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.

Mid-winter is traditionally a time for hibernation and holing up before the better weather of spring arrives. And so it is for the Under the Pole expedition who are currently over-wintering in Greenland. “All our suppliers are now installed in front of Ikerasak in our wintering place,” the team say in their latest dispatch. “The strong winds of these last weeks have not let the sea ice form. We hope to see the WHY [the team yacht] immobilized in the sea ice at the end of December.” “We have still two hours of light despite the fact the sun doesn’t rise any more above the horizon. Navigation is still practicable and we’ve made some back and forth to Uummannaq to pick up crew members and to protect us from the violent storms. At the beginning of December we registered winds of more than 65 knots! During 20 hours the crew did shifts to keep an eye on the hawsers and to protect the boat from the icebergs that came and hit the boat’s hull.” Despite this, diving conditions have been exceptional. “Visibility is magnificent, worthy of the incredible environments that we found at the North Pole in 2010. This winter is going to be remarkable,” adds Ghislain Bardout, expedition leader. Under The Pole is a series of submarine polar expeditions aiming to explore the hidden face of the Arctic and Antarctic polar regions in their diversities. The expedition, which is supported by Suunto, aims to further our scientific knowledge of the region and environment. For more info: www.underthepole.com All images © Lucas SANTUCCI / Under The Pole

It may sound strange, but getting off the bike can help make you stronger, fitter and faster, as well as decrease your risk of injury. It’s a chance to develop muscles that get neglected while on the bike and address any weaknesses. Check out the suggestions below that will have you ready for your spring cycling. 1. Cross-country skiing Cross Country Skiing is the perfect cross-training sport for cyling. It uses the muscles in ranges of motion that are very similar to cycling, while giving your mind and muscles a much-needed break from pedaling. You’ll enhance strength in your hips, quads and abdomen – the key sources of power you use to drive the pedals, as well as give your heart and lungs a good workout.It's also great fun. 2. Work on your coreIf you've ever left spin class or a long ride with a sore back, a weak core is to blame. Cycling's tripod position, in which the saddle, pedals and handlebar support your weight, relies on core strength but doesn't build it. Try performing long sets of exercises like the plank and side plank—holding for up to three minutes. Emelie Forsberg demonstrates the plank 3. Swimming Swimming is also a great way to improve your upper body strength and balance and can improve flexibility as well as offering some additional cardiovascular fitness. It forces you to use your upper body at a relatively low impact. Try to vary the strokes between front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke. We recommend you swim indoors during winter! ©zooom.at/Markus Berger 4. Weight trainingDoing the same activity everyday can lead to imbalances in the body, and this can lead to injury. And your time on the bike needs more than just quad strength—your core, low back, triceps, and even your neck take a lot of strain from long bouts of pedaling. Weight training will increase both your cycling strength and efficiency. Try lunges, dumbbell squats, single-leg deadlift, swiss ball hamstring curls and bent over row with high reps and moderate resistance that develop muscular endurance. 4. Yoga and Pilates You’re more than likely tight, stiff or imbalanced from too-many months of cycling without other physical activity. Yoga and Pilates can do wonderful things for cyclists because they lengthen and strengthen a whole host of muscles. They also teach you how to activate and strengthen your core muscles. Will Trubridge practises yoga for his freediving

The #Paradise contest is now closed and we will be announcing the lucky winners soon. Thank you to everyone for taking part. We have been overwhelmed by the number of images that you have sent in! Inspired.

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