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In the sixth episode of #SuuntoAdventure Video Series you will meet one of climbing’s most spectacular talents, Swiss mountaineer Ueli Steck. “If you are not afraid in life, it’s dangerous,” the Swiss Machine says and explains how – and why – he has changed his approach in the recent years. Face to Face with Ueli Steck, #SuuntoAdventure Video Series Episode 6 Watch also the other episodes in the series: Face to Face with Emelie Forsberg – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 1 Face to Face with Greg Hill – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 2 Face to Face with Kilian Jornet – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 3 Face to Face with William Trubridge – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 4 Face to Face with Conrad Stoltz – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 5 

Ever since his 2008 record-breaking solo speed ascent of the north face of the Eiger in 2h 47m 33s Ueli Steck has been regarded as one of climbing’s most spectacular talents. Afterwards Steck declared he would dial back on the fast solo climbs that led to him being nicknamed the “Swiss Machine” but his climbing feats have continued to amaze and inspire. In 2013 he was back in the limelight after making an incredibly bold solo ascent of the south face of Annapurna (8,091 m) in 28 hours – a new record. The ascent won him the Piolet d’Or, one of climbing’s most prestigious awards. “I was at the limits of my physical and mental ability. To go to such limits changes your consciousness, ” he said at the time. Climbers regard it as one of the most significant climbs in the Himalayas in a generation. The older, smarter Steck is not the same climber he was as a daring youth, pushing the limits of human capability. “I feel a difference between now and 10 years ago,” he says. “My body needs more time to recover, and I have to be more careful with training. But I’m more confident, and this gives me a lot of freedom. But the fire still burns!” As a purist, Steck climbs without using bottled oxygen and has so far summited five 8,000m peaks without doing so. Everest is one of those peaks, which, he says, was one of the most physically demanding undertakings in his life. “It’s out of the question for me to use bottled oxygen,” he says. “I either make the summit without it or I turn back, go home and train more.” Steck is also noted for his rigorous and professional approach to training. He spends up to 30 hours a week working-out, running, climbing, cross-country skiing and doing endurance and strength work. He never travels anywhere without a pair of running shoes and is always scouting for something to get to the top of, whether a mountain in the distance or the top of a building if he’s city-bound, such as the One World Trade Center in New York City. He says the Suunto Ambit is the perfect solution for both mountaineering and training. “It’s got everything I need in one package, whether I'm on an expedition in the Himalayas or on a hard one-day ascent in the Alps.” But no matter what the route, Steck’s inspiration remains the same. “It’s the challenge of moving on in life,” he says. “I always want to try something I have not done before.” Follow Ueli Steck's #82summit project here Pictures by Jon Griffith Photography

Most alpinists are happy when they summit two or three peaks during a trip. But then Ueli Steck is not your average mountaineer. Yesterday, the Suunto ambassador embarked on an epic summer challenge – to climb 82 4,000 m peaks in the Alps in 80 days with the German guide, Michi Wohlleben. Even more challenging, the pair plan to cycle between each stage. In all, they'll cycle 1,000 km and climb 100,000 m of altitude. www.82summits.com Amazingly, Steck says the trip is all about calming down, taking his foot off the pedal and not pushing records but just doing what he loves. “It’s about a message I want to send, to myself as well,” he told Swiss newspaper NZZ. “The message is that striving for records bears risks. If I stay in this routine of always going faster, higher, further I know that it will at some point have a deadly ending.” The pair reached the first summit, Piz Bernina, yesterday. 4049-meter high Piz Bernina is the most easterly 4000-meter peak in the Alps. Stay tuned for more updates!Main image by Jon Griffith Photography

In the third episode of #SuuntoAdventure Video Series you will meet a lightning fast mountain man, Kilian Jornet.   Kilian is more than a record-breaking trail runner and a world champion ski mountaineer. He has also set speed ascents on the Matterhorn, Mt Blanc and Denali among others, and redefined what it means to be a mountain athlete, moving into territory once the preserve of elite alpinists. Read also Kilian's profile here.  Watch also the other episodes in the series: Face to Face with Emelie Forsberg – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 1 Face to Face with Greg Hill – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 2 Face to Face with William Trubridge – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 4 Face to Face with Conrad Stoltz – #SuuntoAdventure Video Series, Episode 5

What makes ski mountaineer and trail runner Kilian Jornet tick? It’s not winning races or setting speed records, although he does excel at both. For him, it’s all about the mountains. “I am just a person who loves the mountains. I spend every day in the mountains,” says Kilian, “I love them because the landscape is amazing and full of challenges but I think the mountains gives a lot back. When you are in the mountains, you feel that you are nothing. When you have nothing you have everything to discover.” That passion stems from his childhood – Kilian grew up in a mountain hut in the Spanish Pyrenees where his father worked as a hut keeper and mountain guide. From a young age, Kilian was living and breathing mountain life. “The first time I walked for five hours alone in the mountains I was two years old!” says Kilian. He went on to climb his first 3,000er aged three. “I have conditioned my body to long distances from an early age!” he says. It clearly paid off. These days Kilian is known for dominating not one, but two mountain sports; ski mountaineering in winter and trail running in summer. As a trail runner he’s proved himself to be one of the world’s best – dominating ultras and setting a slew of records from the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc to the Hardrock 100 and dozens of races In 2012 Athletics Weekly argued that he was the ‘world’s best runner’ and he has one of the highest Vo2 levels recorded of an athlete (85-90). When the snow comes Kilian switches over to ski mountaineering where he has been world champion four years out of five since 2010. “Ski mountaineering is hard because you want to go fast. You have to push, you have to power through every step,” says Kilian. But again, it’s the lure of the mountains that ultimately win Kilian over, not the battle of competition: “Sometimes it’s in the forest, sometimes in couloirs. You can go wherever you want. You don’t have to follow a trail. You make your own track. It’s this feeling of freedom you get from ski mountaineering.” Yet Kilian is more than a record-breaking trail runner, a world champion ski mountaineer. With his Summits of My Life Project, in which he has set speed ascents on the Matterhorn, Mt Blanc and Denali among others, he has redefined what it means to be a mountain athlete, moving into territory once the preserve of elite alpinists. What beckons next for the athlete is never certain, but one thing is for sure – it will take place somewhere in the mountains. “The day I stop winning I’ll continue to go the mountains,” says Kilian, “I don’t run for victory. I don’t practice sport for competition. The reason I ski or run every day is to be in the mountains.”

Suunto Core Ultimate Black and new Suunto Core Crush colors spice up your adventures The renowned Suunto Core Classic series gains a new member with Suunto Core Ultimate Black. Its black steel top ring breathes durability while the streamlined design brings out the key functionalities. Fluorescent bezel graphics illuminate in the dark, making the watch even more versatile in tough conditions. Comments Ewa Pulkkinen, Product Manager for Suunto Core: “The inspiration for the new Core Ultimate Black draws from the original Core All Black, which has been one of our most sought after watches since its introduction in 2007. The new rugged steel bezel construction of the Ultimate Black features diamond-like carbon coating, reinforcing Core’s legacy as the outdoor watch.” The Suunto Core Crush line-up will be joined by two new variants – Blue and Graphite. Both have a coated steel bezel for increased robustness and an elegant look. The contemporary colored straps are a statement of your style and blend well both with colorful outdoor apparel and as well as more subtle every day wear. Users can choose between the negative display of the Graphite Crush and the positive display of the Blue Crush. The award-winning Suunto Core packs all the essential features you need for the great outdoors. Keep an eye on the weather with its barometer, see how much you have left to the summit with the altimeter, or use the compass to quickly orientate yourself in the backcountry. The Suunto Core also features a depth meter for snorkeling.