Suunto athlete Lucy Bartholomew has published a book of her favourite recipes. Called Sustain your Ability, available in print and as an ebook, the plant based cookbook is loaded with delicious meals and treats designed to keep active people fuelled and thriving. “These are all recipes I’ve used to pursue my athletic pursuits from the age of 15 when I started, says Lucy, now 24. “I made the book for people who are trying to sustain an active lifestyle. I was going to call it ‘sustain’ which means to nourish, to thrive, to continue to live, and ‘sustainability’ is the ability to do that for yourself. So it’s for people who want to live a consistently sustainable life. This isn’t a book with some sort of dietary fad – like ‘follow this diet for one month and you'll reach peak fitness’ – it’s for those who are passionately dedicated to being active in the outdoors.” Now available for download, the book was three years in the making. A self described foodie, Lucy initially posted her favourite recipes on her blog and shared them via social media. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the Melbourne based runner suddenly found herself in lockdown, and prohibited from travelling more than five kilometers from her home. “I was thinking I’ve got to have a goal during this time otherwise I will lose motivation,” Lucy says. “COVID gave me time at home with a kitchen, it gave me time because I wasn’t training as much which also gave me a lot of energy. It was a nice distraction. It kept my dad and I very full.” While all the recipes are plant based or vegan, Lucy says they are easily adaptable for people who eat dairy products or meat. “The recipes have been inspired by my travels,” she says. “After Western States in 2018 I went to Mexico where I learned about the culture and the way they make things. Then I went to Nepal and that’s where the dal recipes came from. The meals these places produce are made with ingredients that aren’t super rare or expensive, they normally consist of rice and beans. “They are all meals I enjoy before, during and after runs,” Lucy continues. “It really shows how after nine years in the sport and the fact I still love it is because I’m able to be sustainable in the way I approach it, just like the way I eat.” Read more articles 9 bits of positivity from a crazy year 10 must-read Suunto articles from 2020 7 tips for running in the rain

Suunto ambassador and record breaking ski mountaineer Greg Hill has achieved some incredible things; skiing two million vertical feet (609, 600 m) in a single year, climbing and skiing over 190 mountains, his inspiring Electric Adventures challenge in which he has so far climbed 100 summits without using any fossil fuel. On top of this, add to the list being an awesome dad, and a voice for climate change action. Yet, behind every elite athlete, is at least one trainer who helps to keep the fire burning and things progressing in the right direction. This is true for Greg who has had the same highly sophisticated trainer for the last 21 years. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Greg had the time to sit down and reflect on this relationship. Thanks to my trainer By Greg Hill As Covid hit, we all sat back and reflected on our lives. What I reflected on most was my relationships and their importance. Of course, there were family and loved ones which are the most important. Yet, there were also others whose importance in my life became obvious. Relationships with co-workers, neighbours and, now that I think about it, a long-lasting relationship with my personal trainer. I should introduce myself. I am Greg Hill, a super passionate backcountry skier. This passion has driven me to find first descents, push endurance records and explore places like no one else. My passion lies in pushing into the unknown; be it the physical or the mental landscape. I first met my trainer in a parking lot in Whistler in 1999. It was a moment fated by the stars. I knew I needed a trainer, but I never understood how important the relationship was going to be. This began right at the start of my obsession with vertical travel in the mountains. I knew little, but dreamed big. How could I push and evolve my skills without a proper trainer? Most likely I wouldn’t have accomplished any of my goals without this connection. I had no idea how much this relationship was needed, but we hit it off right away. The moment I was told how fast I was moving upwards, I wanted to excel and push that number higher. With my days being diligently tracked I pushed higher and further for hours. Multiple summits, long, long days, bigger days than I had ever done before. Always the incessant qualifying of my efforts, always the numbers telling me how hard I was working. It was addictive being accountable. Our relationship developed into one of trust and commitment. I was pushed and driven to higher numbers and heights, always keeping track of my times, urging my vertical speeds faster and faster, always wanting me to go higher and further; 30 vertical feet a minute, come on you can do better, 50 feet a minute, that’s it … hold on… push and push… you've got this! One of my first goals was to max out how much I could do in a day’s effort. We diligently worked on getting my one hour vertical as fast and high as possible. My trainer coached me to a point where I could glide and slide my way uphill very fast for an hour at a time. He watched me hit personal best after personal best. Always keeping track and letting me know how well I had done. Or poorly depending on the day. Eventually with this coaching we saw the numbers get higher and higher, 10k, 20k, 30k, 40k in a day. Finally, my biggest vertical day ever, 50 000 feet (15, 240 m) in 23.5 hours. My coach kept those numbers and I was proud. Yet we knew we had more to do … lots more. For many years we worked at doing 3000 m days as fast as possible, pushing and working my fluidity until it felt normal to go out for four to five hours and log 3000 + meters of uphill travel. As a team, we worked up to one million feet in a winter, then eighty days over 3000 m in a season. Finally, we decided it was time for my biggest year ever. With my coach at my side at all times, I felt like we could challenge the world. As scared as I was of the audacity of the task, I knew that together we could make it happen. My drive and the constant progress reports would keep me motivated. The year was going to be all about getting out every day and moving up and down mountains. For 365 days I went to bed with my trainer beside me. Immediately on waking I was told how much vertical I had climbed up to that point. It took exactly 270 days out of 365 to push my numbers over the two million feet (609 km) mark but it was the endless support and drive of my trainer that kept me getting up in the morning. Greg celebrates back in 2014 after completing his March Madness, skiing 100.000 meters of vertical in a month. His trainer played a key role also in this challenge! In the last 10 years the information has changed and there is so much more that I get from my trainer: GPS lines that show the adventures with distances, apps that have all my efforts on them. I am even told how much time to relax between training sessions, though I find this one hard to follow!! These days my trainer captures all my efforts to stay off my “dad bod” and keep pushing my personal limits. High intensity training is key to pushing back against the effects of age. Now I am pushed hard for two minutes, then slow my heart rate down, then back up for two minutes, pushing hard into the 90 % of effort range. My heart rate is watched, recorded and displayed. I know if I am pushing hard enough to lose these love handles. By now it may be obvious the trainer I met in the parking lot in Whistler was my first altimeter watch. It has been an incredible time, using it for endless hours of quantified fun. I can honestly say that without the constant updates, and the evolution of these watches, I most likely would not have been as obsessed and pushed to excel in my life. All images: © Bruno Long Read more articles 14 tips for backcountry skiing this winter 10 must-read Suunto articles from 2020 7 tips for running in the rain

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  

If you love adventure like we do we want you to show it by sharing an awesome image from one of your recent trips on Instagram. Share your adventure pride, and you have a chance to get kitted out for your next trip: we have five Adventure Starter Packs to give away, each worth over 1350 euros!   Each starter pack includes a Suunto 9 GPS watch, an Arcteryx Alpha AR 20 backpack, an Insta360 action camera, a Jetboil portable stove and Oakley Clifden sunglasses. You’ll be ready to hit the trail!  How to enter:  1. Post an adventure image with text explaining what your best outdoor adventure has been or what your dream outdoor adventure would be. 2. Tag #adventurestartshere and #suunto, #arcteryx, #insta360, #jetboil, #oakley in your copy text. 3. Follow @suunto  We’ll choose the 5 most inspiring posts among those tagged with #adventurestartshere plus #suunto #arcteryx #insta360 #jetboil and #oakley, and send the adventure gear their way soon after. Contest ends on November 23 at 8 am GMT. The most inspiring posts will win. Good luck! Terms and conditions apply. Read them here. 

The weather is more than just a topic for small talk for outdoor people. It can directly impact our safety, or less dramatically, the awesomeness of an activity or adventure. How many of you have ever been caught out by an April snowstorm when you were up in the mountains? Or how about running out of light before you made it to shelter or back to the road end? These can sometimes be alarming experiences. The good news is Suunto has solutions for these scenarios and more. Read on for some of our tools for weather intel.   © wisthaler.com SuuntoPlus Weather Whether you’re out hiking, trekking, ultra running, climbing or mountain biking, it’s wise to track the weather and environmental changes. That way there will be no unpleasant surprises. The Weather insights SuuntoPlus feature on Suunto 9 Baro helps you to do just this. It gives you a heads up on the conditions while you’re out there. A combination of functions – storm alarms, temperature readings, barometric trends, sun and moon phases and more – give you the intel you need to make smart and safe decisions in the outdoors. Here’s an overview of the weather insights you’ll get: Sunrise / Sunset The upcoming sunrise or sunset, depending on which is next. This tells you when to pack up and get going, for example, or how much daylight you have left to finish your activity for the day. Temperature Take your watch off to avoid your body heat skewing the results, and place it on something to get an accurate temperature reading. To get a water temperature reading, place it underwater (below 10 cm/ 4 inches). After you remove the watch the temperature is shown for 30 seconds, and is indicated with a separate temperature icon.NOTE: Measuring the water temperature will affect the ascent/descent values as these are pressure based. Estimated time of arrival (ETA) If the estimated time of arrival goes past sunset, it will be shown in red. This gives you heads up on how you are doing for time, whether you need to speed up or have enough slack to cruise. Barometric trend and storm alarm The barometric trend is shown on the bottom of the screen, with the current barometric value. The Suunto storm alarm is automatically shown if the pressure drops 4 hPa (0.12 inHg) or more during a three hour period. Oxygen level If you are above 2000 m (6 561 ft) your watch will give you a reading on the oxygen % compared to sea level. Read how to use Weather on your Suunto 9 Baro here. New outdoor watch face The new Outdoor watch face on Suunto 9 and Suunto 5 gives you a heads up at a glance. No need to press any buttons; basic info is displayed right on the face in bright colours, including – depending on your watch – sunset and sunrise times, barometric trend, and more. Read more about it here.    MyRadar Get sophisticated weather forecasts on your Suunto 7 with MyRadar, a free Wear OS app. MyRadar has two components; conventional weather forecasting and also an impressive high definition radar display of your location with time lapse shots of the weather fronts moving around your location, as these two pictures illustrate. The weather forecasting offers hour by hour updates, lightning and weather alerts, precipitation predictions, and conventional daily and hourly forecasting. The high definition view and the accuracy of MyRadar has made it the go to weather app for many outdoors people. Get the app here. Klimat This cool little service automatically adds the weather conditions from the beginning of your activity to your training log. No need to install anything on your phone; just sign up online and you’re in business. It allows you to look back and see when you braved the rain, or were out in that last horrendous storm. You can choose the data and style, including emoji preferences, set the format and label it according to your purpose or aim. For an extra $5 a year, you get everything the free membership offers, plus some useful additional features such as air quality data, location info, and the removal of branding. Start using Klimat here.   Sunrise and sunset alarms This helpful feature gives you alerts when sunrise or sunset is approaching Photographers and fishermen, for example, won’t miss the golden hour again! For Hikers, climbers and trekkers, an alarm will tell you when the sun is rising so you know it’s time to pack up and get going. Conversely, an alarm lets you know when sunset is coming, telling you how much daylight you have to play with before finding shelter. The alarms in your Suunto 9 and Suunto 5 are adaptive alarms based on your location. You decide when the alarm goes off, depending on how much in advance you want to be alerted before the sun rises or sets. Set Sunset/sunrise alarms in Settings -> Alarms. Learn more about alarms on Suunto 9 here and alarms on Suunto 5 here. Storm alarm A significant drop in barometric pressure typically means a storm is coming and you seek shelter. When the storm alarm is active, your Suunto 9 Baro sounds an alarm and displays a storm symbol when the pressure drops 4 hPa (0.12 inHg) or more during a three hour period. Activate Storm alarm in Settings -> Alarms -> Storm alarm. Learn more about storm alarm on Suunto 9 Baro here. When your storm alarm sounds, pressing any button dismisses the alarm. If no button is pressed, the alarm notification lasts for one minute. The storm symbol remains on the display until the weather conditions stabilize.  Moon phases In addition to sunrise and sunset times, your watch can track moon phases. Based on the date in your watch, this feature is particularly useful if you plan to be moving at night; it will indicate how much moon light you can count on for visibility. The moon phase is available as a view on the Outdoor watch face of Suunto 9 and Suunto 5 mentioned above. Tap on the screen to change the lower row until you see the moon icon and percentage. Outdoor insights Suunto 9 Baro constantly measures absolute air pressure using its built in pressure sensor. This sensor plays a key role in determining barometric trends, storm alarms, temperature and more. Based on this measurement and your altitude reference value, it calculates altitude, or air pressure. Swipe up or press the lower button to view the Outdoor insights including current altitude and barometric pressure, the current temperature and the altimeter and barometer trend graphs. To see barometric trends on a Suunto 7, you can use the Baro Trends Wear OS app.

The new Outdoor watch face for the Suunto 9 Baro, 9, 5 and 3 watches allows users to track conditions and daylight hours with just a quick glance. No need to press buttons or scroll – the essential info is presented on the screen. Suunto UX designer Jeanette Lau supported the development and says the motivation behind the watch face was to support users with their adventure planning. “We wanted to inspire and equip users for their outdoor adventures,” she says. “We conducted some research and we learned many of our users felt as if there wasn’t enough time in the day and wanted to know what the conditions were before embarking on their adventure.” Click to learn about 8 tools to track the weather with Suunto For all of the above watches, the Outdoor watch face features a sun gauge that displays the number of night and daylight hours before sunrise and sunset. Tap the screen once, and the watch face displays the number of hours until sunset or sunrise, plus the battery life remaining, or the moon phase, which is helpful because on a full moon night you know you’ll have extra light to stay out a little longer. “Most of the time we feel as if there isn’t enough time in the day,” Jeanette says. “But with this watch face, I can see exactly how much time I have for a run before the sun sets without having to do the math myself.” On the Suunto 9 Baro On Suunto 9 Baro watches – which have a barometer – the Outdoor watch face also displays an air pressure gauge along with current altitude. With two taps on the screen, a more detailed screen appears, displaying the barometric trend and, once they are 2000 m or higher, the oxygen percentage. On the Suunto 9, Suunto 5 and Suunto 3 Rather than extra barometric info, on the Suunto 9, 5, and 3 watches, the Outdoor watch face includes a steps gauge that quickly tells users where they’re at with their daily step goal and how many calories they have burned. To get the outdoor watch face on your Suunto 9 Baro, Suunto 9, Suunto 5 or Suunto 3, make sure you have the latest software version on your watch and then enter the watch face selection in your watch settings and choose the newly loaded face. Read more articles 8 tools for tracking the weather with Suunto