Easy on the Eyes

Do you like pretty pictures? We sure do.

That's why we team up with great photographers like Adam Barker. Adam's images are stunning and we are happy he's in the Suunto family. Check out his work on his website - he even offers some great advice to aspiring photogs.

Eye Candy
by Adam BarkerPhotography.com

Extreme Skiing - Antarctica Edition

Suunto athlete Kim Havell went on another incredible adventure - Skiing Antarctica? Yep.

Read her recent Powder Magazine blog post highlighting the beginning of their trip. Here's a highlight.

Kim Havell:

We arrived to a place with no one else, with endless descents and up to 9,000-foot peaks straight up from the ocean. This is a backcountry skier’s dream realm, but it also comes with some harsh realities—Antarctica is a moving target.

With endless route possibilities, Antarctica also puts forth challenging obstacles that have to be carefully navigated: abrupt weather changes, tricky small boat—Zodiac—landings, pack ice movement that can trap a ship, lurking crevasses in the glacier, and other objective hazards.

Cadence Q & A

Recently we asked Suunto Ambassador Adam Chase, long-distance running superstar - who won more than 20 ultramarathons, is captain of the Salomon Trail Running Team, former Prez of the American Trail Running Association, co-author of "The Ultimate Guide to Trail Running"- to explain the importance of running cadence.

Here is the Q and A:

Q: What is Running Cadence?

A: Running cadence is the number of times either your left or right foot hits the ground in one minute. Concentrating on improving your running cadence can make you a faster runner and help you exert less energy while gaining the same amount of ground. Studies have shown that the world's fastest long-distance runners have a higher cadence than the average runner, between 85 to 95 steps per minute.

Q: Is that true? Why is it important?

A: The problem is that the statement is erroneous. While some of the world’s fastest runners do have a high cadence the high cadence isn’t the source of their speed as much as it is the fact that they are less likely to be injured. Those same runners will run at the same cadence on a slow run or fast run, the difference being the length of their stride. Higher cadence is often connected with where one lands on her or his foot. Heel strikers have a tendency to overpronate and exhibit higher impact pressures whereas midfoot and more so forefoot runners are able to better dissipate the shock over more steps and through the more resilient part of the foot and that is why people are taking up minimalist or barefoot running. In a nutshell, the objective of striving for a higher cadence is to minimize injury. Barefoot runners are almost never fast but they are able to train a lot more and that often results in running improvements, including efficiency.

Thanks Adam! Great insight.

Recommended watch for keeping track of your cadence: Suunto Quest.

Core Mountain Values

Mountain Life Magazine showcases the true character of British Columbia’s vast and varied Coast Mountain range. They aim to shed some natural light on the on the culture, history, people and environmental issues within the Sea to Sky corridor and beyond.

In the latest issue they point some natural light at the Suunto Core!


We agree - Core mountain values include such things as premium equipment, designed to perform, and built to survive: Like the Core Watch.

Julian Carr Featured at Whitefish Mountain Films

Pro skier and Suunto athlete, Julian Carr, has been getting ready for the snow season by getting out and touring a bunch of ski videos, making appearances with a host of superstar athletes.

He's been making the circuit including Whitefish Mountain Films in Whitefish, Montana - here he is hanging with Chris Rubens before the screening of Eye of the Condor:

(Click photo for a link to a series of images from the Whitefish Mountain Films show)

Julian has also been to shows in Colorado, Utah and across the country.

If you didn't get a chance to connect with Julian on this film showcase, you'll have to wait until the thaw - now that the powder is accumulating, you can bet Julian will be spending more time doing what he does: killing it in the mountains.

La Ruta Day 2

photo: Cycling News

Suunto superathlete Rebecca Rusch is tearing it up at La Ruta de los Conquistadores.

Here's a sample from her blog of what Day 2 was like for her:

I’m in the hotel room after day 2 with ice bags on my legs. There’s no bath tub here, so I can’t take a full ice bath.
It was a really tough day with about 45 miles of riding and 11,000 ft of climbing. The climbs were so steep that some of them were unrideable.

Ouch.

Rebecca is keeping pace with Adrianna Rojas, who is currently race leader, and they spent a portion of day 2 riding together.

And what does Day 3 hold?

Tomorrow is the big climb up the volcano. There are some really steep parts at the beginning, but most of the climb is a steady paved road where you can settle into a smooth pace. At the top, you head down for about 40 km. It sounds amazing, but the descent is really technical and tiring.

Keep tabs on the race at Rebecca's blogsite.

Great videos of the race here.

La Ruta Loves the Queen of Pain

La Ruta de Los Conquistadores kicked off on Wednesday, and runs for four total days over 240 miles and five mountain ranges as it takes racers across the continent from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea.

photo: Cycling News

Suunto athlete, Rebecca Rusch is taking on La Ruta and keeping us informed on her blog. Here's a bit from her Day 1 update:

Day 1 of La Ruta is in the books. I had a great day and it felt so good to be racing and working hard again. I’ve sort of had a couple months of really unstructured training, so I had no idea if my legs would remember how to race. I was pleasantly surprised with how I felt today on what they call the hardest day of La Ruta. There was over 10,000 ft of climbing in about 110 km. The jungle hike a bike portion is a bit of a slip and slide event, but it went OK.

Make sure you take a look at this photo gallery from Cycling News!

Coverguy comes to the NYC Marathon Expo!

Suunto is excited to be participating in the New York City Marathon Expo this weekend!

We've partnered up with the awesome Paragon Sports to host booth #406 and showcase the Quest.

Mikael Hanson, Outside Magazine's September 2011 Cover Athlete will join us! Bring your September issue for some autographing, and bring your questions for this cross-training overachiever!