Suunto Blog

To motivate people to ride and run to work and to slash their CO₂ emissions (CO2e), we invited our community to join the first ever Suunto Commuting Day on September 22. The response was great: the community tracked nearly 380.000 km of human-powered commutes with their Suunto watches and Hammerhead bike computers. That’s just about the same distance as going from Earth to the moon! Impressive first time results The most popular commuting activity types were cycling, running and walking. Half of the commutes were cycling, a third was running and the rest walking – with some skateboarding, roller skiing and even swimming thrown in the mix. The most common commuting distance for cyclists was 8,4 km, for runners 6,1 km and walkers 2,9 km. When looked closer at the cycling distances the distribution is quite equal: Less than 5km commuting distance 26% 5–10 km commuting distance 32% 10–20 km commuting distance 25% More than 20 km commuting distance 17% Time-wise, runners had the longest duration commutes. The most common commuting durations were: Running 39 min Walking 37min Cycling 29min When looking at different nations, the Swedes were the most active bike commuters as the ratio between their bike commutes and bike rides in general was the highest. Other countries on the active commuter list were Germany, France, Finland and the UK.   Choosing human-powered travel Human-powered commutes are good for both you and the planet as transportation is one of the biggest sources of emissions worldwide. When comparing the distance the community traveled with driving that same distance in a combustion-powered car, the estimated CO2e savings were over 65.000 kg. That’s the equivalent of 260 one hour passenger flights. France, Japan, Finland, Spain and Germany accounted for the top 5 largest CO2e savings in total. “We are stoked that we got so much participation even though it was the first Suunto Commuting Day and we had very little lead in time,” says Suunto’s Sustainability manager Heidi Heikkinen. “This shows how much interest there is — we expect the CO2e savings to increase next time. “One single bike ride to work may not seem like a big commitment, but once you do that on a regular basis, you will start to see how it all adds up. And, when looking at the entire community, it is clear that thousands of people choosing human-powered commutes regularly can definitely make a difference.” Track your commutes In its increased focus on sustainability, Suunto has given its community the ability to track human-powered commutes and – as an extra motivation – see the estimated CO2e savings compared to driving that same distance. To get started, track your commutes with a Suunto watch or a Hammerhead bike computer and tag the activity as a commute in Suunto app. In Suunto app you will see how much CO2e you have saved. You don’t even need to have a Suunto watch or a Suunto compatible Hammerhead bike computer to track your human-powered commutes: you can also use Suunto app and track with it for free. You can download Suunto app for iOS here and for Android here. Committed to be a force for good Promoting sustainable everyday choices is part of Suunto’s commitment to being a more responsible company. Today, more than 90 % of Suunto products are made in its factory in Vantaa, Finland. Since 2021, its HQ and factory have used 100% renewable energy. And to keep things transparent, it has recently published its first annual sustainability report that you can read here.“Suunto’s approach to sustainability is to increase positive effects, not just to reduce the negative ones. These are called, respectively, our handprint and footprint. We aim to tread lightly, and be a force for good. We believe in the power of community. Together, we can affect change by raising our voices and taking real action. Our ambassadors and our community care as much as we do,” says Brand manager Antti Laiho. Read more Learn more about tracking human-powered commutes and your CO2e savingsLearn more about Suunto’s approach to sustainabilityLearn more about Suunto’s comprehensive offering to cyclists  

We are stoked to announce our inaugural Suunto Commuting Day to be held on Thursday, September 22. It’s simple to join: track your commute with a Suunto watch or a Hammerhead bike computer and tag the activity as a commute in Suunto app. After the event, we’ll show how much CO2e emissions our community has saved. “One single bike ride to work may not seem like a big commitment,” says Suunto’s Sustainability manager Heidi Heikkinen. “But once you do that on a regular basis, you will start to see how it all adds up. And, when looking at the entire community, it is clear that thousands of people choosing human-powered commutes can definitely make a difference. Especially knowing that transportation is one of the biggest sources of emissions.” You don’t even need to have a Suunto watch or a Suunto compatible Hammerhead bike computer to start tracking your human-powered commutes: you can also use Suunto app and track with it for free. You can download Suunto app for iOS here and for Android here. “Suunto’s approach to sustainability is to increase positive effects, not just to reduce the negative ones. These are called, respectively, our handprint and footprint. We aim to tread lightly, and be a force for good. We believe in the power of community. Together, we can affect change by raising our voices and taking real action. Our ambassadors and our community care as much as we do,” says Brand manager Antti Laiho. Learn more about tracking human-powered commutes and your CO2e savings Learn more about Suunto’s approach to sustainability

Feeling is an excellent metric for recovery. If your feelings after exercise start to trend downwards, something is not right. You may be pushing too hard, not recovering well enough or might be getting sick. Consider taking a break or doing something different for a change. But in addition to helping you track your recovery, feeling data reveals more. Here are six interesting findings about Suunto community, based on the data from Suunto app database. 1. Activity type does matter: The best feelings on average are recorded after dancing, downhill skiing, horseback riding, badminton and snowboarding. 2. Two activity types stand out as exceptionally poor: The feelings after running and trail running are clearly below other activity types. 3. Weather does not have a big impact on the feeling – unless it is a torrential downpour: The activity type, for example choosing cycling over running, has a much bigger impact. 4. Gender makes a difference: Women have more (or at least as much) fun as men in all other activity types except soccer. 5. Age does not matter: The age of the athlete did not have a correlation with the mood after exercise. 6. Country heavily impacts the mood: People exercising in Austria, China, Croatia, Poland and Serbia are generally feeling exceptionally well after a training session, while France, Italy, Japan, Spain and Sweden are in the opposite end of the list with much poorer feelings after working out. In addition to fun facts, the data also reveals interesting trends: As an example, the feeling in cycling, swimming and walking rose to a new, higher level in March 2020 and has stayed on that higher level. Changes in other activity types since Covid pandemic started have not been as clear. Happy adventures – and keep on tracking your activity feelings for your own wellbeing and our shared interest! Lead image: Harald Wisthaler Bikewash image: Anthony Bonello

Verna Volker became a runner to lose weight, but instead fell in love with it and found it brought her closer to herself. She grew up in the Dzilnaoodilii area of New Mexico and is from Navajo Nation. A former second grade teacher, she lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her husband and four children. “My journey has taken me from a newbie runner to a marathoner and recently to an ultra-marathoner when I finished my first Ultra 50-mile race,” Verna says. “My desire is to use my running to inspire others.” In this article, Verna explains her experience as a native runner in the United States and what we can all do to make the running scene more welcoming and inclusive for indigneous runners. By Verna Volker Diversity isn’t new to me. When I started my running journey, I became aware of the lack of diversity in the running community. It wasn’t just at the races, it was also evident on magazine covers and in running apparel advertising. I remember scanning through social media, and only seeing one type of runner: thin, blonde, white and fast. I didn’t see myself so I decided to create a space for our native women to be seen running. On January 23, 2018, before there was a drive for diversity in the mainstream running scene, I created Native Women Running, an Instagram account for this purpose for native women runners across the United States and Canada. In the wake of the death of George Floyd, and other widely reported cases of injustice here in the US, running companies, individuals and organizations reached out to me asking for native runners to participate on their panels, teams or anything to show they were taking diversity seriously in their spaces. A majority of these were white-led spaces who wanted to make change and be good allies. Many focused on having diversity, but not necessarily having inclusivity. “Inclusion” is defined as “embracing all people irrespective of race, gender, disability, medical or other need.” It’s about giving equal access and opportunities to people of color while eliminating discrimination and intolerance. Another way I saw this defined is, “diversity is being invited to the ball, inclusion is being asked to dance.” As a native runner, I wanted to put a spotlight on native runners. The running world, like so much of society, has failed to remember this land that so many of us enjoy running on is native land. For the native community it is considered stolen land. Native runners have a different perspective from non-native runners while out running. Yes, we run competitively, however our running focuses on healing, ceremony, and prayer. It’s been four years since I've been involved in the native running community. Time and time again, running organizations, companies, and everyone and everything running related ask me for ideas to help them become better allies to our native community. Though I don’t speak for all natives, here are a few of my best ideas for organizations looking to be more inclusive of native runners. Offer a land acknowledgment This is usually a formal statement that is written or a verbal recognition of the ancestral lands of native peoples. It’s recognizing the past, present and future of our native people. When delivering a land acknowledgment, it’s important to do careful research, educate the audience and think about your end goals of such a statement. Here is a great resource on appropriate ways for going about this: https://nativegov.org/news/a-guide-to-indigenous-land-acknowledgment Going beyond land acknowledgment Though It's important to give a land acknowledgement with true self-reflection and good intentions, it’s equally important to consider the action that underpins the acknowledgement. Often land acknowledgement is performative, vague, trendy or something to check off the to-do-list. To go beyond a land acknowledgement means to support local native running communities in the area of your events. That can range from compensating native runners for any emotional labor, to supporting native youth programs by donating funds or forming partnerships that will benefit native communities. Build real authentic relationships with native runners For example, two years ago, I reached out to Go-Guarded, a self-defense product for active individuals. I wanted to provide their products to the followers of Native Women Running. Shortly after my email, the company responded and provided a discount code for our followers. Since then, they have continued to support Native Women Running and my own personal journey. They have donated to and participated in our events. They didn’t just show up once, but continue to do so to this day. Platform native runners Give native runners opportunities to be on your board, panel, advisory team or serve as ambassadors. More importantly, listen to them, take them seriously and learn from them. Provide scholarships There are many native runners who are capable of competing but just don’t have the means to do so. Sponsoring allows more opportunities and gives more visibility to a group that is often underrepresented. Give exposure Give native running organizations, companies or individuals opportunities to have exposure at running expos. Exposure of their work to the general running community will allow others to support, build partnerships and form relationships. Offer a safe space for native runners A safe space not only provides physical safety but also psychological and emotional safety. White spaces can be due to racial harassment, microaggression and dismissing the experience and concerns of native people. Ask yourself questions such as: will native runners feel that accommodations are as welcoming as they traditionally have been for white runners? Will native runners feel welcome and included in that space? Educating, listening, learning, and getting uncomfortable will give you a greater understanding on how to show up for native runners. There are many ways to incorporate inclusivity into running, but it’s important to have a plan and have the will to act on the plan. This work is hard, but very much appreciated. As a native runner, I have personally experienced being in a white space where I was dismissed, misunderstood, used, gaslit, publicly shamed and unheard. It led to conflict that left me traumatized. Though it has been a season of healing and learning for me, I will continue to move forward with optimism and a hope and for the continued mission of Native Women Running.

All photographers have been there: you’re heading up into the mountains to capture that long sought after moody landscape, but arrive just as the light gets that touch too low or too bright. It can be so frustrating, right? Pro adventure photographer Maximilian Gierl knows the feeling well. He says that’s why it’s so exhilarating to finally capture the perfect shot. It takes patience, time, often disappointment, which makes it that much sweeter when he nails it. Take for example the shot below of him jumping on a trail in Chamonix with Mont Blanc in the background. He had it in mind for years, but the conditions never played ball when he visited. And then finally he got the sweet taste of success.“This is a shot when everything just aligned,” Maximilian says. “I love being in Chamonix in autumn - the clouds, lakes and forest are so special. When we got to Chamonix, I saw I could finally get this mood I had been searching for for years. I ran up 1400 m as quickly as I could to get it.” Climbing 4000ers and mastering timing From Germany and living in Switzerland, Maximilian has recently finished an alpinism challenge he began in 2015: climbing all 48 of the alpine nation’s 4000 m mountains while documenting the adventure. “It’s pretty good for someone who didn’t grow up with mountaineering,” he says. “I started mountaineering in 2015 and climbed most of them in the last two years.”For Maximilian, the best outdoor shots are moody with a mix of cloud and light. “I love to shoot landscape scenes you can’t shoot one day later again,” he says. “It’s a challenge and hard to plan. If it happens and you nail the shot, it’s super crazy.”With timing being everything, Maximilian uses his Suunto 9 Peak to manage his photography adventures.His watch helps him get to his shot locations on time for the best light conditions. Here are four ways his Suunto helps him nail epic shots. Navigate in the dark The last of Switzerland’s 4000 m giants Maximilian climbed was Lenzspitze (4294 m), which is famous for its imposing north flank - a 50-55-degree ice wall. Maximilian and his climbing partner followed a route on their Suunto watches to climb the face and reached the summit before sunrise. “When going to shoot in new places, I plan the route in Komoot and transfer it to my Suunto,” Maximilian says.” This is especially helpful when I’m ascending in the morning when it’s still dark out. Then I use the navigation and it’s super helpful and easy and means I get there on time.” Read more: How to find routes that rock How to create your own routes Set sunrise and sunset alarms Maximilian uses his watch to make sure he’s on location for the golden hour (the last hour before sunset and the first hour after sunrise) and the blue hour (one hour before sunrise and one hour after sunset), when the light is best for photography. His watch also shows him how long the blue hour, his favorite time for photography, will last. Maximilian sets sunrise and sunset alarms to help with time management so he’s in the right location at just the right time. “Knowing the time of sunrise at my location helps me to get as much sleep as possible while still being on time at the planned spot,” he says. “I time the alarm 10-15 minutes before I need to go.” The sunrise/sunset alarms in Suunto 9 watches are adaptive alarms based on your location. Instead of setting a fixed time, you can set the alarm for how much in advance you want to be alerted before the actual sunrise or sunset. Read more: how to set sunrise and sunset alarms. Get key info at a glance with Suunto’s Outdoor watch face The Outdoor watch face for the Suunto 9 Peak, 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 main screen. Maximilian uses it to help him stay on time and to determine when is the best moment for a shoot. “Just a quick look on my watch tells me all the important information like the current altitude, moon phase and time until sunrise or sunset” The 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. Read more about the Outdoor watch face here. Following the moon phases Maximilian uses the Outdoor watch face to track the moon phases on his watch so he knows when is a good night and time to shoot the night sky. “It tells me when the night sky will be at its darkest,” he says. “I can then plan when to shoot the Milky Way.” Read more about tracking moon phases here. All images: © Maximilian Gierl Photography

If it’s not in Strava, it didn’t happen! And if it did happen, you can (try to) do it, too: Simply save the route and sync it to your Suunto for navigation. In addition to sharing your activities with the community and chasing segment crowns, Strava is also a huge source of routes. You can, for example, create your own routes, use route suggestions, and save your friends’ routes for navigation. To get started with using Strava routes together with your Suunto watch, connect the two accounts in Suunto app (Go to Profile -> Partner services -> Strava). If you have already connected your Suunto account with Strava, you will need to reconnect the two to enable the route sync: Simply disconnect and reconnect to get the new feature in use. Reconnecting will allow the route content to flow to your Suunto app. Once the two accounts are connected the routes marked with a star in “My Routes” in Strava will be synced to your Suunto app and Suunto watch. Strava routes work as any other route in a Suunto. “Unstarring” a route in Strava will also remove it from Suunto app NOTE: Syncing routes from Strava to Suunto app requires a Strava Premium subscription. You can get a 60-day trial as part of the Suunto Value Pack or by starting your free trial here. Learn more about routes on Strava