Kilian Jornet set a new ascent-descent record on Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the western hemisphere, on December 23rd. The speed record was part of Kilian’s Summits of My Life project. Kilian started the ascent from the last inhabited place, the cabin of the park guards in Horcones at 2.900 meters. With the summit at 6,962 m the route included over 4,000 m of ascent and descent – and a distance of almost 60 km. The new Aconcagua record now stands at 12 hours 49 minutes. That’s three hours faster than the previous official record and an hour faster than the unofficial one! “I’m really happy to have completed this new challenge. It has been tough, especially at 6,500m altitude when I suffered altitude sickness. Anyway, these moments of suffering will always be remembered,” says Kilian. Relive Kilian Jornet’s Aconcagua record with a Suunto Movie. Read also Kilian’s blog post about the record.

As you read this, Kilian Jornet is attempting #6 on his Summits of My Life project, the mighty Aconcagua, 6,959 m, the highest mountain in the Americas. The goal is to set a new speed ascent record and follows his previous successes on Mt Blanc, the Matterhorn and Denali. “Everything is ready for the next dream!” he recently blogged. Aconcagua, Argentina ©Daniel Peppes Gauer - Flickr The goal is to break two records: Brunod, Pelissier and Meraldi's 3h 40 m record from the Plaza de Mulas (basecamp) in 2000 and Egocheaga's 14h 54m record from Horcones set in 2007. Kilian is typically modest when we speak to him: “The main goal is to make a fast time on Aconcagua,” he says.With him will be the film-maker Seb Montaz and guide Vivian Bruchez and one other person close to Kilian, his girlfriend Emelie Forsberg. This means he will not be the only champion ultra runner on the mountain. Illustration courtesy of Suumits of my Life It will be nice to support Kilian,” says Emelie “and if I am having a good day I will also try for the female record. It's not a goal for me but if I'm feeling good, I will try. It's a beautiful mountain.”Aconcagua is not as technically difficult as the Matterhorn and nor as wild and exposed as Denali but sitting just under 7,000 m it still poses a formidable challenge. Next up on Kilian's mountain schedule is the winter ski-mountaineering season and then Everest beckons in the spring. “It's too ambitious to say it will be a record attempt,” adds Kilian. “It will be an attempt!”We all wish Kilian (and Emelie) the best of luck! Main image shows Emelie and Kilian in Spain: ©Jordi Canameras

It's the final clip from the Suunto Vertical Blue freediving contest and goes some way to explaining why the event is the must-attend freediving event in the world. “These are all friends, we're a big family,” says Austria's Jakob Galbavy. “Everyone has a great attitude.”Not only is there great vibe, but Suunto Vertical Blue is home to some incredible performances. “The average depth was in mid 70s including male and female and across all disciplines,“ says organizer Will Trubridge. “It's really a great event for top freedivers.”Don't believe us? Just sit back and enjoy the video below. Main image: ©Daan Verhoeven

Dark mornings, icy roads, gusting winds and sub-zero temperatures ... running during the cold winter months can be a real challenge, sapping our motivation to get outdoors. But winter also can be an advantage, since it forces us to change our training patterns. So don’t get lazy just because it’s cold outside. Here’s how to stay motivated to train outdoors through the winter... Follow Kilian's example: Don't run! The world's top trail runner does not run over winter. “I spend half the year running and half the year skiing,” he says. “I don't run in winter. It's good to make a break and try other sports. If you live where there's snow, it's better to go cross-country skiing or ski mountaineering. Running in the snow can be good,” he adds “but you need to take care because the muscles work differently and you can pick up injuries.” Gear up There's no such thing as bad weather – just the wrong clothing, so goes the adage. Since your feet are the most important, it makes sense to look after them. Gore-tex lined running shoes are ideal for snow and wet conditions. When there's snow and ice, wear shoes with spikes. Work on your style No, we don't mean which gilet to wear – your running style. If you're running at night and on trails, speed work is out of the question. So it's a chance to slow-up and concentrate on your technique and work on your form so you're more efficient and less injury prone. Don't overdress It's temping to put on all the layers before heading out the door but even in the coldest conditions your body will still warm up and there's nothing worse than over-heating in the cold as that dampness will chill you the moment you stop. Head out the door a little cold and start off easily so you warm up gradually. Consider taking a running rucksack to carry an extra layer and survival extras like phone and energy food. Track Back With your Suunto watch you never need to worry about getting lost and failing to make it back home. If you lose your way in the dark, simply hit Find Back on your Suunto 9 and let your watch show you the way home. Run to time rather than distance Plan a time-based training program, meaning that workouts are prescribed in minutes rather than kilometers. This recognizes the variability of running conditions due to weather. When it's cold and slippery, it's hard to maintain the same fast pace you might in the spring or fall. Go inside Indoors isn't so bad and a bit of training at the gym can really improve your running fitness and overall strength. Think about signing up to a core-strength building class like Pilates or circuit training. Lead image: © zooom.at/bergermarkus.com

Adventures take us to new experiences and out of the everyday. Kilian Jornet says that exploring is human; Greg Hill that adventure is a mindset. Watch the Suunto Adventure video and hear what Kilian Jornet, Greg Hill, Jill Heinerth and Conrad Stoltz think of adventure. Top image: © Bruno Long

Sandra Koblmüller is the star of our recent Suunto Ambit3 Sport Sapphire shoot and you'll see her in the current campaign. But the 24-year-old is also an athlete in her own right and recently competed in the XTERRA world championships in Maui, the premier off-road triathlon, where she came 14th. Amazingly she only started swimming a few years ago. So how did she do it? How did you get to become a pro triathlete? In secondary school our class took part in a cross-country running competition. Without any serious training I came second and my passion for running was born. I started to regularly take part in running competitions. When I went to university a colleague asked me to do the running part in a triathlon relay. I was so impressed from the combination of the three disciplines that I wanted to try a whole triathlon on my own and started to train for swimming. And then? One year later I won the Austrian Championship for Crosstriathlon and the Austrian federation sent me to the European Championships. Because of this, I was allowed to become a professional athlete this year. In my first year as a “pro“ I came second at the XTERRA Portugal, which qualifies you for the World Championship in Maui (Hawaii). Tell us about your training routine?Normally I wake up at 6 o’clock in the morning. After a short breakfast I usually start my day in the swimming pool with a 3-5 km swim. I am not always motivated to jump into the cold water in the morning, but after some lanes I get my motivation and enjoy it. After the swim I take a second breakfast and do something for university then at noon or in the evening I usually do my second workout – either I go for a run or I ride my bike. At the weekend I normally do some longer bike workouts (about 4 hours). Then Monday is my rest day, where I do relaxing things like sauna, massages, stretching…How do you monitor your progress? I have my own trainer and I usually get a training plan for a week. With the help of the Suunto Ambit3 Sport Sapphire we are able to control my training. Are there any areas of your training that you are struggling with?As I started stroke swimming very late at the age of 20, my swimming technique is not the best. If you want to be a good swimmer/triathlete you have to start swimming in your childhood to get the water feeling. However I’m working hard to improve this. What are your dreams and goals?One of my biggest goals is to become one of the best XTERRA athletes in the world. A goal in the near future is a victory in one of the XTERRA World Tour races. What inspires and motivates you? One thing that inspires me is the improvement you make if you train hard for your goals. For example, when I started to swim, it took me about 1:45 for the 100 meters intervals (10 x 100m intervals of swimming). Now I am able to swim the 100m in 1:25 and I am sure that one day I will swim my 100m intervals under 1:20.What are your fears?I have a fear of failure, especially just before a competition. So the most important thing I have to learn is to believe in my strengths and myself.