key jobs a good support person must do well? Both the practical side, food etc, and also the mental side, encouragement etc? Being fully organized before the race is the most important thing for me. During an event it can feel crazy sometimes, and having a clear plan to work from helps reduce mistakes at aid stations. Knowing what might go wrong and preparing a variety of gear, food, or jokes to help your runner is also highly recommended. How do you train or prepare for the big day? What sort of work is involved? I do a lot of research on the course we’re going to, both the running course and the crewing course. It’s helpful to have rough splits for the runner so you know when to expect them at aid stations, but also to know how long it takes to drive there, where to park, if you need to hike in, etc. Running training can also be helpful in case, hypothetically, you blow tires on two different vehicles en route to an aid station and need to run a little yourself. This happened at the Moab 240 in 2017! I ran two miles into the aid station with armfuls of gear after both our crew vehicles got flat tires. Court was almost to the aid station so I took off running while our other crew person fixed the tires. Do you have any little secrets or tips you’d like to share with others in terms of ways to succeed as a support person? Know your runner, and what will help them when they hit a low patch. Do they need tough love or dad jokes? Pancakes or pizza? And always always, have their favorite beverage ready at that finish line.   All images by Jordi Saragossa.

Verna Volker became a runner to lose weight, but instead fell in love with it and found it brought her closer to herself. She grew up in the Dzilnaoodilii area of New Mexico and is from Navajo Nation. A former second grade teacher, she lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her husband and four children. “My journey has taken me from a newbie runner to a marathoner and recently to an ultra-marathoner when I finished my first Ultra 50-mile race,” Verna says. “My desire is to use my running to inspire others.” In this article, Verna explains her experience as a native runner in the United States and what we can all do to make the running scene more welcoming and inclusive for indigneous runners. By Verna Volker Diversity isn’t new to me. When I started my running journey, I became aware of the lack of diversity in the running community. It wasn’t just at the races, it was also evident on magazine covers and in running apparel advertising. I remember scanning through social media, and only seeing one type of runner: thin, blonde, white and fast. I didn’t see myself so I decided to create a space for our native women to be seen running. On January 23, 2018, before there was a drive for diversity in the mainstream running scene, I created Native Women Running, an Instagram account for this purpose for native women runners across the United States and Canada. In the wake of the death of George Floyd, and other widely reported cases of injustice here in the US, running companies, individuals and organizations reached out to me asking for native runners to participate on their panels, teams or anything to show they were taking diversity seriously in their spaces. A majority of these were white-led spaces who wanted to make change and be good allies. Many focused on having diversity, but not necessarily having inclusivity. “Inclusion” is defined as “embracing all people irrespective of race, gender, disability, medical or other need.” It’s about giving equal access and opportunities to people of color while eliminating discrimination and intolerance. Another way I saw this defined is, “diversity is being invited to the ball, inclusion is being asked to dance.” As a native runner, I wanted to put a spotlight on native runners. The running world, like so much of society, has failed to remember this land that so many of us enjoy running on is native land. For the native community it is considered stolen land. Native runners have a different perspective from non-native runners while out running. Yes, we run competitively, however our running focuses on healing, ceremony, and prayer. It’s been four years since I've been involved in the native running community. Time and time again, running organizations, companies, and everyone and everything running related ask me for ideas to help them become better allies to our native community. Though I don’t speak for all natives, here are a few of my best ideas for organizations looking to be more inclusive of native runners. Offer a land acknowledgment This is usually a formal statement that is written or a verbal recognition of the ancestral lands of native peoples. It’s recognizing the past, present and future of our native people. When delivering a land acknowledgment, it’s important to do careful research, educate the audience and think about your end goals of such a statement. Here is a great resource on appropriate ways for going about this: https://nativegov.org/news/a-guide-to-indigenous-land-acknowledgment Going beyond land acknowledgment Though It's important to give a land acknowledgement with true self-reflection and good intentions, it’s equally important to consider the action that underpins the acknowledgement. Often land acknowledgement is performative, vague, trendy or something to check off the to-do-list. To go beyond a land acknowledgement means to support local native running communities in the area of your events. That can range from compensating native runners for any emotional labor, to supporting native youth programs by donating funds or forming partnerships that will benefit native communities. Build real authentic relationships with native runners For example, two years ago, I reached out to Go-Guarded, a self-defense product for active individuals. I wanted to provide their products to the followers of Native Women Running. Shortly after my email, the company responded and provided a discount code for our followers. Since then, they have continued to support Native Women Running and my own personal journey. They have donated to and participated in our events. They didn’t just show up once, but continue to do so to this day. Platform native runners Give native runners opportunities to be on your board, panel, advisory team or serve as ambassadors. More importantly, listen to them, take them seriously and learn from them. Provide scholarships There are many native runners who are capable of competing but just don’t have the means to do so. Sponsoring allows more opportunities and gives more visibility to a group that is often underrepresented. Give exposure Give native running organizations, companies or individuals opportunities to have exposure at running expos. Exposure of their work to the general running community will allow others to support, build partnerships and form relationships. Offer a safe space for native runners A safe space not only provides physical safety but also psychological and emotional safety. White spaces can be due to racial harassment, microaggression and dismissing the experience and concerns of native people. Ask yourself questions such as: will native runners feel that accommodations are as welcoming as they traditionally have been for white runners? Will native runners feel welcome and included in that space? Educating, listening, learning, and getting uncomfortable will give you a greater understanding on how to show up for native runners. There are many ways to incorporate inclusivity into running, but it’s important to have a plan and have the will to act on the plan. This work is hard, but very much appreciated. As a native runner, I have personally experienced being in a white space where I was dismissed, misunderstood, used, gaslit, publicly shamed and unheard. It led to conflict that left me traumatized. Though it has been a season of healing and learning for me, I will continue to move forward with optimism and a hope and for the continued mission of Native Women Running.

After running and racing for almost 20 years, I believe I have made every possible mistake when it comes to training for a half or full marathon. Even though some of these mistakes seem obvious in hindsight, when you are training hard to achieve a big goal, sometimes you lose perspective and make questionable decisions. So, do as I say and not as I have done if you want to experience the best possible result on race day. 1. Avoid overtraining Choose a plan that works for you and stick to it. Social media has a lot of positive and motivating influences, but not when it comes to training for 13.1 or 26.2 miles. Don’t fall into the trap of seeing what another runner is doing for mileage and think you should be doing the same. Have faith in your plan and work it each week, the way it was laid out, so you can avoid injury. Making it to the start line is the first goal. Every runner is different and you will not know how much mileage is manageable for you until you start building toward your race distance goal. Listen to your body and know yourself well enough to realize when you’re doing too much. One runner can achieve a PR (personal record) in the marathon with an 18-mile-long run and 50 to 60-mile weeks while another can handle a 22-mile-long run and 70 to 90-mile weeks. Both options are very effective and work for that specific runner. Do some experimenting to figure out where your high mileage threshold is and then stick to it. Common signs of overtraining include exhaustion, losing control of your emotions, injury, slowed paces, and not being able to elevate your heart rate. If you experience any of these for more than three days, take up to three days off. You will be surprised how good you feel when you return to running well rested. 2. Test your clothing and running shoes If you have never before run the half or full marathon distance, it is important to know when to buy new shoes. Most guidelines report 400 to 500 miles as the threshold for wear and tear but some runners need to update more often. Be sure you have the correct pair of running shoes for your feet and form, preferably by having a gait analysis done, and then replace as necessary leading up to race day. Most specialty running stores offer complimentary running analysis and then can recommend the correct shoes for your body. What you wear above your feet can sometimes make or break your race. Marathoners, and some half marathoners, need to worry about chafing. Select an outfit that you will be able to wear on race day (checking the weather ahead of time) and wear it at least once on a long training run. You want to be sure it’s comfortable and, if there are any chafe points, you can generously apply glide prior to the race start. Once you select an outfit that works for you, make sure you wear it on race day or you may have a very uncomfortable shower afterward. 3. Make Your Easy Days Easy One of the hardest lessons I learned was making my easy days truly easy. Did you know that some elite runners run up to 80 percent of their training runs at an easy pace? It takes a lot of courage to run slow. Be confident enough in your training to run easy and slowly when your training plan calls for it. Your body and mind need the break from going hard and, when you run easy and allow for active recovery, you can run your hard and long runs much more efficiently, while increasing your training base. Gradually, those easy run paces will increase so you can run faster with less effort. 4. Proper pacing We have all been guilty of stepping to the start line and going out too fast, thinking we can somehow hold a pace we never have in our training. Grandiose dreams of unreachable PRs can cultivate in the early miles of a long race and turn into nightmares mid-race or sooner. You train at a certain race pace and tempo pace for a reason. You should know (and your body should know) exactly what pace you want to run on race day. It should be practiced in training and then executed on race day. Pace calculators can help you determine what is a realistic pace and time for you. 5. Nutrition and hydration Test out your hydration and fuel plan early and often in your racing preparation. Choose several long runs on your calendar and hydrate and eat the night before and during the run as you plan to on race day. The last thing you want is stomach issues or dehydration on your big day. If you practice your race day eating and drinking during your training runs, your body and mind will be used to ingesting the specific food, gels and drinks you give it. Once you find food and beverages that work for you, use them throughout your training and do not deviate from the plan on race day. You may be tempted at the expo or at the race itself to try something new, but remember the golden rule – nothing new on race day! A half or full marathon is a major commitment in your time and effort. Make sure you avoid these five mistakes to arrive at the start line ready to achieve your goals. This article by Allie Burdick was originally published on trainingpeaks.com. TrainingPeaks provides you in-depth analysis, planning tools and coaching services to help you reach your goal. Track your workouts with your Suunto watch. Afterwards analyze your heart rate, power, pace and other data with TrainingPeaks on web or in mobile and progress towards your goals. Lead image by @EdreamsMitjaMaratóBarcelona

Melissa Hauschildt started running cross country and track and field when she was 11, earning her a place on the Australian team when she was only 15. At the 2006 Commonwealth games she came second in the 3000 m steeplechase.   Her promising running career took a hit in 2010 when an injury forced her to skip the Commonwealth Games. Denied her sport, she quickly improvised and got herself a bike.   “My original goal was to keep fit because I could not run at that time, but I fell in love with cycling,” Hauschildt says. “I was actually thinking of moving to cycling, but I still liked running as well. In triathlon I could do both!”   Cycling came quite naturally to her.   “I jumped on the bike, joined a cycling club and started riding with all the guys. I was keeping up with them.”   Transitioning to triathlon turned out to be the right decision; that year she came second at the Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championships, in Phuket Thailand, and the following year won every race she entered.   We recently caught up with Hauschildt and asked her a few questions about the transition to triathlon. Mel Hauschildt on her way to winning the Ironman 70.3 European Championship title in Denmark in June 2018.   Is running still your strongest discipline?   “I tend to think I am a stronger cyclist than I am a runner because I base my running on what I did when I was a runner. But in comparison to other triathletes I guess it’s still in running where I make the biggest gains on them.”   Do you have some advice to runners who start cycling?   “It seems that my running transferred across to the bike. I know that is not the case for all people. Some runners can’t ride at all.”   “One thing I did very early in my triathlon career is that I rode a lot and really backed off the running because I had running injuries. Getting all that base on the bike helped my running as well: there’s a lot less injury chance on the bike.”   A big challenge in triathlon is running well off the bike. How have you approached that?   “Practice it in training! The first time I ran after the bike, and only for half an hour, I was like, ‘I cannot do this!’” My legs were heavy and I was fatigued. But the more you do it, you just get used to running with heavy, fatigued legs and it starts to feel normal and you get better at it.   “You don’t need to do a race-like transition. Your legs will still be fatigued for quite a while. I just put my bike away, some running shoes on and go.   “I do three brick sessions a week and run off the bike. That really helps. Sometimes I get out the door and bolt off like it is a race. Other times I’ll just jog out and it’s just time on my legs off the bike.”   Hauschildt’s husband and coach Jared Hauschildt gives his advice: “We practice each different stimulus: a long bike and a short run, but also a long run off a short bike so you get used to running a long time off the bike. The third one is usually a hard bike followed by a hard run.”   Mel says that she has played quite a bit with her position on the bike recently.   Do you have some bike set up tips that makes running easier after the bike?   Jared: “There are so many different schools of thought, but generally if you go too far forward your quads get drilled and if you go too far back your hamstrings cramp on the run,”Jared explains. “Everyone is so different. Some people can adapt to really aerodynamic positions and still be fine, others will feel terrible and even on the bike they can’t push and breathe properly because they are all cramped up.   Melissa: “I think comfort is the most important. Aerodynamics plays a part, but if you are not comfortable you are not gonna ride fast, and if you are too cramped you are not going to run well.”   Do you ride on the road bike too or mostly on your tri bike?   Melissa: “I ride a lot on my road bike, probably four to five times a week. “Only the specific time trial sessions I do on my triathlon bike.   “I did some bike racing before I switched to triathlon. It’s fun, but such a different sport. It’s so tactical. The fastest person doesn’t always win and that’s what turned me away from going to cycling. I want an individual sport where the strongest person wins!”   Comfort is the key in bike set up, says Mel Hauschildt.   Are there some specific workouts you’d suggest for runners?   Jared: “We like to touch all bases with hill reps, fast riding, long riding, tempo riding, and spiking watts during a group ride. None of them are more important than the other because you really need to get endurance and you really need speed and you need the power.   “We do five minute efforts that are way above 70.3 power to get used to going really hard. Then we do 20 or 30 minute efforts at 70.3 pace.”   Melissa: “Then we do long slow rides that are all about getting the miles in the legs.”   What’s the goal with those above race-pace efforts?   Jared: “You can get to exhaustion quicker. If you want to practice the last 30 minutes of a 70.3 bike you can drill the legs with a few five-minute reps and be absolutely spent and think you have nothing left and then do a 20 minute time trial effort at race pace. In Ironman training you can do some big hill reps and destroy your legs and then ride 40 minutes at Ironman pace.”   “The high intensity quickly takes you to the point where you think you can’t ride another 10 minutes, rather having to reach that by riding 180 km every time.”   “The same principle reduces injury risk in running: if you go out and run six 1 km reps really fast and then run at Ironman pace for 20 minutes you will all of a sudden be at that point where you are completely fatigued like at the end of a marathon. But you didn’t have to do 20 km at race pace and risk injury to get there.”     READ ALSO 8 ESSENTIAL RUNNING FORM DRILLS MEET MEL HAUSCHILDT, ONE THE WORLD'S BEST TRIATHLETES

For anyone who spends a serious amount of time either working or playing in the ocean, it’s a near-impossible problem to ignore: plastics are filling our oceans. Even if your particular stretch of sand and water still appears pristine, it likely isn’t – as these materials (slowly) break down, they become microplastics – an ever more difficult problem to understand and deal with. In Long Island, the Bahamas, home to world-champion freediver William Trubridge and world-class freedive location Dean’s Blue Hole, it’s an everyday problem. We talked to the man who lives quite literally in the ocean what he is doing about it. This is an issue you care about. I have to – it’s in my backyard. Worldwide, plastic pollution – we reached the tipping point a long time ago. The Queen of England has banned single-use plastics from the castle! I’m an ambassador for the Ocean Conservation Alliance, run by Doug Woodring, who was one of the original people to discover and explore the Pacific Garbage Patch. His organization has done a lot for our oceans with things like their Plastic Disclosure Project – where they help businesses track their plastic use and offset it, much like companies do with the carbon footprint. What does the ocean plastic problem mean for you? Locally here – especially on my island – Long Island – the swell and tradewinds push garbage all to the north end of the island and it all collects in the bays and coves. And Dean’s Blue Hole is one of them. So we organize cleanups during events and competition, and we keep a bucket and just chuck in a little bit each day. Where is the garbage coming from? There’s a lot of theories about how plastic is getting in the water, and I think a lot of them are misguided. A lot of people blame cruise ships, but that’s not the case – you can see it in the trash itself. More than half of the plastics that wash up in the beaches in the Bahamas are these little plastic bags of drinking water – in poorer countries, they get most of their drinking water from little 250 ml bags. They just tear off a corner and chuck it in the rubbish – but the rubbish ends up in the sea. And we’re downstream from them. A huge amount of the plastic waste is those plastic bags. There’s also Petrol cans, cheap fishing nets. We’ll grab 20 or 30 toothbrushes in a day – the kind sold in Haiti or the Dominican Republic. They don’t have the infrastructure for waste management. Words are in French or Spanish. For us, there’s no question where it’s coming from! And not only does the trash pollute, it doesn’t degrade, it just turns into smaller pieces – microplastics. For every plastic bag we see, there are thousands of millions of smaller particles you can’t see. Those all enter the food chain. So sea life is basically eating plastic all the time. And we’re at the top of that food chain. That can’t be good. Huge quantities of toxins are in the fish that we eat, and it’s killing sea life as well. How can divers help? The most effective way for divers is to help is to reduce their own use – less single-use plastic. Straws. Bring your own bags to the supermarket. Awareness of that is becoming more common – A lot of regions - cities, countries, are banning plastic bags. There is a ground shift movement to less plastic. That’s in the developed world. But we also need to see that in the less developed world, and it’s a lot more difficult there. When you’re visiting those kinds of countries, put pressure on the local businesses, to take a more thoughtful approach to recycling and use. And talk about it. Because most people simply don’t know. If you go into a supermarket in Honduras, talk about it. The more people that bring that message, the better. It will have an effect. Doing cleanups and tackling that end of the problem helps, but not as much going to the source. Changing your own behavior and leading by example. You also have some pretty crazy ideas about how to help. One of the things I wanted to do, and so far it’s been a failure: I’d love to get the Bahamas to convert plastic to diesel. We have to ship in every once of diesel in the islands. There are machines – they’re not cheap – but you chuck in plastic and outcomes diesel. But in the end it’s quite effective if you have a good central hub. That’s a profitable way of cleaning up, but the initial investment is quite high. You’ve also gone out on a limb about the plastic water bags. Yeah – you know, some beaches are just carpeted with these bags. There are machines that obviously create this bag. The business that makes these machines in American, and basically aware of the fact that they’re creating a huge amount of waste that can’t be managed. So I got the CEO on the phone. Initially he was evasive, but he admitted that particular product that they are supplying is doing a huge amount of damage. His argument was that it’s better than bodies on the streets – people dying from clean water. It’s hard to argue this defense – because it’s not completely wrong. So I’ve got in touch with a bunch of companies that work with biodegradable materials. Of course, any material that is biodegradable will biodegrade with water. So what’s left? The only other way is to change the whole system. In the Bahamas we use 5-gallon plastic jugs for drinking. But in a lot of those countries they can’t even afford to buy one or two jugs because they’re living so hand to mouth that they won’t even buy a jug. We need a few million jugs, and we get the government to ban plastic bags. Not as simple as it sounds, but we’ve got to get there somehow. Learn more about the problems facing our ocean at Will’s efforts at the Ocean Recovery Alliance – and please, do what you can to help battle the problem! Main image © Daan Verhoeven / Vertical Blue

Trail runner Dakota Jones shares his perspective on the deep connection between trail running and environmental responsibility. In this piece, he explains how his Footprints Running camp empowers runners to create meaningful climate action in their communities. Article by Dakota Jones One of the best things about running is that you can do it almost anywhere. As long as you have some shoes and a few clothes, you can go for a run wherever you are. (And hey – you don’t even really need that stuff, depending on the context.) Trail running was born out of this desire to embrace the experience of running and its simplicity. But this pursuit is at risk due to climate change, which is impacting not only our ability to run but the general human ability to continue to use natural resources for life, health, and prosperity. It’s a big bad scary thing and I spent too much time worrying about it and not enough time trying to do something. In 2021, I decided to change that. I am Dakota Jones, a professional trail runner from Utah who has been running competitively for 15 years. I’ve also been trying to use my platform to address environmental issues for a long time. In 2016 I took a cargo ship across the Atlantic to race in Europe instead of flying. And In 2018, I rode my bike from where I was living in Silverton, Colorado to the Pikes Peak Marathon. Then I ran the race, and the following week I biked home.  Both of these trips were exciting adventures, and on paper they saved resources. But the problem was that neither of them was repeatable on a large scale People with jobs and families simply can’t take the time and money to travel by cargo ship or bicycle. These actions may not be the overall solution to climate change, but they had been effective actions for me personally, because I had a public platform as a professional runner. The question was: how could I help people create their own similar projects that made the best use of their own skills and circumstances? A space for runners to drive impact Footprints Running camp came out of that thought process, and out of the many conversations I had with smarter friends over the next few years. The basic ideas can be summed up as follows: Running helps people be healthy and it brings them together Running as a sport is a privileged thing to do, which implies you have the time and energy to attend to more than your basic needs Many runners want to address social and environmental issues but don’t know how We put these three ideas together and created a running camp that a) brought people together in person, b) centered the messaging of the camp around community service, and c) provided education and mentorship for environmental action. The key was that we don’t just want to raise awareness about problems, we want to create direct actions. And since we’re not all senators or the leaders of large corporations, we shouldn’t be expected to create global changes. Instead, each participant at Footprints arrives with an idea for how they want to address climate change in their community. During the camp, our mentors help campers bring these projects to life. Transforming ideas into local impact  Abbie Sullivan is from Canandaigua, New York, a small town on a beautiful lake. During the last few years the lake has experienced periodic algae blooms, which is when fertilizer from outlying farms pours into the lake and consumes all the oxygen in the upper waters, making it toxic. Abbie had studied the issue during her engineering degree, but she didn’t know how to bring about action on the issue.  Her mentor was Dr. Ryan McClure, a climate scientist (and ultrarunner) from Colorado. Together they worked to develop a race in Canandaigua that brought the community together around the issue. First they identified an action to take: they partnered with a local nonprofit working on the lake’s water quality. Next, they reached out to local businesses and created a festival to partner the race. The event became an opportunity for people from all over the region to come to Canandaigua for the race and to get to know the community. Local businesses benefitted, and the runners got to race down the town’s main street. In this way, Abbie and Dr. McClure turned an environmental problem into an economic solution: now the town can see the benefit of cleaning up the lake, and they have a clear partner (the race and the local nonprofit) to whom they can turn for help. Abbie’s project is one of more than two dozen that we have helped develop during the past three years of Footprints camps. If you want to read more, check out our website here. This fall, our fourth camp took place in northern Vermont, and we were proud to expand both our scope of education and our network of partners. During the last year we have adjusted our mission to focus on climate justice rather than simply climate change, with the aim of prioritizing the people most affected by climate change to help reduce the impacts they feel and assist them to be more prepared. In addition, we’re thrilled to partner with Suunto! Suunto is a watch manufacturer from Finland that has been operating for more than 80 years. They began by making compasses, and now they make state of the art smart watches that allow athletes and adventurers to travel to the most remote parts of the globe without ever being lost. Suunto supports environmental activism within their own brand and externally, by providing funds and products to organizations like Footprints. We’re thrilled to share this new adventure with them and excited to tell the tale. If you want to get involved with Footprints, take a look at our website and follow along on social media. We’ve found that when people have the support they need, they can do amazing things. As a nonprofit with a large and growing network of mentors and collaborators across many professional fields, we are excited to organize more camps and create more opportunities for people like you. What kind of project would you like to work on at camp? Reach out and tell us now!   Images by Ryan Thrower & Freetrail

Rise&Fall Mountain Attack Rise & Fall Mayrhofen Four people, one team, no mercy - on January 14th, everything will be demanded of the athletes. Each team consists of a ski mountaineer and mountain biker who will give their best in the uphill. A paraglider and skier cover the downhill and do complete the team and risk everything to be the first crossing the finish line. Among the more than 300 participants this year are Johanna Hiemer on touring skis, Aaron Durogatti and Judith Rubner on paragliders and Marius Quast on skis. The special thing about it is that both Johanna Hiemer and Judith Rubner will be competing in a women's team. "I'm looking forward to this unique event - 4 different sports combined in on event is unique. The atmosphere is amazing." - Johanna Hiemer We asked Chris Ebenbichler, the organizer of the event, a few questions in advance: What is important for the teams? The teams must form a homogeneous unit. The handover in the individual disciplines is crucial and, of course, the spirit within the team is always better when the athletes know each other. It's great to see how the team members cheer each other on, motivate and support each other. At the end of the day, they win or lose together and create unforgettable moments and emotions. What is the most challenging discipline? It's difficult to define. It's a high-intensity event and the short duration of the individual disciplines means that the athletes are constantly pushing themselves to the limit and in the red zone. There is no time to catch your breath and you have to stay focussed. It's a sprint for touring and biking, the paragliders are challenged by the running course and the difficult start section and for the skiers, with a 3-minute giant slalom and the obstacles before the finish, the lactate level is almost unbearable What is the discipline in which you can win everything and lose everything? The two RISE disciplines of ski touring and mountain biking certainly offer the most time. Unfortunately, you can lose everything if you fall in the last discipline, skiing. How do the teams prepare for this special event? The teams and athletes prepare very individually. For some amateur athletes, having fun comes first. The professionals, on the other hand, take things very seriously. For the ski tourers, it's a kind of benchmark for the start of their season and the mountain bikers see it as the starting signal for preparation and the first training courses in warmer climes. However, the same applies to everyone: Without adequate preparation, it will be a knife-edge ride. How many teams are competing? Men & women? There will be 80 teams and 10 individual starters on the day of the event. We hope to welcome around 20 women's teams to Mayrhofen this year. ©Michael Werlberger  SATURDAY, 13.01.2024 Europahaus Mayrhofen From 16.00 to 18.30: Bib-Collection & Pastaparty19.00: Welcoming and briefing 20.00: "RED BULL X-Alps 2023": Multimediashow with Christian "CHRIGEL" Maurer in the Europahaus - Ticketinfo SUNDAY, 14.01.2024 Eventarea in front of Ahornbahn 11.00: Entrance - Warm up11.30: START - RISE&FALL KIDS-RACE 2024+ Prize ceremony: KIDS-RACE12.45: START - RISE&FALL SINGLE-RACE 202413.00: START - RISE&FALL TEAM-RACE 2024directly afterwards: Flower CeremonyFrom 16.00: Live music with the band "Jukebox Brothers"16.00: Prize ceremonyApprox. 17.00: RISE&FALL Afterparties in Mayrhofen   Mountain Attack The 26th Mountain Attack will take place on 19th of January 2024 and athletes will give their best over 6 distances. In Saalbach-Hinterglemm, hundreds of athletes will once again give their all this year - the 3-person relay over the marathon distance is new. Suunto athlete Jakob Herrmann is not only last year's winner and therefore Mountain Man 2023 with a time of 2:22:14 but will also be on the starting line again this year. "The challenge is definitely the first mountain! You tend to go too fast or lose a lot of energy because it's so steep. In 2020, I was almost 1,5 minutes behind the leaders on the first climb and I finished 2' ahead with a new course record," says Jakob Herrmann. It remains to be seen whether a course record will be set this year in addition to his preparation for the 24h project, but we will certainly be there. © Philipp Reiter   Roland Kurz and his team have been organizing the Mountain Attack for 26 years now and give us a closer look at the ski touring event of the year: How did the Mountain Attack come about? We started the first race in 1999. It was very well received internationally, the media reported on it and so the idea became a vision - the Mountain Attack. It has since become a touring ski cult event, the biggest and toughest night-time piste ski touring race in the world with participants from over 20 nations and numerous side events, a meeting point for the scene, business and sport. What makes the Mountain Attack so special? The Mountain Attack is a race over several distances (Schattberg Race - vertical, Tour and Marathon - individual) where it is possible for amateur and hobby athletes to compete with the best athletes in the world in a race at the same time, in the same weather conditions and with the same snow conditions. Thousands of spectators on the various peaks and in the valley are up close to the racing action and motivate all participants to achieve their personal best. A unique atmosphere for all enthusiastic ski mountaineers and fans. And: because the course has been the same for 25 years, everyone can compare their own performance with that of previous years. What is the biggest challenge and who is the Mountain Attack for? The route. The start on foot, running through the centre of Saalbach, with thousands of spectators, and especially the first steep climb up the Schattberg with over 1000 metres of altitude difference is a special challenge - affectionately called "Il Muro" (the wall) by the Italians. The steep climbs and the long and steep descents throughout the race are unique and very challenging. Everyone is welcome, even without a national or international athlete's licence, who loves the sport and is an experienced ski tourer. Numerous athletes from summer sports, such as triathletes, trail runners and cyclists, like to use ski mountaineering in winter as optimal training preparation and are represented in large numbers at the start of the Mountain Attack. © Philipp Reiter PROGRAM FOR FANS AND SPECTATORS FRIDAY, 19.01.2024 13:00: Start Junior-Sprint: Schattberg-Basisareal. Final 14:45 Uhr ca. 15:00: Attack-Party: Mountain Attack-ARENA Schattberg with DJ Musik & Expo 16:00: Mountain Attack - START at thee Dorfplatz in Saalbach 16:40: First finisher Schattberg Race 16:50: First estimated arrivals Hinterglemm 17:15: Prize ceremony Junior-Sprint, Stage Attack-Arena 17:35 – 18:25: First finisher in Saalbach – Mountain Attack-ARENA, Schattberg 17:00 – 22:00: Athletes crossing the finish line - Moderation and Party 22:30: Prize ceremony on stage – Mountain Attack-ARENA, Schattberg  

Across the world athletes and adventurers are being confined at home. This does not come naturally to us, but like skilful outdoors people who know how to handle any eventuality in the backcountry, this situation also presents us with an opportunity to adapt, grow, and learn. That’s exactly what members of our Suunto community are doing. We reached out to a bunch of Suunto trail and ultra runners and asked how they are “making the best use of a bad bargain”. And it turns out there are some unexpected upsides Johan in France uses his trainer to stay active. Accept the disruption Everyone we spoke to reported their goals for 2020 have been disrupted. Johan in Nice, France was looking forward to a cycling race and to hiking the famous GR20 trail across the spine of Corsica – the race has been cancelled and the hiking trip delayed. Joaquin in Spain is confined at home and all his plans have gone out the window. “At first it took me a while to accept it, but after two weeks I am now quite well adapted,” Joaquin says. “I am aware that we have to overcome this together, and the best thing at the moment is social distancing and being confined at home so the virus doesn’t spread and affect more people worldwide.” Take it one day at a time The temptation for many of us at the moment is to worry about the future and to compulsively follow the news about each twist and turn in the battle against coronavirus. Giving in to this temptation saps us of energy and creates anxiety. Instead, it’s more helpful to relax and be in the moment. Majo is living in Manila and is quarantined at home, and only permitted outside to pick up groceries and medical supplies. “Things may change in 24 hours so I’m just taking it one day at a time,” she says. “I’m trying to make myself productive and sane until we can come back to our ‘normal’ life. We can use this time to reflect on what’s important in life and how we will spend it well after all of these unexpected events.” To pass the time, Joaquin follows a daily routine, including cooking and exercising. “We’re also playing a lot of old boardgames that I had forgotten about,” he says. “It is really is incredible to rediscover these and play them with my wife so the hours pass faster and our confinement is more enjoyable.” Joaquin is using his balcony to good end! Stay active It’s important to acknowledge training indoors just isn’t the same as running in a forest or hills. Acknowledge, accept and then move on. All of our community is keeping active in one way or another. Fortunately for Tobias, he can still head out for runs in a nearby forest. Majo, on the other hand, is making the most of being confined indoors. “I’m doing strength and conditioning exercises such as high intensity bodyweight training or interval training with dumbbells, yoga and stair workouts for cardio,” she says. “I don't have much workout equipment so I’m making the most of what I have.” Maja in Sweden is living in the countryside, which sounds idyllic, but actually involves a lot of work. "Our sheep will be having lambs any day,” she says. “We have 33 chickens waiting to crack out of their eggshells (9 days left now!), we need to take home and chop/stalk firewood for next winter, plant all the veggies we’re gonna grow this summer, do some renovations on and in the house. Plus, we have a one year old that doesn’t always want to do the things above!" Learn new skills Based in the German Alps, Tobias is using the downtime to create his own topographical maps for future climbing trips. Majo is doing an online course to prepare in case her country requires more health workers to respond to the pandemic. She’s also taking online cooking lessons. Johan has taken up meditation. “I decided to use this time to start things I’ve wanted to do or learn for years, but never had enough time for,” he says. “There are tons of websites which give free online stuff to learn new skills.” Ryan has taken advantage of online communiation technology to build community. “One new item that I implemented three weeks ago is a virtual group run/walk for my colleagues,” he says. “Every Thursday at 5:00 PM, I host a virtual group run where colleagues run/walk with me as I lead everyone through a workout. It is a fun way to get outside by yourself and meet new people!” Fortunate to live in the German Alps, Tobias is still allowed outside to exercise. Get inspired Joaquin in Spain says for him it’s important to set and achieve a daily goal everyday. Ryan in California takes it a step further and says now is a time to set longer term goals, too. “This is a great time to set fitness goals!” he says. “Let’s use this time to consider what we want to accomplish in 2020 and 2021? Make clear, actionable, and attainable goals this year, and find a way to make yourself accountable. Share your goals with friends, workout buddies, or prospective coaches in order to help you stay accountable. Just because you can’t be in-person with someone right now does not mean you should lose your fitness accountability!” To stay inspired, Joaquin also looks out for community initiatives to help out. “A good source of inspiration and motivation for the community are the multiple solidarity initiatives that exist, for example in Spain last Saturday there was an initiative to raise funds for COVID-19 research where more than 7,300 athletes ran in their homes and raised almost € 83,000,” he says. Maja is staying inspired by following other ahletes online. "A lot of athletes are doing live sessions and Q&As in social media channels so take the time to ask them questions, train with them and make plans for future adventures, " she says. Look on the bright side Every cloud has a silver lining, they say, and even though this pandemic is causing so much suffering it’s causing a few positive things, too. Humans evolved what scientists call “negativity bias”; the tendency to be more attuned to spotting problems and threats than seeing the positive. This helped our species survive when we were regularly under threat. Now, however, we can turn this around and learn to focus more on the positive. “Even though my heart is really breaking seeing people and health workers get sick, die and starve because of this pandemic, a positive side of the quarantine for most parts of the world is less pollution and more healing time for the Earth,” Majo says. “Some families are spending more time together which is also priceless. We also get to realize we can live with less than the usual. Nevertheless, I am really hoping and praying desperately that this will end soon so we can get back to normal, whether that will be a new normal or not.” Lead image: © AlpineFex Read more articles 4 indoor workout tips for endurance athletes How to adapt your training when the unexpected strikes 7 indoor training exercises to stay in shape 12 must-read running articles to booste performance

It’s almost become a cliché: our biggest obstacle is usually ourselves. It’s not “out there”, but usually “in here”. Recognizing this marks an important transition in life. It’s often when we really start to fly as individuals. In endurance sports our inner obstacles get magnified and compressed into a short period of time. Especially at the elite level, our head space has a massive impact on our game. Suunto ambassador Anton Krupicka has had a long career as an elite endurance athlete. Through the years he’s had ample opportunity to explore what it takes to build mental toughness. It’s a slippery thing, he says. Something we must take hold of again and again. Read on for Anton’s eloquent take on the secrets of mental toughness.   Waiting for the start at Unbound XL 2022. Photo by Sami Sauri   By Anton Krupicka   Unbound XL 2021 In 2021, when I first rode the Unbound XL–an approximately 350-mile (563 km) gravel race in the Flint Hills of Kansas–I came away from the weekend a bit, I don’t know, unimpressed, I guess. Underwhelmed, nonplussed. I hadn’t found the experience of riding my bike over the course of 28hr as emotionally affecting or significant as I had expected or hoped. Pedaling back into Emporia at the finish contained none of the end-of-race euphoria, relief, or satisfaction that I’ve come to associate with such ultra-endurance pursuits. After letting the effort marinate for a few days, however, I realized the flatness of my experience was on me. For the first 250 miles (402 km) or so I had done a relatively good job of staying focused and engaged, riding to the best of my abilities. In the last 100 miles (161 km), though, I had let heat and drowsiness (the race starts at 3pm; riding through the night is mandatory) dominate my mindset; I basically soft pedaled the last 100 miles. At the finish, I already knew I had let myself down, and as a result, the whole event left me feeling unfulfilled. This didn’t sit well, and after some reflection, I was determined to return in 2022 with a more resolute attitude and give the event the opportunity to have an impact on me. There’s a certain kernel of truth to the cliche “nothing risked, nothing gained”. I hadn’t taken any chances, and I was, appropriately, not rewarded.   When the tough get going ... Photo by Sami Sauri   Motivation & Racing Recently, I was asked by a friend, after such a long career in endurance racing—primarily as a mountain ultrarunner—why do I still line up for races like the Unbound XL? It’s a good question, and I’ve asked myself that often. Over the last 15 years, my motivations for racing have shifted significantly. Ten years ago, I think I was still firmly operating from a place of seeking external validation. I was racing for my ego, to beat people, to garner respect from the community and my peers as a top athlete. After years of injury, and a certain amount of maturation, however, my perspective has changed. I’ve realized that races are rare opportunities for us to try our best. To try to be at our best. Now, my motivation is not external—I would say my physical prime has passed, and, in general, I’m simply more comfortable with who I am and my place in the world.Today, my motivation to race is more internal. I want to embrace the opportunity of working with other competitors to confront a significant challenge and be pushed and pulled to give it my best effort. To be proud of the way in which I conduct myself in the face of absurd difficulties. To fully experience life at an elevated level. The intensity of racing ratchets up the richness of life. So many emotions are crammed into a race—by time you get to the end, you feel as if you’ve lived a year’s worth of experiences, not just a day. Those are experiences that I never want to take for granted or stop seeking. But, the nature of these events is such, that, to get there, you must, by definition, endure. This requires mental toughness. Last year’s Unbound XL taught me that a race is only as momentous an experience as the amount of effort that you put into it. Trying my best—regardless of finishing rank—is the essential ingredient to having an experience that will push me to grow, leave me satisfied and form a lasting memory.   Things don't always go to plan. Photo by Sami Sauri Sagebrush & Summits: A Tour of Enduring About a month after the Unbound XL last year, I embarked on a three-week, 2300-mile (3700 km) bike tour that involved running and climbing six of the highest, most remote peaks in the Rocky Mountains. It was arduous. Every single day I was forced to confront some kind of weakness about myself, some inadequacy to deal with the challenge. For the first week or so, it was really tough. By the end, however, I felt that I could detect a subtle, but important, shift in my mindset. When things got hard, it did not feel as mentally difficult to bear as it had at the beginning of the trip. I had realized an important lesson–when things got tough, they were only unbearable if I let my mind turn negative and project to somewhere in the future. If only this hill/headwind/washboard/rain/heat/dust (etc. etc. etc.) would end! If only I were already at the top of the climb, or the next gas station, or the next town! I realized that living with that future-focused mindset is untenable. If I let my mind fall into such a pattern, the task at hand would always feel interminable. The alternative, of course, is to strive for contentment in the moment. Once I could accept my inadequacies in the moment and make peace with the fact that all I could do was try my best, the angst would fall away. The present moment would become bearable, even enjoyable. That lesson was the great gift of that long tour.   One thing at a time. Stay in the moment. Photo by Sami Sauri Unbound XL 2022 In preparing for the Unbound XL this spring, I set out on a planned three-day tour of 150 miles a day in late March. My first night out went horribly. It was colder than I’d anticipated; my sleeping bag was too light. Out of desperation, I ended up sleeping in a Port-a-Pottie, desperate for any extra warmth. The next morning I woke up feeling depraved and haggard after hardly having slept at all. In defeat, I tucked my tail, and, after several cups of coffee, pedaled my bike the shortest distance possible back to my home (it was still over 100mi, but not at all what I had intended). I had taken the lesson of the 2021 Sagebrush & Summits tour for granted. I thought I was permanently more mentally tough. This overnighter taught me that cultivating mental toughness—which really means mental equanimity in the face of hardship–was necessarily an on-going process. One never arrives at a state of mental toughness; it is a trait that must be constantly born anew. I am satisfied to say that my experience at the Unbound XL a couple weeks ago was much different than last year. There were plenty of challenges. After only 70 miles I crashed hard, gashing my left knee, hip, elbow and hand. Despite all the raw wounds and torn up hand I was able to figure out a way to keep holding onto the handlebars for the next 280 miles. I fixed flats and didn’t give up when I no longer had anyone to ride with through the night. When the skies opened up with torrential rain in the last 50 miles, I just tried to smile and think about what a good story all the mud and water would make when we got to the finish line. I’m already looking forward to next year, but I know that having a satisfying race again won’t just happen. I’ll have to stay engaged and keep tending a mindset of contentment and equanimity. The trap of pining away for something different in the future is ever-present, but I’m now confident that with vigilance I can avoid it and have the adventure I’m looking for.   Lead image by: © Fred Marmsater

With many ski resorts closed this winter due to the pandemic, the backcountry is our one and only saviour. It means hard work, more exploration, memorable adventures, and an opportunity to burn off all those Christmas calories. Crucially, it also means more risk. We caught up with mountain guide, alpinist, photographer and passionate outdoor educator Mark Smiley about where our heads should be at this ski season. The upshot is if we’re going to be spending a lot more time in the backcountry, then we need to be refreshing our skills now so come pow time we can bring our A game, and not wing it. To help Suunto users skill up for winter, Mark’s offering a $50USD discount on his new Comprehensive Guide to Avalanche Safety course. The offer expires at midnight on December 20. Read on for Mark’s 14 tips to ensure you have an awesome and safe backcountry ski season.     Get your gear now It’s been a difficult year. Aside from the human and social cost, Mark points out the pandemic has also disrupted supply chains and product distribution. This could mean there’s isn’t the normal level of gear in stock, so it might run out quickly as snow starts to fall. “Make sure you have the gear, or go out and buy it now before people make a big run on it,” Marks says. Know how to use that gear Next up, make sure you know how to use that gear. “I mean really know,” Mark says. “Consider doing a refresher course to ensure you’re skilled up for the winter.” Be a student of the sport by signing up for one of Mark’s online courses designed to make you a safer, faster, smarter skier. Remember avalanches play for keeps Heading out into the backcountry is a serious business. “It can be life and death out there,” Mark says. “Don’t approach it in a cavalier way.” Take it seriously and ensure your head is screwed on. Your loved one’s will thank you for it.   Improve your avalanche skills at a beacon park Mark strongly advises you and your ski partner to go to a beacon park to improve your search and rescue skills. That way when it’s time to head out into the hills, you’ll truly know what to do in an avalanche emergency and feel more confident. If you don’t have a beacon park nearby, get out in the snow with your friends and play around with your transponder kit.   Realign your expectations With resorts closed, you’re not going to be gliding down manicured slopes all day. Backcountry skiing is hard work, maybe 75% perspiration, 25% inspiration. “At the resort you're going to ski down hill like a 1000 times,” Mark says. “Much more than you will backcountry skiing, which is great for keeping the winter weight off!” Keep that in mind and plan your adventures accordingly.   Pick objectives that match your skill level Know your skill and experience level, and carefully, maturely, sanely choose tours that match it. Don’t put you or your partner in situations you’re not trained for. If you choose well, you’ll have an awesome time, and will come home with cool video to share. “And if you’re just starting out, you need to pick non avalanche terrain,” Mark cautions. “There are off piste spots in the backcountry where there will never be an avalanche and you can safely ski in that terrain. Look for gladed slopes with a 25° gradient or less. It can still be a lot of fun to ski those!”     Do your homework If an area takes your interest, study it thoroughly before heading there to shred. Study the topographical map, read trip and weather reports, contact the local avalanche center and get the what’s what. Find out where the sweet spots are, as well as where the best avoids, and the stay clears are. “There’s no silver bullet instruction that will allow you to go out and have no risk,” Marks says. “You need to do your homework and never stop learning and educating yourself and keeping in mind that risk is inherent to the activity.”   Find the right partner Backcountry skiing means heading out with one ski partner at the very least. Choosing the right ski partner for you is important. You want someone who has a similar level of experience, skill and fitness. “It’s not important how fast or slow you are, but more about matching your abilities with your partners abilities that makes for great partnerships,” Marks says. “Then you can have cool experiences and learn together.” Look for new lines up With potentially a lot more people out in the backcountry this ski season, it means the usual skin tracks up will probably become much more well trodden. “Most slopes will have a standard skin track that has been used in the past most of the time,” Mark says. “If there’s increased traffic, then that skin track might be exposing you to avalanche hazard from above. Be ready and able to take a different track up to avoid that.” Read our article 7 tips to find a safe track up the mountain.     Watch out for fatigue Remember the backcountry demands much more of you than skiing at a resort. So factor your fitness and endurance level into how you plan your trips. “Fatigue is a huge factor because it can blur good decision making,” Mark says. “It can turn it from choosing what’s the best in terms of risk assessment into what’s the easiest. You need to make sure you have the fitness reserves to be willing to put the skins back and correct a potential error. You don’t want to be out with someone who’s much faster than you, forcing you to be in intensity zone four most of the day.” Read about intensity zones here.   Slide your skis “The movement of ski touring isn’t an inherent skill,” Marks says. “It’s like learning how to surf or swing a golf club – it takes time. There’s a right and wrong way to do it. And if you do it right, it’s way more enjoyable.” For example, the action of trudging up the mountain can result in epic blisters if done poorly. When you skin your way up, Mark advises to try to slide your skis along the surface of the snow, rather than lifting them off. Sliding them is more efficient, reducing fatigue. Grams matter “Lighter packs equal enjoyable tours,” Mark says. “Carry only what you need and leave the rest at home.” And even if your jacket is made of alien technology, when you’re out ski touring it won’t breathe fast enough. “You’re going to get really hot, so take that jacket off, and make it more enjoyable for yourself,” he says. “You don’t want to make yourself all sweaty.” Pack it, and only use it to maintain your body warmth when you take breaks.   Share your observations Be a backcountry angel, and share any avalanche observations with the local avalanche center. This helps to give the forecast as much relevant data as possible, which contributes to keeping people safe. “A recent avalanche is the biggest, most important piece of data for forecasting,” Mark says. “You don’t need to know all the technical jargon; If you see an avalanche, try to take a 10 second video of it, note the location, and submit that observation to your local avalanche center when you get home.”   Debrief your trips There’s always something to learn, always a way to get better. Mark points out two important principles to keep in mind: just because you got home safely doesn’t mean you did things right, and “past performance is no guarantee of future results”. Debriefing after trips is a way to keep yourself honest about the risk you are exposing yourself to, and the quality of your decision making. “Get into the habit of asking yourselves, ‘did we make good decisions today’?” Mark suggests. “Or did you just get lucky? And if you just got lucky, a subsequent question to ask is, ‘when were we most exposed?’. And ask yourself, if you had Groundhog Day how would you lessen that exposure next time?”    All images: © Mark Smiley   Read more articles 8 avalanche safety checks to tick off before the ski season Know the ropes – staying safe with crevasse rescue online 7 tips to find a safe track up the mountain  

The first two articles (here and here) in this series on way-finding were about skills and preparation. In this one, our resident navigation guru Terho Lahtinen take the training wheels off. Now he distills the essentials to stay on track when you’re on an adventure out in the backcountry. Terho has been map reading and navigating since he was six years old, when his father taught him. His love of the outdoors grew in the Boy Scouts, and eventually he competed in orienteering at the national level for Finland for more than 20 years, and was lead navigator for adventure racing team Salomon X-Act which competed around the globe for eight years. “Mountain sports took on a bigger role in my life while adventure racing,” Terho says. “I was the lead navigator in our team. Nowadays, I’m hiking, biking and ski-touring in the mountains as often as I can get away with.”   Clearly explain the route ahead to your group. This ensures everyone learns. © Arc'teryx / Piotr Drozdz Do a gear check You’ve just parked at the roadend, get out of your car, and gaze up at the mountains around you. You and your group will be alone there. It’s time to get locked in. First things first: check you have all the essential gear packed. The right maps, head torches, first aid kit, your trusty Suunto 9 or other GPS, maybe your avalanche safety gear, and that all electronic devices are fully charged. Brief the group Before charging up the trail, get your group together and hold a short briefing. This ensures everyone is on the same page and means less questions or confusion later. Talk about your intention for the trip, for example to stay safe, have fun, and be patient with one another. Then do an overview of the days ahead; where you are going, distances each day, points of interests, and where you’ll be sleeping. Lastly, preview the day ahead, the first leg of the day and what you will be encountering, and when you’ll be having lunch.   Remember to factor in breaks and toilet stops. Photo by Ted Bryan Yu on Unsplash Keep a schedule Knowing what you should encounter on each leg of your trip is the key to staying on track. Terho advises scheduling check points (to reach specific locations at particular times), consider safety margins, and when to turn back or change plans, perhaps due to tiredness, darkness, or inclement weather. Review the second article in this series to consider pace and average travelling time. Pause for a few minutes between legs, look at your map, and identify what’s coming up. “It’s good to have an overall idea of the day, and a more detailed understanding of the next logical leg of the route (usually a few kilometers or the next hour or so),” Terho explains. “Always identify the next clear navigation point you are aiming at to make sure you are staying on the planned route.” Use handrails Handrails are distinctive, guiding terrain features that can guide you to your destination. For example, you might go off trail in a certain direction until you reach a creek you’ve identified on the map. Then, you might use the creek as a handrail to find a bridge. “Suitable handrails are hills, ridges, contours, ditches, lake sides, rivers, or any other long terrain feature that take you towards the desired location,” Terho says. “Be sure you follow the hand rail in the right direction!” Aim with landmarks In addition to hand rails, you can also use distinctive landmarks near your next destination as navigation aids. “Instead of trying to directly find your destination, identify a clear terrain feature on the map that’s near your destination and find that first,” Terho says. “Then you’re sure to get close to where you want and then use more detailed navigation for the last part of the leg.”   The direct route isn't always the fastest route. Study the terrain. © Arc'teryx / Piotr Drozdz Test your memory Building on the previous two tips, Tehro suggests you test your memory to see what you recognise. First, review the plan for the next leg of your journey. Look at your map and identify the handrails and distinctive features or landmarks you should see on the way to your next destination. After getting a handle on that, put away your map and follow your plan to the next destination. How many times do you need to look at the map? “Mentally visualizing the upcoming route in advance and memorizing the essential features, trail forks, points of interest, is a useful technique,” Terho explains. “It helps you to recognize those locations on the go and gives you freedom to put your map or navigation device away and enjoy the surroundings and the activity itself.” Be willing to hit pause If you start to get the feeling you have gone astray, don’t keep going. Pause and gather yourself. One of the things that gets people in trouble in the backcountry is when they go off course there they double down and keep moving forward rather stopping, taking stock, and turning back if need be. “If you are uncertain, stop and check the location with your map,” Terho says. “If you don’t know where you are, don’t continue until you find it out.” Technology rocks While for way-finding purists, navigation should only involve a map and a compass, let us speak honestly here; technology is awesome and makes things easier for many of us. “If you upload your planned route to the GPS in advance, you can immediately see from the screen if you are off course and where the right course is in relation to your current location,” Terho says. “Most GPS also have an off-course alarm, notifying you if you left the intended path.” A Suunto 9, or other GPS device, includes an altimeter, which is a useful navigational support. It tells you your current elevation to help you identify where you are on the map. You can then stay at the correct elevation for your course. For example, as you cross a mountain saddle. Getting back on track In the event you do go off course, remember that not knowing exactly where you are is not the same as being lost. It’s important to stay calm if you realize you don’t know your location. Take a break, sit down, and think things through. “Start off by spotting landmarks around you to match them with the map,” Terho advises. “Think about where the last point was on the map where you knew where you were, and how long ago, in terms of time, that was. Work out how far you have traveled since then, what you’ve seen around you, and where you might have ended up. When you identify your location, plan the best option to get back on track.” You have three options: You can follow your track back to the point where you made a wrong turn. Alternatively, you can follow a new route to get back to your planned course. And lastly, you can follow a new route directly to the next destination. “The tactic you choose depends on the terrain, the skills and experience of your group, and the time of day,” Terho says. “If you are losing light, or in rugged terrain, always take the safest option.”   Stay tuned for the final article in our series on way-finding: Tips and tricks for handling challenging situations in the mountains.    Lead images: Photo by Krisjanis Mezulis on Unsplash Photo by Fabrizio Conti on Unsplash Read more articles: How to find your way in the mountains7 tips to plan a route in the mountains8 avalanche safety checks to tick off before the ski season7 tips to find a safe route up the mountain  

It was late February in Innsbruck. Henna sat at her desk, browsing the map to see what destinations were close by, destinations with great skiing opportunities that could be easily reached by bike. The winter in the Austrian Alps had been the worst in living memory. The usual endless fresh snow had been replaced by grass and mud. Normally, at this time of the year, we were too busy to enjoy the powder days in the snowy resorts to even think about wasting this precious time riding bikes that could do plenty over the summer months. This year was different; it was time to slow things down and finally see if combining two sports, bikepacking and snowboarding, could actually be truly enjoyable. Malva, Sami and Henna. "We're actually doing it!" Malva exclaimed as we hopped on our bikes in Innsbruck. "My bike shakes like crazy, is this normal?" Henna asked, seemingly nervous after the first 500 meters. Sami reassured her that she'll get used to it by the time we reached the Dolomites. Dolomites, a destination with iconic sharp-toothed, sheer-sided mountains that stand enormously tall as the background whether it’s summer or winter. And most importantly, only a couple of hundred kilometers away, making it reachable by bike. The only question was whether our plan of a 5-day cycling and 4-day skiing journey from Innsbruck to Lago di Garda actually was realistic without being only a sufferfest? Snowflakes and sharks “It’s definitely a first, biking up to go ski touring,” Henna gasped as we made our way up to our first skiing spot. This winter, the snow line had been even higher than normal, at around 1000 to 1500 meters. Normally, we would drive up to the snow line and start touring, but not this time. Now, it meant first climbing 600 meters from the village with bikes before changing into skis and tackling the rest of the 750 meters with skis and splitboards. Our bikes were loaded with skis/splitboards, ski/snowboard boots, backpacks, poles, skins, ski clothes, crampons, and sleeping bags, all secured with many, many straps. “At least the body is already warmed up by the time we start touring,” Malva smirked. As we arrived at our accommodation the previous night, the snow had started to fall, giving hope for some fresh lines the next day. The trees and roofs were covered by a thin layer of snow, making the whole town glisten in the morning sun as we hopped on our bikes the next morning, excited for the first ski day. “Watch out for sharks,” Henna shouted as all three of us cruised down a fresh line from Vennspitze. That was the reality; there was still not enough snow to cover all the rocks, but it didn’t stop us from enjoying the first turns of the trip. “Shitty snow but so much fun to be riding!” Malva summed it up as we were riding the last meters down. With smiles or without smiles, the reality was that we still needed to bike another 31 kilometers to our next accommodation. Exhausted, we crossed the border to Italy in the dark, dressed up in all the layers we had, and descended down towards Vipiteno. “I don’t think we can keep on doing this for 7 more days in a row,” Sami said, and we all nodded in silence. Lesson learned - while enjoying a hearty dinner, we decided to split the rest of the days between the two disciplines to make it a smoother and, most importantly, more enjoyable experience. Ice and Dolomiti peaks "No way, is that a ski slope?" Sami shouted after we had just managed to get through a closed trail with hundreds of fallen trees. Route planning on a winter bikepacking trip was a lot different from a normal bikepacking trip. The nice small gravel roads that were usually preferred might be covered by snow or turned into a nordic ski track that had melted into a shiny ice field. Both of these we had to learn the hard way on our trip. “No braking,” Henna screamed as she balanced on the ice field that previously served as a nordic ski track. We survived but decided to reroute the rest of our route to the bigger roads to avoid more such surprises. We pushed our bikes across the ski slope while gazing at the first Dolomiti peak on the horizon. The 90-kilometer journey to Camping Sass Dlacia was a full day mission, but the sheer-sided mountain peaks colored in shades of pink and purple created a warm and unforgettable welcome into the Dolomites. The drumming of the raindrops the next morning not so much. The campsite was located at 1500 meters, but still, it was not enough to turn the rain into snow. “That is usually rideable,” Henna said, pointing out to a peak on our left side as we toured towards Lavarella hut. The lack of snow made it necessary for us to adjust the next day’s plan. There was simply not enough snow to ski the run we had planned to. “The rest of the face is pure ice from here to the top,” Malva said. The snow that had started falling after our arrival at the hut had come with too much wind to stick on the icy slopes. Creativity had been the key this winter, finding a way to make the most out of the current conditions no matter how bad they were. After looking around, we found an interesting-looking small couloir and a snowy-looking bowl that we decided to ski. “Go girls,” Sami wrote on the snow as Malva and Henna hiked up to the couloir. The wind was chilly, but the sun was shining as we rode down. "Not perfect but way better than I expected," Henna said, content for the day. The setting sun colored the sharp-toothed mountains in warm tones, giving the final confirmation for a great day in the mountains. Cheating to maximize the down time “I’m not feeling that good,” Malva said as the highest massif of Dolomites, standing over 3000 meters above sea level, looked down at us. The climb was famous among road cyclists, now tackled by three girls with 40-kilogram bikes loaded with ski gear. “2 kilometers in an hour,” Sami laughed out loud as she looked down at her watch and saw the pace we were moving. “But look at that,” Henna pointed out in awe towards Marmolada as she saw the majestic peaks glowing in the evening light, covered in fresh snow. At that moment, everything made sense, even doing a 9-day ski trip by bike. After seeing the fresh snow on the Dolomiti queen and knowing it was all accessible from the resort’s cable car, we decided to reward ourselves and maximize the time spent skiing down instead of spending it touring up. It was our last day of skiing on this trip after all. “This is why we do it,” Henna screamed out of joy. We found fresh lines between the cliffs, fun turns beside the already tracked ones, good snow and bad snow as we enjoyed the beaming sun and took in the magnificent views overlooking the Dolomites. Smiles bigger than any of the day, we packed the skis on the bike and started a short descent to the next accommodation, only to notice we had booked the wrong one from a village on the other side of Marmolada. Even that, could not ruin our mood that day, we kept riding to the next village and booked a new one from there. The last majestic peaks of Dolomites on our sides and the warmth of the sun growing more intense as we headed towards our last destination, Lago di Garda. Soon the only evidence of the snow and winter was the melting nordic ski tracks. As we passed by the Italian Vineyards, we felt light and relaxed, shed some layers, and chatted with the local cyclists as they passed by us. We knew that we were getting closer to our end destination. Whether it was the tailwind or knowing we could soon pop the champagne bottle gifted to us by our last accommodation, the last kilometers to Riva del Garda flowed in ease. “We actually did it,” Sami shouted as she popped the champagne bottles and sprayed it on Henna and Malva. “And it wasn’t a pure sufferfest,” Henna said, the taste of champagne in her mouth. A 9-day journey combining two of our favorite sports turned out to be a beautiful mix of sweat, laughs, ice, snow, and friendship. Ski to Ride: Watch the entire film here Skiing and bikepacking isn’t something that usually goes hand-in-hand. Henna Palosaari, Malva Björkman and Sami Sauri thought differently. Ride to Ski film takes you through the iconic Dolomites on a 426 kilometer journey full of sweat, laughter, skiing, snowboarding, ice and snow, done solely by bike. Riders - Henna Palosaari, Malva Björkman & Sami Sauri Cinematography & Editing - Mikko-Pekka Karlin Production - Henna Palosaari Photography - Richard Bucher Graphic Design - Henna Palosaari More to watch: Bikepacking the Arctic Post Road

Bicycle sports, including bikepacking, have boomed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. With travel abroad mostly out of the question we’ve taken to exploring our own backyards. The urge to discover new territory cannot be quenched!  Bikepacking is the equivalent of backpacking only done on two wheels rather than two feet. It allows you to cover far greater distances in less time than ever possible with hiking. What’s not to like? Yes, flat tires suck. But master tire repair and the world is yours! Maybe you’re considering buying a new bike so you can go on awesome multi-day bikepacking adventures. If yes, this article is for you. We talked to Suunto ambassadors Sami Sauri and Anton Krupicka – both seasoned bikepacking aficionados – and found out the essential things you need to know. “I prefer to think of it as ‘bike camping’,” ultra runner, bikepacker and climber Anton Krupicka says. “You carry everything you need on your bike for one night or several nights of sleeping outside and riding your bike during the day. I love it for the same reasons I like doing anything outside – moving my body, and experiencing my natural surroundings.”   Sami's ongoing Into the Atlantic Islands project mixes bikepacking and surfing. © Sergio Villalba   Bikepacking vs. bicycle touring Before we jump in, let’s look at the difference between bikepacking and biketouring. Bikepacking really became a thing just over a decade ago. It’s the young buck in the world of bicycle sports. Both involve travelling with bags on a bike. So what’s the difference? In a nutshell, touring bikes are heavier, more robust, and designed for carrying heavier loads and for travelling further and primarily on paved surfaces (but not always). Think of it more as tourism by bike. Bikepacking, on the other hand, synthesizes mountain biking and minimalist camping; it's the bike form of distance hiking or trekking. Bikepacking bikes are generally lighter, and designed for off-road excursions. The bags are usually smaller and more aerodynamic. It's more about outdoor advneture than tourism. “The road is a comfortable place,” Spanish bikepacker and surfer Sami Sauri says. “It gets you to your destination faster and is easier, but the off paved or gravel roads are what I’m always searching for and trying to ride.” Consider which – bike touring or bikepacking – is what you really want to do. Do you want to go travelling by bike, or do you want to get out in the hills and ride?   Anton is always devising epic bikepacking adventures. © Fred Marmsater    Test the water first Before you pillage your savings, and impulsively click buy on a fancy five grand bike, take a breath, step back, and look at what you really need. “The best bike is the one you already have,” Anton says. If you already have a mountain or trekking bike, Anton advises testing the water with that before making a big financial commitment. Rather than buying pricey bike bags, do a few overnight trips with your gear in your backpack, and see if it really is your cup of tea. “For your first trip, it’s possible to strap simple stuff sacks to your handlebars and saddle and then perhaps carry the rest of what you need in a backpack,” Anton says.   Don’t break the bank, but choose quality “I don’t think bikepacking HAS to cost a lot of money, but it does require a bike and some basic camping gear, such as a sleeping bag and mattress. In order to save money, the main thing you can compromise on is bikepacking bags,” Anton says. Sami acknowledges a complete bikepacking setup isn’t cheap. Which is why she recommends investing in good quality gear. “If you buy good equipment you can have that for life,” she says. “The equipment you are going to use will probably be tested in harsh conditions so it’s better to buy good gear that can survive it and last longer than cheaper gear that will only work twice.”   Sami cycled and surfed Madeira Island, the first destination in her island hopping adventure. ©Sergio Villalba   What bike is best? For beginners, Anton and Sami recommend choosing an allrounder. “I recommend a comfortable bike, suitable for all terrains and that allows you to put on nice and strong tires, a good saddle and a comfy handlebar,” Sami says. “Before doing a long bikepacking trip make sure to do a proper bike fit so you avoid injuries” Anton recommends looking for a good deal on a gravel bike. “Right now the bike industry is in a bit of a renaissance where it is prioritizing very capable all-around bikes,” he says. “These are often referred to as ‘gravel bikes’, though that is a very broad categorization. Generally speaking, these bikes retain the efficiency of road bikes with drop handlebars while also having the ability to fit larger tires – say, 40-55mm – which increases their comfort and capability as off-pavement vehicles. I believe an all-around bike like this is the best bike for a beginner, because it is so versatile. But, again, if you already own a bike, you can probably make it work. Just fit it with the biggest tires you can, and go!”   Sami and Anton keep their adventures on track with Suunto 9 GPS watches. © Fred Marmsater   What other gear do you need? There is a long list of helpful gear you could take with you. Firstly, a good helmet is a must. Then you need to decide on whether you want clip in or platform pedals. If you haven’t used clip in pedals before it’s good to start gradually by testing them on easier rides first. They take some getting used to. Water bottle mounts and water bottles are also essential. “Test everything you will wear before taking them on a big trip,” Sami says. “Don’t wear a brand new bib short, for example, but one you’ve tested on previous rides and you know is perfect for you. And it’s the same with shoes; get used to them properly before you do a long trip with them.” “A basic repair kit for your bike is essential,” Anton says. “Spare tubes, a tube patch kit, a small pump, tire levers, and a small multi-tool (allen keys, etc) are the bare necessities.” Anton and Sami both track their adventures with Suunto 9 sport watches, which offer 120 hours of battery life. Then they can look back and see where and how far they’ve been.   Knowing how to do basic bike repairs is essential for bikepacking adventures. © Fred Marmsater   Skills to master As mentioned up top, knowing how to repair a flat tire is crucial. You don’t want to be out in the hills, miles from shelter, with a flat and have to walk with your bike. “You should be comfortable repairing a flat tire,” Anton says. “These can be common, and, obviously, they are show-stoppers if they happen and you don't know how to fix it.” Another important skill Sami recommends is learning how to pack minimally. “I used to overpack, but now I am more careful and go minimalist.”   For your first trip Anton recommends doing a simple overnight trip first. “On a weekend you can pedal out a few hours from your home – even just a few miles if you're lucky enough to live near public land – make camp, pack enough food for dinner and breakfast, and then ride home in the morning,” he says. “It gives you the feel of riding a loaded bike, eating and sleeping outside, and then riding again without too much commitment if something goes wrong. “I think the main thing to avoid on a first trip is planning for too big of miles,” Anton continues. “The idea is just to test out your camping and riding systems, not necessarily to cover a bunch of miles. The best way to take the fun out of it is to ride too many miles on any given day.” Sami also suggests making your first trip one in warm weather. “Because it allows you to carry less gear, maybe instead of a tent, a hammock,” she says. “Instead of a sleeping bag, just a liner. Try to avoid doing a big journey if it’s too hot or too cold. Keep it short and easy.”   Use Suunto app and a Suunto 9 watch to guide you on the road. © Sergio Villalba   How to find cool routes? To find awesome trails to ride, Sami uses the Komoot app. Another possibility is to use the heatmaps feature in Suunto app, and select the mountain bike overlay for awesome trails. Anton says www.bikepacking.com is an amazing resource. “There are dozens and dozens of routes documented there that are almost all high quality and they range in length from a simple overnighter to thousands of miles,” he says. “However, my recommendation for a first trip would be to simply plan something for the nearest patch of public land –national forest – that allows camping, and plan a trip around that. Seek out the back roads – apps like Strava or RideWithGPS have heat maps that show you where people ride most commonly – and string them together in a logical way with convenient camp spots and/or resupply in surrounding towns.”   Tips for longer trips Both Sami and Anton recommend doing a series of shorter trips before going on an epic one. “Start with shorter trips, testing and testing your set up, make sure you enjoy the journey and if you fall in love like I did, you’ll start doing multi day trips and then maybe weekly trips, and who knows, a month could be a thing too!”   Avoid these rookie mistakes “Before you make a big investment in a brand new bike or expensive bags, just try out an overnighter with the gear that you already have,” Anton says. “I would say that in order to make sure you’re having fun as a beginner avoid doing too many miles and make sure you make camp early in the evening. It’s no fun setting up camp in the dark.” Sami says another classic mistake is not checking the gear you’ll take works well beforehand, and then finding out deep in a trip it has issues. She also warns against overpacking, the curse of bikepacking!   Last words “Bikepacking is for everyone, you, me, we all can do it,” Sami says. “Go out there and explore, it doesn’t need to be far or long, it can be in your backyard. You just need to go out and do it! Live for the moment!”   Lead images: © Sergio Villalba

Michael Arend coaches ultra and marathon runners, as well as triathletes and ski mountaineers.   With much of the human population currently confined to their homes because of the coronavirus, our online connections have become vastly more important. Everything from meeting with friends and family, to yoga and exercise classes, and faith group meetings, all the way to dance parties have moved online. For runners, triathletes and cyclists meeting a coach face-to-face is no longer allowed or advisable. But working with a coach online and managing your training via one of the many digital platforms now available can keep your training on track. We talked to professional endurance coach Michael Arend, a former officer in the German Mountain Army, semi pro runner and host of Germany’s most popular running podcast, Fat Boys Run, and asked how to work with a coach online. We also did a stocktake of all the awesome online coaching services Suunto partners with and have provided a list below. And check out the Suunto Value Pack to see the additional benefits provided to Suunto watch owners by these partners.   Find a a coach now Michael says now is a good time to work with a coach because things are so uncertain and many of our plans are out the window. A good coach can help steady the ship and adapt your training so you still reach your goals. “Some athletes need help to stay optimistic and to prepare for the races in autumn,” he says. “Others need creative suggestions on how to arrange the training. Working with a coach online can help with long term planning, macro planning and how to rearrange the goals. In times of uncertainty a coach can provide a lot of experience and I think that’s the greatest demand in this time.” Here are his three tips for a successful coach-athlete relationship! Trust is a must It’s difficult to trust someone you’ve never met in person, right? Michael says this is the one con of working with a coach online. “Online coaching has a lot of pros, but one big con is establishing trust,” he says. “That’s the most important thing. Of course a coach has to know his or her physiology and science, and should have proven experience and the soft skills, but if the athlete is suspicious from the start on, it is hard to work together.” The upshot? Make sure you choose a coach you definitely trust. That way you can let him or her lead the way without doubting or questioning his or her suggestions. “Try to trust your coach at least for a fews months,” Michael says. “Even if you think you know better, that’s rarely the case.” Honesty first For a coach to help you he or she needs to know where you are really at with your training and how things are going for you. Don’t hide where you are at from you coach. You’ll only cheat yourself. “First of all, be honest,” Michael says. “Of course I cannot speak for every coach, but for my coaches I can definitely say that they all want to help the athlete inact in their dreams. There are a lot of topics which are not enjoyable to discuss, but your coach should know about your stress at home and about your digestion problems.” Eye level and informed You don’t want to have a coach who calls all the shots with little concern for your input, or a coach who gives into your whims and excuses. “It has to be a relationship at eye level,” Michael says. “Your coach should be able to tell you the meaning and goals of your training and of every workout, without using stock standard phrases. He should use your experience and let you participate in his or her decisions. In addition to our regular conversations, we send an analysis video to our clients once a month in which we explain the progress and justify our decisions. That is very important.”   Photo by Curtis MacNewton on Unsplash  Digital training services and apps You’re still looking for a coach and training service and now need to pick a service to help you hold and analyze your workouts? Read on – we’ve put together some options for you. There are various online apps and services that you can use with your Suunto watch. Many of these help to match you with a coach and allow your coach to monitor your workouts and keep you on track. The services have different pricing models, and different benefits because some are focused on different sports. The Suunto Value Pack offers Suunto watch owners additional benefits and special deals. Learn about the Suunto Value Pack benefits! TrainingPeaks TrainingPeaks is probably the most well known coaching platform for endurance training in the world, especially among the cyclists and triathletes. TrainingPeaks provides in-depth training analysis tools, the possibility to buy training programs and be connected with your coach via the platform. It gives you analysis and overview tools with parameters, such as training stress score (TSS). If you don’t have a coach, there is a coach matching service where you can try to get a coach that fits your needs. Coaches can monitor several athletes via Trainingpeaks and also sell their training programs for athletes who don’t need one to one coaching. Pricing: Limited free versionPremium account: 9.92€/monthCoach’s account: basic, $19USD/month; unlimited, $49USD/month Trainingpeaks here. Today’s Plan Today’s Plan is an online training and analytics platform suitable for coaches and athletes from beginners, self-trained enthusiasts or fully coached professional athletes. The platform has been gaining popularity in the cycling and triathlon communities. The system includes a range of powerful online training tools that allows athletes to enjoy the quantifiable benefits of structured training. You can also choose to use the training plans generated by the platform. Today’s Plan offers free tools for coaches. They can also create their own branded coaching site on the platform. Pricing: I train myself: 16.00€/monthI have a coach or structure my own training: 11.00€/month More about Today’s Plan here. PKRS.AI PKRS.AI provides 24/7 coaching for its members. Built by Olympic Gold medalists, world champions and their coaches, PKRS.AI is the perfect marriage of A.I. technology with a human touch. When you start using PKRS, you will be matched with a coaching team based on your preferences. PKRS then builds a personal training plan based on your goals and the time you have to train. There are real coaches that follow your training and your plan will adapt based on your actions. PRKS.AI also provides a video library for strength training as well daily stats from your lifestyle. Pricing: 90€/month More about PKRS.AI here. Staminity Staminity is a professional service for online training in cycling sports and most popular in Russia. It’s made for athletes, coaches and clubs. For athletes, Staminity helps to find a coach or get the best training plan to reach your goals. For coaches, Staminity provides the planning and analysis tools. For teams, Staminity provides coaching and athlete management. Staminity provides in-depth analysis tools, workouts summaries, training plans and templates, and the ability to manage other activities such as sickness or diet. Pricing: Athletes Basic: free. Premium: 5€/monthCoaches: 5€/monthClubs: 5€/month More about Staminity here. PWRlab PWRlab is designed for runners and provides insights into how much training load they are getting from their daily workouts. PRWlab provides coaches with the ability to monitor the runner’s resilience, and to identify if they are over or under training. This can be also used to determine if the athlete has a greater risk of injury. PWRlab uses easy to understand traffic lights to illustrate the risk of injury; this is based on training load and stride characteristics. Pricing: $15.99USD/month More about PWRlab here. SportTracks SportTracks is a complete solution for planning, tracking, analyzing, and sharing your workouts and other fitness performance data. It’s particularly popular among cyclists, runners and triathletes. Coaches can use it for free as long as their clients have the unlimited version of SportTracks. They also have the option to pay a monthly fee and switch this between athletes. For example, a coach subscription for five athletes would cost $39USD/month. Pricing: $59USD/year More about SportsTracks here. Coach4Pro Coach4Pro is a customizable platform for coaches and well-being professionals. It’s designed to help coaches run their business, and can also be used with corporate wellness programs and to manage a team of athletes. For coaches the platform has training planner tools, integrated messaging between the coach and athlete, and content libraries to share with clients. Pricing: The pricing is based on the number of athletes the coach is managing. Each athlete costs 0.33€/day+VAT so four athletes would cost 48€/month. More about Coach4Pro here. XHALE Xhale is a specialized triathlon coaching platform. It’s training diary simplifies tracking, planning and connecting the training to the overall plan. It helps athletes to plan their week, stay consistent and build motivation. With Xhale you and your coach analyse workouts, create new splits, overlay and compare laps and sessions as you progress towards your training goals. Pricing: The pricing is based on the number of athletes a coach has. For up to 10 athletes it costs 5.99€/ per athlete/month. More about Xhale here. RunningCoach RunningCoach is an online training platform designed for runners. The toolset provides runners with a dynamic training plan and various parameters to calculate and shape your personal training plan. The platform also offers coaches to support you. Pricing: Freemium versionBronze: 10€/month; Silver: 15€/month; Gold: 69€/month More about RunningCoach here.   Go-Heja Go-Heja provides a full club and athlete management service. For clubs, Go-Heja provides athlete management system with sports, communication, payments and your own club store. For coaches Go-Heja provides planning, athlete training analysis, monitoring and direct communication tools. And for athletes the Go-Heja platform can be used with or without a coach for training planning and analysis. Pricing: $1.5USD per athlete, per month. More about Go-Heja here.   To get connected with these services first register with the one below that fits your needs, and connect it with the Suunto app. Once you select Suunto, you will be asked to authorize the tool’s access to the data stored by your watch and Suunto App. Do this by giving the Suunto app your username and password. From then on all your workouts will automatically sync with your chosen coaching platform. You can connect to several tools and find your data in each one. Your data will also remain in Suunto App. Read more articles How to adapt your training when the unexpected strikes Ultra champ Courtney Dauwalter's 6 tips for mental strength 4 indoor workout tips for endurance athletes Adapting to life in a time of pandemic  

For the truly competitive athlete, every loss or DNF is a tough one. But there have likely been very few losses tougher than Canadian ultra-runner Gary Robbins’ result 2017 Barkley Marathons. After nearly 60 hours of racing, a missed turn in the last moments took him off the course as he approached the finish. He crossed the finish line from the wrong direction, a few seconds after the 60-hour time limit. It was unequivocally a DNF – and probably the most heartbreaking DNF in the history of DNFs. It’s the kind of result that has a less willful runner saying ‘never again’. Gary Robbins, of course, is not the kind of runner, and after a quick recovery – he ran the Nolan’s Fourteens just a few months later – he was back on the Barkley horse. After last year’s dramatic non-finish, Gary hit his saturation point talking about the race – no, really, he even told us so – so we figured we’d better focus on this year’s race. Read on to find out how his training and preparation is going.   Third time training for the Barkley Marathon: What’s different? Through the first two years, I was definitely on the starting line with the physical and mental capabilities to finish the race. My training has been successful. I don’t believe that there was anything in my training for the first few years that I had to alter. But I did find that by focusing on this specific race for so long, that had me moving through difficult terrain at 2 miles per hour, I got really efficient at moving 2 miles per hour – so I haven’t done much run training for the last few years. So, when I got back into my training in November my focus was on more run training. I got back into more 100-mile distance weeks, rather than vertical-based weeks for a couple of months in the winter. It helped to increase my fitness level. Last month the focus has shifted to 100% vertical training. Initially 20,000ft of climbing, then 30,000ft, and last week 40,000ft of climbing. So I did change my training a bit initially to gain some fitness that I felt I was lacking. But the actual training block leading into the last Barkley worked so well that I’m actually looking at replicating that again.   Ready to go from dawn till dusk – and much much longer. (©Ian Corless, iancorless.com)   Last year the race kicked your ass. How do you plan to deal with it on the course? The race kicked my ass both years. Last year, getting through the full 60 hours and the full five laps of the course was infinitely harder than even doing four laps. John Kelly even mentioned that there’s such a steep curve of fatigue and difficulty and pain threshold that it’s unfathomable how much more difficult doing the additional lap could be. I came out of that even more physically and mentally beat up. But – I recovered from the ass kicking very well in 2017. Well enough that only a few months later I went to Colorado and finished the Nolan 14’s, which is 14 consecutive 14,000 ft peaks in under 60 hours. That was the big difference in 2017 – that I recovered well after the race. In 2016 I really struggled for 6 to 8 months afterwards because I had done so much before the 2016 race. For the better part of 10 months, I have been healthy fit, been a runner, and feeling good about things which set me up to be able to withstand that ass-kicking this time.   Any non-traditional training? Nothing non-traditional. Definitely kept focusing on orienteering and cross-training with strength training, things that I feel that are big components for success at the race. There is a large element of core and upper body strength that comes into play with a race like this – and moving smarter allows you to move a little bit slower because every mistake that you make means you need to move faster to make up for it. So, the better you can be with navigation, the more luxury you can give yourself with time on course.   Do you feel like you’re in better physical shape? I could be in the best shape that I’ve been in going into any of the Barkley’s. I had a couple of setbacks in training – getting sick, and we lost our dog which we had for 12 years so that set me back emotionally for a little bit. But outside of those setbacks, I feel like this is one of the best training blocks that I’ve had in many, many years. My fitness is reflecting that. If things continue to go well I could show up at the Barkley in the best shape I have been in.   How about mental fitness – how do you train for a rest like this mentally? Every long-distance race gets to a point where the race is completely impossible if you’re not all in mentally. For the Barkley it’s true, but it’s true much earlier. It’s impossible to complete even a single lap without it becoming mentally draining. I’ve proven to myself in the first two attempts that I have the mental wherewithal to push through. That gives me a level of comfort, beyond year one fear of the unknown and year two fear of what I did know, I feel like this year three I have a lot less worry at how that’s going to play out. I’m almost looking forward to the mental challenge because it is so unique for this race. In training I try to replicate that challenge – I don’t train with a partner because you need to become self-sufficient and to learn how to motivate and rally yourself in the low times.   Who else has a strong chance of winning or finishing? That’s an interesting question because they don’t release a starters list. So you don’t know who is in the race unless that person publicly proclaims that they are. There is a waitlist that they pull from and you do get to see the people that they select from the waitlist. In terms of the first 40 people selected, I only know about 4-5 people who may be doing the race. I know a few people who have had to pull out of the race for one reason or another. The other thing to keep in mind is that it’s not within the rules to speak about someone else’s Barkley aspirations unless they have made it quite public. So what I can say is that the race initially had a very high level of runner, and potentially the highest level of female runners they have ever seen with many recognized and hugely accomplished runners. The hope was that we were going to see a female fun runner (3 laps), a female onto the 4th lap or even finish all 5 laps this year. But a few have had to pull out for one reason or another. There is one name that I can say because everyone knows that he is in the race because he qualified by winning one of race organizer Lance’s other races. That’s French runner Guillaume Calmettes. He is a good friend that I’ve known for many years. He’s a staunch competitor and a wonderful person who I’m looking forward to potentially spending some time with during the race. He’s never been to Frozen Head before (the location of Barkley Marathons) so he is a complete virgin.   Will this be Gary's final Barkley?   Your fans are asking and I’m sure your family as well, if you win is it the last one - or will you keep coming back?  The joke I made when during the “Where Dreams Go To Die” movie tour was that I hope you can tell that I love my wife and I want to stay married to her. So this is one and done. Truly, I have a lot of other goals that I’d like to pursue that have been taking a back seat to completing the Barkley. Not only has this taken longer than anticipated, it’s taken more out of me. I don’t have a desire to be a multi-time finisher of the Barkley. I want to be a finisher above all else and when that does happen I would be very happy to return to the park, hang out in the campground and mock those who head out on to the course for the weekend.   We know that you use Suunto watches for training but can’t use a gps watch during the race. Anything change in your 2018 gear or kit? Over the first two years, I’ve run in the Salomon Sense Pro, because that shoe was the best fit for me. I had some issues with traction, but my feet held out because it was the best fit for my foot. I really wanted a more aggressive tread on a shoe for this race. Along came the Sense Ride in Fall 2017, and I put it on my foot and it’s my dream shoe for trail running. It fits perfectly and the lug on it is so nice. So one of the few changes I’m making this year is going with the Sense Ride footwear from Salomon.  The only other change to really report is that through the first two years I only used music in the last lap when I knew I would run alone. But I love music and enjoy listening to music when I’m running, doing difficult things or lacking motivation. Over the last few months, I have been building out my music systems with different MP3 players and Bluetooth headphones. I intend to use music much more readily throughout the race to assist in keeping my mind in a positive state. I haven’t done that before and I’m curious to see the benefits.   Music assists Gary in keeping his mind in a positive state.   Sweet – so what's on your playlist for getting through Barkley 2018? Old school Beastie Boys is right up there near that top of my list. Certainly some Tragically Hip. There will be some Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave mixed in there. I like a good 90s playlist – when George Michael “Freedom” comes on, for some reason, my step kicks up a notch. Probably some Beck.   ‘Where Dreams Go To Die’ has been all over the ultra-running community. How has re-living one of your toughest life challenges been? The film itself, though, I only watched for the first time two days before the first showing. I didn’t realize how deeply seeded the scaring actually was. I believed before going on tour that I would watch it two or three times and rationalize it and be fine. But that wasn’t the case. I never got the point where I was able to watch it without becoming upset. In hindsight, looking back at that film tour, that was such an incredibly unique and special experience that I’m so thankful for. It was a huge commitment, tens of thousands of dollars, and we took a real calculated risk in the belief that it would work. And it did. The experience itself was exceptional and I would do it ten times out of ten. The further we got into the showings, we were more and more sleep deprived, which leaves you more emotionally raw. There were some really rough nights, where I was doing everything in my power not to become upset again for the seventh time. It was unexpected. It provided valuable insight into what my family went through in camp while I was on the course. That more than anything gave me more fuel to know that we are all in as a family. They are so invested in every moment of that race with me. It’s not just me out there. It’s me, my wife and my child that are trying to get this done.   Stay tuned for a follow-up report after Gary’s third (and hopefully final!) Barkley Marathons. In the meantime you can watch Where Dreams Go To Die here. Main image © Ian Corless, iancorless.com

Why does ZoneSense require a heart rate belt? To get accurate measurement of one’s heartbeat requires a heart rate belt. This data is essential for detecting differences between R-R peaks in heart rate. Optical heart rate monitors can only perform this type of measurement reliably at rest, such as during sleep. Can ZoneSense be used with any heart rate belt? Yes, any heart rate belt that provides beat-to-beat data can be used with ZoneSense. However only Suunto hr belt works in swimming with its inbuild memory. Can ZoneSense be used with an arm heart rate monitor? Arm heart rate monitors use optical heartrate. This cannot be used to measure the beat to beat data accurately during exercise, therefore ZoneSense is not available for these sensors. How can I get ZoneSense on my watch? To install ZoneSense, go to the Suunto App SuuntoPlus Store, select the ZoneSense Sports app, and save it to your watch. Next time you start your workout, select ZoneSense. For subsequent sessions in the same sport mode, ZoneSense is automatically selected. Which watches support ZoneSense? ZoneSense works with all Suunto watches with heart rate belts for post-analysis. This includes older models like Suunto Ambit and Spartan. Live data with ZoneSense is supported on the latest Suunto watches with the latest software, including Suunto 9 Peak Pro, Suunto Vertical, Suunto Race, Suunto Race S, and Suunto Ocean (later in autumn). What does ZoneSense show on the Suunto app? ZoneSense SuuntoPlus sports app shows your intensity graphically as green, yellow and red. Time in currently spend in given intensity and cumulative time in each intensity in workout. The cumulative time doesn’t include the first 10 minutes of training, as this period cannot be measured (read about this on next question). The athlete can press the upper right button on their watch to change the fields shown, to follow other values such as pace, vertical, speed, power instead of cumulative time in zones. Is it normal that ZoneSense SuuntoPlus sports app doesn’t show the intensity of my training’s first 10 minutes? Yes. The ZoneSense DDFA (Dynamical Detrended Fluctuation Analysis) index cannot be measured accurately during the first 10 minutes as the body is typically then still warming up. The real-time measurement and after analysis therefore don’t show the data during this time. Is it normal that cannot see my friend's ZoneSense numbers? The ZoneSense analysis is visible only for your own workouts, and is hence personal. Can I see ZoneSense data in my old workouts? Yes you can. However, these numbers should be treated with caution, and most accurate data is received from new workouts with ZoneSense enabled. My old workouts with ZoneSense data looks a bit off, what is the reason? As ZoneSense is published in mid September 2024, each new workout is used to understand your personal sport specific baseline level of the DDFA. This will make the ZoneSense analysis more accurate over time. The older workouts prior enabling ZoneSense will have ZoneSense data, but as these do not include personal baseline analysis, the ZoneSense has error that can shift the ZoneSense graph 10-20% higher/lower. Is there a way to make ZoneSense measurement more accurate? As ZoneSense measures each workout, it will analyze the athlete’s normal aerobic baseline heart-rate variability with the DDFA index, used in as a parameter of the ZoneSense measurement. The intensity state of aerobic (green), an-aerobic (yellow) and vo2max (red) ranges are then evaluated based on the shift from this normal aerobic level, a.k.a. the workout baseline. The workouts that have very little aerobic effort will not contribute to this baseline definition. To have the best possible accuracy with ZoneSense, please ensure that you have easy aerobic sessions in your training regularly to analyze the effort of different types of training. How can I get the best possible aerobic & an-aerobic threshold as heartrate evaluated? You can use ZoneSense as an intensity measurement without the need to analyze the intensity with pace, power or heartrate. But there are workouts such as short intervals where pace and power are more suitable as they react to intensity changes immediately. Naturally, the athlete can use heartrate as a measure of intensity, as well as power and pace. There is an analysis feature with ZoneSense where Suunto App defines the aerobic and an-aerobic threshold as heartrate with the DDFA. This analysis maps the heartrate to the ZoneSense DDFA index shifts cross aerobic and an-aerobic thresholds. To get a result from this analysis, the athlete needs to do a workout where intensity is tough and challenging. The intensity needs to grow from aerobic area to an-aerobic level, to get the aerobic threshold as a heartrate result. Similarly, to get the an-aerobic threshold, the athlete needs to do a workout that will have intensity in vo2max range. To get a threshold result, the athlete can do a workout where he/she increases the intensity of the effort step by step. Increasing the intensity gradually ensures that there is enough measurement data in each effort level and therefore as the athlete goes over thethresholds it’s possible to identify heartrate at this intensity. This can be done in different sports such as running, cycling, rowing, even swimming. The idea of step-by-step protocol is to stay in each intensity for several minutes for example jogging easily for 3mins, then increasing each 3 minutes the pace and repeat this until max effort. Sports and use cases Why should I start workouts at an easier effort with ZoneSense? ZoneSense establishes a personal intensity scale by measuring “DDFA index” during easy aerobic efforts. This baseline is updated with each workout but cannot be identified in high-intensity efforts. Accurate measurements therefore require regular easy workouts to keep the personal DDFA level up to date. This personal baseline level can change throughout the year and can have differences even on day to day basis. Therefore, the best possible accuracy in the measurement you can get with ZoneSense requires a warmup period at the start of the workout. My workout did not seem to be in “right intensity”, what could be the reason? ZoneSense is best when used while doing workouts with steady effort, or during long intervals. The short bursts of effort, for example 1 minute intervals, do not reach homeostasis in your body. Therefore the DDFA index used with ZoneSense does not represent the intensity at that time. Each workout you do will impact how your personal ZoneSense measurement works. The normal easy aerobic level measured with DDFA is saved to your watch & personal profile. As you do a new workout it will contribute to this baseline measurement. If you do a first run with Suunto and this would be with very high effort, the ZoneSense can try to measure this DDFA level as your normal state. This might provide the wrong type of output. Ensure you make easy efforts also with your Suunto watch and heartrate belt, so that your normal baseline is calibrated accordingly. When should I use ZoneSense instead of pace, power, or heartrate to identify my training intensity zones? ZoneSense is ideal for steady workouts, such as long aerobic, hard threshold sessions or long interval sessions that last over 3 minutes. For short intervals, like 1-minute sprints, use running pace or cycling power for more accurate measurement. ZoneSense requires the athlete to work on given intensity at least 2-3 minutes in order to properly show the intensity level. However, with ZoneSense you will learn which effort level in power, pace, vertical speed, swim pace you can sustain in your aerobical, an-aerobical and vo2 max area. This information you can be useful in daily training when adjusting your effort in each workout. How does ZoneSense work with team or racquet sports? In sports where the athlete can be working out constantly, ZoneSense can indicate whether the activity is primarily aerobic or anaerobic. However, due to delays in the measurement of ZoneSense and the nature of short bursts in the most common team and racquet sports, the actual effort intensity might not be shown correctly with ZoneSense. For example a 1-minute max out sprint followed up by longer rest lag can be shown in ZoneSense as completely aerobic level intensity training. However, if the higher efforts are repeated with short recovery periods, the cumulative impact will be shown in ZoneSense. ZoneSense is evolving, and feedback from sports scientists, coaches, and athletes is welcome to improve its application. How can ZoneSense be used for swimming? The Suunto heart rate belt stores data within its sensor module, as the heartrate signal cannot be transmitted underwater. Once on land or at the edge of a pool, the beat-to-beat heart rate data is transferred to the watch. ZoneSense data is then available for post- analysis to learn the real intensity from the session. Does ZoneSense work with strength training? ZoneSense focuses on aerobic and an-aerobic efforts by analyzing DDFA – the Dynamical Detrended Fluctuation Analysis index. Strength training intensity is based on muscular effort, not cardiovascular, making ZoneSense less suitable for strength-based workouts. Can ZoneSense consider muscular fatigue, heat or other stress factors? ZoneSense measures the stress of the heart which correlates with the aerobic, an-aerobic, vo2max states, but there are examples that indicate that ZoneSense can consider other factors that impact performance. For example, the fatigue in a muscle seems to impact the athlete so that ZoneSense will reach higher intensity levels faster. This means that the performance level shows decline when having muscle fatigue and in order to keep working out in normal level they would need to ease the effort. Could ZoneSense be used to measure intensity in challenging levels of altitude or in hot conditions? In altitude or in hot conditions, heart rate, pace and power measurements do not represent the intensity defined in laboratory conditions. Challenging and abnormal conditions make it difficult for the athlete to understand what a suitable effort level would be. There is a possibility that ZoneSense can be used in different conditions, as it measures the stress level of the heart and therefore is considering different internal and external stressors. However, this aspect will require more research. ZoneSense analysis Why isn’t the start of the exercise shown in the analysis? The initial part of the workout serves as a warmup, allowing the body to adjust to exercise mode. During this time, measuring heart rate variability does not accurately correlate with exercise intensity. As a result, ZoneSense does not display data during this period in live tracking or in post-analysis. Why isn’t short intense effort shown as hard effort with ZoneSense? ZoneSense measures stress with DDFA, which has inherent delays. When you start a sprint, it takes several seconds to minutes for your body and heart rate to adjust. In a normal ramp-up test protocol in laboratory conditions, this delay is managed by working in the same effort for more than three minutes. During this time, the body metabolism “matches” the effort intensity such as lactate level in blood. Similarly, ZoneSense requires a set of data before producing a relevant DDFA value, resulting in a delay of up to 1-2 minutes. When gauging the right intensity level in running, cycling, swimming with shorter intervals or sprinting, the best measurements of intensity would be speed, pace, and power measurements. However, these will require predefined zone levels. ZoneSense can be used in after analysis to understand the power and speed levels in given effort, illustrated with the ZoneSense DDFA index. Science background What is the difference between HRV, RMSSD, DFA-1and DDFA? These are different metrics used to analyze heart rate variability (HRV): HRV: Heartrate variability means the variation in time intervals between heartbeats. When the heartrate is 60 beats per minute, the average time between beats is 1 second. When a person is relaxed the variability between beat to beat has a difference, for example time between beats is 950ms (about 1 second),1050 ms, 940ms and so on. RMSSD: The Root Mean Square of Successive Differences is the most common method to calculate the short-term heart rate variability. This is commonly used to measure stress levels during the night or daytime stress test. This is used in Suunto to analyze your recovery state with night time measurements. DFA -1: DFA-1 refers to the short-scale scaling exponent covering 4-16 beat-to-beat intervals. The scaling exponent is conventionally computed for the full time series, thus giving one number as an output.“DDFA, on the other hand, covers all the time scales from 4 beat-to-beat intervals to even thousands, and gives an output for each particular time scale (4, 5, 6, ..., 1000). Furthermore, those values are given dynamically as a function of time. As a result, DDFA gives as an output a two-dimensional map of scaling exponents. Thus, DDFA is significantly more accurate and reliable than DFA-1, and as a real-time method it is responsive to changes in physiological conditions. **DDFA**: Dynamical Detrended Fluctuation Analysis. The method evaluates how the heartbeat intervals change with respect to each other, and how these changes at some time affect the changes of heartbeat intervals during other times. Such dependencies between the intervals are called correlations. DDFA evaluates the characteristics of these correlations very precisely at every instant of time. How do aerobic and anaerobic thresholds work with ZoneSense? ZoneSense measures the DDFA index during and after training. The anaerobic threshold is identified as a -0.5 change from the "0 baseline," and the aerobic threshold is set at -0.2. These levels correlate with laboratory tests but are indicative values representing changes in your metabolic system. Consistent use of ZoneSense provides a simple method for tracking intensity without frequent lab tests. ZoneSense illustrates the metabolic state of the body by measuring the stress level of the heart. In principle, your daily fatigue, hydration level, heat, muscle soreness, running terrain and many other aspects can impact your current state of your body, impacting this DDFA index. For instance, you can reach your aerobic threshold at a slower pace than some days before. How does ZoneSense measure heart rate thresholds? ZoneSense maps changes as aerobic and an-aerobic thresholds to corresponding heart rate values. Sudden changes in intensity can introduce errors, so it is best to consider several workouts before setting heart rate zones in your Suunto watch. Learn more Where can I learn more? Visit Suunto ZoneSense Page for detailed information on ZoneSense, including news, articles, webinars, and scientific insights. Interested in testing ZoneSense together with Suunto? If you are a national team, sports scientist, or pro-club interested in ZoneSense, please reach out to Suunto here