Suunto Blog

The next generation dive computer is here, offering full customization and amazing color screen. What's next for dive computers? That question has come a little closer to being answered today as market leader Suunto unveils the Suunto EON Steel, the first fully customizable dive computer. It's so intuitive it takes ease of use to a new level. Full customizationWith Suunto CustomDisplay™, you can tailor your EON Steel so that it shows exactly what you want. You can choose from a traditional text-based interface or a graphical view, and customize up to five different displays with Suunto DM5 software, the program that transfers your logbook data to your computer for detailed analysis.  Unrivalled clarityThe EON Steel also offers divers unrivalled clarity thanks to its new, innovative wide-angle BrightSee™ screen. The brightness, high color contrast and easy handling mean the display can be read in all conditions, whether you're diving in shallow and light waters, or deep and dark ones. Comments Mika Holappa, Dive Business Unit Director at Suunto: “We are delighted to launch the Suunto EON Steel, which is the result of our desire to produce the best possible diving computer for active divers. Its customization possibilities and ease of use make it ideally suited to every diving occasion.” Diving with you for years to comeThe Suunto EON Steel will grow with you as your diving and skills evolve, thanks to the way you can customize it to your needs. With user updatable software, including a free fixed point CCR upgrade in 2015, it will dive with you for many years to come, whatever diving you're into. It comes with the choice of a strap or bungee attachment so it can be physically customized as well. The Suunto EON Steel uses the highly advanced Suunto Fused™ RGBM algorithm to maximize your dive time. When used together with the new Suunto Tank POD, you can get tank pressures from multiple PODs with just a glance at the wrist. The EON Steel is rated to 150 m and offers a dive time of 20-40 hours after one charge – meaning it's ideal for those week-long liveaboard trips. Finland-based Suunto has developed many diving innovations in the last 50 years – including the first diving compass and early dive computers. Creating reliable products that are tested and designed for the harshest of elements has been a part of its heritage for almost 80 years. The Suunto EON Steel builds on that tradition. The bezel is made from brushed stainless steel while the housing uses reinforced composite. The Xensation™ glass display is also built to withstand every diving situation. Inside and out the Suunto EON Steel is made with the most advanced components, making it extremely durable and accurate. It's another reason why the Suunto EON Steel makes the perfect partner for your diving adventures. The Suunto EON Steel will be available in spring 2015, at the recommended price of €999. The Suunto Tank POD is available at €299.

Corky Still, 35, is the 4th and final winner of our #SuuntoAdventure selfie contest. Here, the Alaskan tells us about his journey from telemark racing to exploring remote mountain lines to ski.  How does it feel to win? Great! I'm very honored to have a person of Greg Hill's caliber select my photo.Tell us about the photo? I was up early getting some turns in at Hatcher Pass, a great local spot, before work. The picture is a GoPro shot of our midwinter sunrise here in Alaska. Corky's winning shot of an Alaskan sunrise, as selected by Greg Hill. What are your sports? I am a skier. I like to Nordic, Alpine, and Tele ski during the winter months. During the summer I spend my time cycling, rafting, and running. So how did you get started? I grew up in Alaska ski racing for local clubs and schools. During college in Reno, I got into backcountry and big mountain skiing around Lake Tahoe. I ended up competing in the 2009 Telemark Big Mountain series where I garnered podium finishes and won the event at Alyeska Resort, AK. Since then, I have spent most of my time in the mountains around my home in Anchorage, Alaska. I continue to look for ski lines hiding right here in my backyard, while also traveling to and exploring far away places. Tell us about a recent adventure you're proud of:I was very happy with all of the new couloirs I was able to ski last spring. That really has me excited for the upcoming winter season. More recently, I ran the Lost Lake Trail race, which is a 16 mile run through the mountains. I didn't get much preparation, but managed a good time anyway. At least I was happy with it. Features you'd most like to use from the Ambit3? I am excited to use the altimeter tracking on the watch. I have always wondered about specific elevations when I'm out skiing and I think it will be neat to track the amount of climbing and descending during those long tours.What's next? The next few months will be spent preparing for the snow to arrive. Fall around here always involves flyfishing and running, though I will be road riding a lot to prepare for a cycling trip to the Big Island of Hawaii in November. Check out Corky's other shots on his Instagram profile All images ©CorkyStill

In their latest update, the Under the Pole team share their Arctic adventures, which included a visit to Canada's Ellesmere Island. “Adventure is full of pleasant surprises and twists,” writes Ghislain Bardout in his latest newsletter. “We stopped in one of the wintering grounds of the Fram, the iconic polar exploration ship [of explorers Nansen and Amundsen]. It was here, alongside a glacier, where an idea emerged: what if we went exploring its underside?” © Lucas Santucci / Under The Pole. “Ghislain and Martin spend several hours every day to prepare their recyclers and make their gas mixtures. Before getting on the water, the concentration is maximum, misinterpretation or an error can be fatal at these depths.” “We experienced magical and rare moments,” adds Ghislain. “In the Arctic, a cairn is a hollow that allows leaving messages for future travelers. In an Ellesmere cairn we found a previously undiscovered box containing a message recounting a 1925 expedition.” The team, who are exploring Greenland's coastline, sailed as far north as they could get before ice blocked their path at 80°23N. “We docked to an ice floe in order to achieve the northernmost scuba dive of the expedition,” continues Ghislain. © Martin Martin - Lucas Santucci / Under The Pole. Life and light returns after a 100 m dive. “The second half of August was devoted to finding a wintering place in the Bay of Qaanaaq. After speaking to locals and exploring various sites, the team settled on Uummannaq Bay further south. “Wintering in Uummannaq Bay is also a great happiness for us, since we loved the dives and made good friends there,” adds Ghislain. www.underthepole.com

We're sad to report that two climbers attempting to climb Shishapangma have died in an avalanche near the summit. We had earlier shared on these pages how Benedikt Böhm, Sebastian Haag and Andrea Zambaldi were attempting to climb two 8,000ers within a week. We had supported them with product. “At 06:55 local time on 24th September, Sebastian and Andrea were caught in an avalanche at 7.900m, just 100m below the summit and were dragged for 600m vertical, over steep glaciers, into another section of the mountain,” a statement read on their website. The full report can be read here. Haag, Böhm und Zambaldi at the start of their trip in Kathmandu. © Elias Lefas Benedikt attempted to search for the pair with Ueli Steck, who was not part of the expedition but was climbing with Benedikt. Unfortunately the two were not able to reach the avalanche debris zone and were forced to turn back. Our thoughts go out to their family and friends.

Winter is coming! Time to start thinking about that ice climbing trip and where to head to this season. To help you make up your mind, we spoke to Suunto's Matthias Scherer and Tanja Schmitt and asked them for their recommended venues. In this first installment the pair, one of the most active ice climbing partnerships around, offer up some of the best lines for beginners and intermediates in the European Alps. Better start training... Cogne, Italy Matthias climbs steep ice in Cogne. ©Tanja Schmitt Let's start with our home area 'Cogne'. Doubtless one of the best places we know so far to get a lot of climbing done within easy and quick access. But be aware – when it snows or the wind is blowing, our valleys become serious avalanche terrain – so please check always the avalanche forecast, before starting your adventure. We recommend of course the 'Cascate Lillaz'. In good conditions it's a wonderful climb in the grade of WI 3. Small objective dangers and equipped belays with the possibility to quit the ascent on many places makes it a perfect beginners' line. Freissinières and Sixt Valleys, France Matthias climbs 'Shiva Lingam' in the Chamonix valley. ©Tanja Schmitt This country hosts some of the most impressive ice climbing areas in Europe: Freissinières and the Sixt are valleys with incredible lines. For scenic climbing in one of the most famous places in alpinism we recommend the 'Ruisseau du Picheu', WI 2 near to the Le Tour village in the Chamonix valley. Of course, you also need to check the avalanche conditions. Kandersteg, Switzerland Tanja Schmitt on Glücksritter, Adelboden, Switzerland. ©Matthias Scherer Not really for beginners but in good conditions and with a stable snow pack a great challenge for the medium ice climber is the 'Glücksritter' fall WI 4+ in Adelboden. Impressive ice formation with a quick access in a wild cirque near to the world famous ice climbing area of Kandersteg... Stubai valley, Austria There's no easy way around the Stubai valley and the ice climbing area above the Pinisalm. The approach, with a toboggan (rent at the ski station) from the Elfer-ski area is super fun. Pinistal is home to impressive lines like 'Maenner' or the 'Kerze', a very aesthetic line. We recommend the massive ice shield of the 'Vorhang', WI 4+. In case the climbing is not exciting enough for you the way down back to the valley on the toboggan will do the job... Velocity, the new ice climbing film from Matthias Scherer and Tanja Schmitt can be seen here.

Trent Busenbark is a seasoned outdoorsman based in the US. He's also the proud winner of our #AdventureSelfie contest, winning an Ambit3 Sport. How does it feel to win? It’s always nice to see some appreciation for an image you personally captured, especially in today’s world where almost everyone has access to a camera. I am grateful for the consideration. Tell us about the photo.This photo was captured last September in Montana on a backcountry archery hunt. The original intentions were to bivy out for multiple days. On day one we packed in 15 miles (24 km) and the next day we were greeted with plummeting temps, severe wind, and driving snow. This photo was captured with a GoPro on our evacuation out of the mountains. Mother Nature and the rough terrain definitely got the best of us that trip but left us hungry for more. Plans are in place to return. Trent's winning selfie.What gets your adventure blood pumping? For the most part my hobbies include virtually anything outdoors from horseback riding to skiing. There seems to have always been a heavy focus on hunting and photography. I'm a passionate outdoorsmen with a common goal – get out there as much as possible and always try to capture the moment. Tell us about a recent adventureI recently returned from Italy and enjoyed spending a couple days in the Dolomite Mountains. The views were fantastic! Another Montana trip is planned for November and is sure to present its own challenges. Features you'd most like to use from the Ambit3?I am excited to use the GPS feature on the Ambit3. In Montana my Sunnto Core with its compass and altimeter proved vital in reading our topo map. It will be nice to leave specific waypoints along the way with the GPS feature. What's next? Towards the end of September I will be heading to Canada for a waterfowl outing and I will be returning to Montana for a late season elk hunt in November. If I am lucky I would like to squeeze in a ski trip this winter as well. All images ©Trent Busenbark. Follow him on Instagram.