Suunto Blog

© Mark SmileySuunto ambassador, filmmaker, and alpine pro Mark Smiley is currently in New Zealand, and preparing to climb Mt Cook (3724 m), the country’s tallest mountain. “My phone is downloading the topographical and satellite images for Mt Cook as we speak,” he says. “Having never been here before, I want to make sure I climb the right couloir. “Selecting the right path up a mountain is a fun art to practice. The goal is to get to the top with as much go-juice in your legs as possible so you can slay the down like a boss.” Mark is passionate about outdoor education and helping people to stay safe in the mountains. He has just released his latest online training course, perfectly timed to get skimo fans ready for the winter. The Ultimate Guide to Backcountry Skiing & Ski Mountaineering online course is a deep dive into all aspects of the sport. The first 200 skiers to sign up for the course before November 25, and who use this coupon code: EARLYBIRD40, will receive a 40% discount on the original price. The first 50 students to sign up will also get Mark's Crevasse Rescue online course for free! “Really I made this new course for my 26-year-old self,” Marks says. “Had I had this helpful resource 12 years ago, I would have been skiing bigger lines, more safely, in a fraction of the time.” As a taster, here are Mark’s 7 tips to find a safe track up the mountain. Pre trip To make this article easier to digest, we’ve separated Mark’s tips into pre and in-trip groups. “The key is to do your homework,” he says. “That is the first priority.” Signs of a good track 1. It doesn’t expose you to avalanche risk. 2. A gradual mellow slope, with a nice run out, where the avalanche debris would have plenty of space to fan out.3. Look for nice straight lines with a consistent incline. Eighteen degrees is a pretty good place to start. 4. Switchbacks that are in the best place possible, often that’s just downhill of trees (if you are below the treeline), or in any slightly less steep areas.5. Following a ridgeline or pushing up through dense forest is usually safer than ascending via a face and sparse forest. Signs of a risky track 1. Unsupported convex rolls are a big avalanche risk. A convex roll is a part of the slope that bulges out. Imagine putting a salad bowl against a wall, then putting snow on the top. The snow would slide off because the bowl doesn't support it.2. Terrain traps: keep a lookout for things that could make a fall really bad, like being thrown into a creek, off a cliff, into a ravine, or into a crevasse.3. I like to look for a track that doesn't expose me to cornice, rock or icefall hazards. Use your Suunto 9 You can download the track to your watch and then you can follow along. You can create routes in Suunto app with terrain maps, heat maps, as well as use existing activities to create routes. And you can use GPX files you have created in other services. ”I use this track as a "helpful suggestion" when navigating in whiteout conditions on a glacier, or in an area that I’ve never seen before." Get techy Download Gaia GPS, and get the subscription so you can take map files offline, and learn how to use it well. This app is seriously like cheating at navigation. You can download topo maps, satellite images, put a route line on the map where you want to go, and then navigate with ease. If you want to learn more about how I use the map, check out my online course at www.mtnsense.com. In less than an hour you’ll be on your way with new-school navigation. Click here for Mark's eight avalanche safety checks © Mark Smiley On the trip Don’t be a sheep Looking up and ahead is key to your ascent. Don't be a sheep by just walking up the skin track. Make decisions about where you are going. Most of the time that will be an existing skin track, but not always. Snow changes over time, and so too must the skin track.  Listen to you heart The goal is to keep your heart rate at a consistent level most of the tour as opposed to revving it up and then dropping it down. Choose a track that keeps a constant slope angle, making it easier to get in the groove, keep your heart rate about the same the entire climb, and just enjoy the rhythm of movement. Not too steep Another skill is finding the perfect steepness that minimizes linear distance, without making it too steep. If you’re slipping out, you’re wasting energy. Read more articles like this: 8 avalanche safety checks to tick off before the ski season Knowing the ropes – staying safe with creavsse rescue online Lead image: © Mark Smiley

Blue Element kicks off tomorrow for their 3rd event in Dominica. Suunto Dive caught up with one of the founders, Johnathan Sunnex, to find out what it is all about before media manager and freediver Francesca Koe takes over our Instagram feed tomorrow. Photo by Daan Verhoeven What is Blue Element? Blue Element is an international freediving experience that encompasses multiple days of diving, beach clean-ups, island exploration and much more! It is held annually in the picture perfect island of Dominica! Sofia Gomez Uribe and I founded Blue Element freediving in 2016. This is the third BE competition which was founded in 2016. Hurricane Maria prevented the 2017 edition, but last year the BE team were able to re-establish the event despite the country still being in recovery mode after the hurricane devastation. The event is held in Soufriere Bay/Scotts Head in the very south of Dominica. Dominica is a small island nation, a part of the Lesser Antilles island chain in the Caribbean. Why is the location so amazing? The Soufriere Bay offers world class conditions year round, unlike any other location on earth. The water temperature ranges between 26-30°C, the visibility is between 20-30m and there are no waves, no currents and effectively no depth limit. To add to this, the bay is surrounded by high mountains carpeted with lush tropical jungles creating the perfect backdrop. The custom built freediving platform is currently set in 160 m and just a five minute swim from shore. Are you expecting any records? The Blue Element team pride themselves in creating an atmosphere where athletes can perform at their very best. Dozens of national records and several world records have already been set here over the past four years and we expect this event to be no different!Blue Element 2019 will be attended by 30 athletes from around the world, including many national record holders, vice and world champions. We can expect to see many records fall at this event including national, continental and possibly world records. What disciplines compete and on what days? Athletes have the choice to compete in as many or as few of the competitive depth disciplines as they choose. There are six days of diving split into three sets of two. We are expecting 30 athletes to be competing this year and more than 150 official performances. Have you seen the event grow? Hurricane Maria was quite a setback and it took a lot to regain momentum. The event continues to grow each year and this year we will have almost three times the number of athletes than attended the inaugural competition. Photograph by Daan Verhoeven What can the athletes win? Suunto D6i’s, Suunto D5’s, carbon blade Alchemy fins and shirts, custom made Elios wetsuits, Octopus nose prize packs, All-Swim swimwear, high end Pacsafe back packs made of recycled fishing nets, ADIDAS shirts, Recycled plastic Blue Element T-shirts, custom medals. Who are the judges? Two of the world’s leading judges, Carla Hansen and Vedran Milat. Who runs the safety team? Chief of Safety Louisa Collyns of the UK returns to lead our experienced team of safety divers. The safety team have been hand selected and are comprised of several 80-90m divers in their own right. Will the rules be governed by AIDA or CMAS standards? AIDA International. Who is taking the official pictures? Predominantly the man, the myth the legend, Daan Verhoeven. I will likely join him behind the camera for some session. Will you have Dive Eye? Not this year but the event will be covered by our professional media team with event videos and live streaming from the platform. We have cameras placed strategically to get all of the best angles from both above and below the surface! You will be able to catch the live stream from our Facebook page, and the videos will be uploaded to our social media channels. We will also be taking over the Suunto Dive Instagram feed live from the dive platform. Photograph by Daan Verhoeven What is your history in freediving? I have been involved with freediving since 2011. I competed for the first time the same year in Kalamata for the Med Cup and then the AIDA World Championship. I placed somewhere in the middle of the field, but these events and the athletes who were in attendance inspired me to make a full commitment to freediving. I vowed to myself that when I would return I would be there for a podium placing. I moved to Egypt and I started to teach and train full time. Living next to the ocean mean't I had easier access to depth which allowed me to progress quickly and I made my first dive below 100 m in November of 2012. The following year I returned to Kalamata for the AIDA Depth World Championship and, as I had hoped, this time I managed to place third in free immersion, winning a bronze medal. I ranked third overall for depth diving in 2012 and 2013 with deepest official results of 105 m CWT, 101 m FIM and 65 m CNF set in the Bahamas at Vertical Blue. After the death of two friends (fellow freedivers) I switched my focus towards coaching and safety diving. I had thoughts about leaving the sport, but I soon realised that that wouldn’t change anything and that I would be better off staying and trying to make the sport safer. I ran safety seminars and returned to Long Island in the Bahamas, this time as the Chief of Safety and co-organiser. I hand selected a group of free divers that I knew would be up to the task of looking after the deepest divers in the world pushing their bodies to the absolute limit. I applied the same mindset to running the safety team to what I had used in my own personal training. We approached safety diving with performance in mind. Team bonding for cohesion, rescue drills and emergency training to sharpen our skills, incident reviews for learning opportunities and to strive for improvement. This approach has since been adopted by many other events and has set the standard for the international freediving community. Since then, I have coached athletes to more than 70 national and continental records as well as seven world records. I am an instructor trainer with AIDA International and I continue to organise freediving events. I enjoy exploring and documenting the underwater world with my camera, and have dived in all continents, including both polar regions. Will you compete? Once the competition is underway and everything is running how it should, then yes, I plan to take off my organizers hat for a few minutes each day to perform some dives! Photograph by Daan Verhoeven Any hot tips or words of inspiration you would like to share? Freediving, like life, is often a trial of tribulations. Success takes patience and persistence but inevitably hard work and determination pays off. Links: Photography by Daan Verhoeven Blue Element Facebook Blue Element Instagram Blue Element Website

A team of Suunto divers embarked on an epic journey to the remote islands of West Papua last year to explore the flourishing waters of Raja Ampat. They were amongst the first divers to experience the Suunto D5, and to shared jaw dropping video and images every diver dreams of seeing firsthand. This marine environment there boasts the richest reefs in the world, and unsurprisingly entices divers from all over the globe to make the journey and discover this paradise for themselves. Let's explore together! Why I Dive, film by Janne Suhonen. Photographer Steve Woods.

© Mark Smiley Pro mountain guide, outdoor educator and Suunto ambassador Mark Smiley says knowing how to mitigate avalanche danger is a “$50,000 question” – there is no perfect answer; it consists of doing many small things right. There is always danger in an alpine environment. Clearly knowing that, and having respect for the mountains, is where mitigation begins. Showing that respect comes down to being mindful of the details. “Think of going backcountry skiing the same as a climber roping up for a climb, or a pilot getting ready for takeoff,” says Mark, 38, who is currently adventuring in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. “Doing some form of regular check is a great habit to get into. “Early season snow dumps are super fun because the long wait is over, but it’s super important to know that avalanches can and do occur every year in these first storm systems.” Based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Mark runs popular online outdoor education courses, and guides expeditions within the US and around the world. He and his mountaineer partner Janelle have climbed all 48 Classic Climbs of North America, as well as ski touring across the entire European Alps in 36 days. The couple live for the mountains. Here is the safety check Mark does at the start of each skimo season. “These don’t take much time and avoid mindless mistakes that could have big consequences,” Mark says. © Mark Smiley Gear check! Put new batteries in your avalanche beacon, and make sure the battery terminals are shiny and clean (sometimes batteries can corrode the terminals, resulting in bad connection). It’s also a good idea to have extra kit in your car, such as extra avalanche gear, skins, AAA batteries, sunglasses, and sunscreen, that you can offer if someone forgets his or hers. “This saves a lot of time and hassle at the trailhead,” Mark says. Slow down Give yourself triple the amount of time to get ready for a trip because forgetting things at the start of the season is all too easy. Don’t rush, slow down, and do all those small things right. Practice makes perfect “Once there is enough snow on the ground, visit a beacon park and train with your beacon,” Mark says. “Especially if you or your partner invested in a new one this year.” Get local knowledge Before you go into the mountains, get online and research the avalanche danger in the area you will be skiing in. Find out what the avalanche trends there are. “Hopefully you’ve been checking the weather the past 48-72 hours to see if there have been major sun, wind, or snow events,” Mark cautions. “Check the avalanche report to see what the danger rating is, and dig a little deeper to see what recent avalanches have occurred. The avalanche report will also list the problems of concern. Pick a ski line, up and down, to avoid those problems.” Know the plan “Get on the same page with your partner(s) as to where you’ll go, and what the plan B and C are if plan A isn't working out,” Mark advises. Car park gear check “When you get to the trailhead, check to make sure everyone has a beacon with 50% or more battery power, that it’s on and that it works to SEND and SEARCH,” Mark says. Ensure it’s stowed properly. “Making sure your shovel and probe are still in your pack, and not beside the garage after you dug out the car, is a good idea as well.” Store the beacon properly Keep your beacon safely in the right location. If you store it in a harness, wear clothing over top of it. “Often I get super hot while touring, so I like to have my beacon in my zippered (not Velcro) pants pocket,” Mark says. “Make sure you have nothing else in there, so the zipper stays closed the entire day. Don't be lazy and put sunscreen, a buff, or chapstick in there, too.” Take it easy Early season dumps means well hidden rocks. Don’t be a maniac; reduce your speed at the start of the season and wear a helmet. Lead images: © Mark Smiley

© Philipp Reiter Suunto athlete and filmmaker Philipp Reiter and eight other runners from Germany and Austria are setting out on November 1 to run the once feared militarized border – called the “death strip” by west Germans – that divided east and west Germany from 1952 to 1990. “We have four campervans and runners of all different ages and originally from both sides of the former border,” Philipp says. “I know the history of the border from school, but if you are not born in that time, you don’t really understand what it was like then,” he says. “I think it’s going to be really nice learning about this.” The 1400 km adventure run will include 16,000 m of vertical gain and the highest point on the route is the summit of Brocken, a 1142 m peak in the Harz Mountain Range. The team will run it as a relay, with one athlete running 15 km before the next steps in and takes over. Most of the route will be on quiet forest roads. They are inviting local runners in towns and villages they pass through to follow their journey on Strava and to join them when they are nearby. Philipp is interested to hear the stories of people who lived during the time of the border. “This project is about showing that even if it takes 40 years, there is always an opportunity to take borders down, even now,” he says, “These borders can be physical like this one, or they can be in the form of prejudices. How many people really try to understand the problems of another person?” Map showing the former border, now called the Green Belt. And the remains of the Berlin Wall. © LENCER (CC BY-SA 3.0) © Photo by Isai Ramos on Unsplash The inner German border, part of the Iron Curtain, stretched from the Baltic Sea to the former Czechoslovakia. The Berlin Wall was only a smart part of it. West Germans called it the “death strip” because it was so perilous to cross. The borderzone was fortified with trip-wire machine guns, more than a million landmines, 3000 attack dogs and guards with orders to shoot to kill. In spite of this, thousands of people risked their lives trying to escape the totalitarian German Democratic Republic in the east for a better life in the Federal Republic of Germany in the west. Hundreds of them died in the process. Since the fall of the wall, the borderzone has been demilitarized, and is now a popular area for cycling and walking. Thanks to a conservation project led by BUND Naturschutz what was once a “monument to repression” has been transformed into a “symbol of renewal”. Now called the Green Belt, the former border is a hotspot for wildlife. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Starting on November 4, there will be events and exhibitions across the city. Follow Philipp and the team’s journey here on Strava. This run is recorded using Suunto 9 watches. Learn more about them here.

© Dean Leslie / Red Bull Content Pool As the northern hemisphere heads into winter, Ryan Sandes’s hometown, Cape Town, is coming out of it. He recently ran his new 13 Peaks route, starting at 3am, and had an eerie feeling that someone was watching him. “I looked around and there were all these little eyes looking at me from out of the darkness,” he says. “They were rock rabbits.”  Ryan has run in the dark in some gnarly places. He says it’s completely different to running in the day. “Running in the dark is a bit like running downhill – you have to be careful,” he cautions. Here are 7 tips to better enjoy running at night or early morning. Stay safe Tell someone where you are going and when you plan to be back. This is especially important if you are heading out for a trail run in the wild. Consider taking a tracking device, too. If you get disoriented or lost, remember you can use the Find Back feature and breadcrumb route on your Suunto 9 watch to be led back to your start point. Make yourself visible Buy yourself an assortment of reflectors for your clothing so you are clearly visible to cyclists and drivers from a distance. Use “biological motion” for increased visibility; this means lighting up your joints – ankles, knees, wrists and elbows, not the torso – so motorists and cyclists recognise you as a moving person. Slow down If you’re new to running in the dark, Ryan suggests slowing down until you get used to it. “The more you practice, the better you’ll get,” he says. Master your headlamp Wearing a headlamp is essential if you’re running in an area with no streetlights. Learning to focus and point the beam correctly takes some fiddling; best to test this at home before heading out. Aim the lamp so the beam illuminates the area about 10 m or so out from you, and make sure the light isn’t too focused or it can give you “tunnel vision”. Learn to adjust the settings while you’re running to preserve battery life. “If you’re going downhill really fast you will need to have it brighter and with a bigger beam,” Ryan says. “If you are going uphill slowly you can turn it down.” Look ahead, not down Having the right head position is important. “Don’t drop your head and start looking at your feet because that automatically slows you down,” Ryan says. “Look ahead, and your brain will programme where your feet will go before they get there.” Pick your lines With the correct head position and beam focus, it makes it easier to see the contours of the terrain and coming obstacles. Staying focused, not spacing out, is essential when running in the dark. “Try to pick right lines [to follow] when you’re running so you can keep moving,” Ryan says. “You don’t want to lose concentration and end up going over a bunch of rocks, or scrambling through the bush.” Enjoy the atmosphere “Running in the dark gives an almost out of body experience,” Ryan says. “Everything is really peaceful, you can hear all the little sounds, everything seems fresher, and you become a lot more aware. Enjoy it!” Lead images: © Craig Kolesky / Red Bull Content Pool © Graeme Murray / Red Bull Content Pool Read more running related articles! 7 principles to help you find the flow The lazy runner's guide to a marathon Emelie Forsberg's 7 yoga poses for runners 7 tips for running in hot weather