Suunto supports the Red Bull X-Alps, an ultimate adventure

Starting on July 7th, 2013 thirty-two athletes set off on an ultimate adventure outfitted in brand new Suunto Ambit 2s!

This will mark the sixth year of the Red Bull X-Alps, arguably the world’s toughest adventure race thanks to a 1031-kilometer route that spans from Salzburg, Austria, to Monaco along what many deem to be “some of the most challenging and inhospitable terrain in the Alps.”

Teams, which consist of one competitor and no more than two support-crew members, must navigate the distance by foot and/or paraglide.  And often, participants end up covering more than double the course distance.

This year, 32 athletes from 21 countries will head to the start in Salzburg and attempt to complete a course that includes a south to east traverse of the Dachstein massif, Innsbruck airspace and the highest mountain in Germany, Zugspitze, among other extreme challenges.

Good news for navigation: Everyone toeing the starting line will receive the brand new Suunto Ambit 2, the perfect companion for such a demanding mountain event. The Ambit 2 features an integrated GPS with heart rate monitoring functionality, advanced weather functions and multisport tracking among other, more customizable features.

Honza Rejmanek and Stephen Haase make up the two U.S. teams at the event. Rejmanek, 37, is an Atmospheric Scientist and experienced adventure racer who has finished in the top ten for the last three consecutive years. Hasse, on the other hand, while familiar with “sufferfests” is new to the Red Bull X-Alps. The 40-year-old comes to the race from a background in rock climbing and professional firefighting. Like all other athletes competing, you can track their live progress here, starting July 7.

Check back for more information about the event as race-day approaches. And, in the meantime, watch the 2013 video teaser, here.

Suunto launches #suuntoambitions contest

New this week is the launch of the newly created Suunto Ambitions contest and where weekly, winners will receive a brand new Suunto Ambit2 S.
Details to win are easy.

Upload or tag a photo of yourself doing something ambitious the Suunto Ambitions contest page on Facebook with the hashtag #SuuntoAmbitions. (Click here to view a gallery of already-uploaded images.) Every week we select one winner to receive a Suunto Ambit2 S—the latest GPS wrist computer from Suunto that features multi-sport tracking technology in a lightweight, sleek package. (Click here to see photos and information about former week’s winners.)

Then, at the end of the contest, we’ll select 10 entrants we deem the most ambitious and hold a community vote for the single grand-prize winner to receive $2500 of gear from Suunto, Salomon, Arc’teryx and Atomic. Plus, as the grand prize winner, you are allowed to select the gear of your choice from an array of items like skis, boots, running clothes and more.

To enter the contest, click here and get started!

Kim Havell logs a first female descent on the Grand Teton

Suunto athlete and all around amazing mountaineer, Kim Havell, is on fire. Based out of Jackson Hole, WY, Kim has racked up an incredible list of ascents and descents in Grand Teton National Park and the surrounding mountains this winter. We've been posting about her accomplishments, photos and routes all winter, but her latest feat might prove to be her crown jewel from this winter. Yesterday, May 15, Kim successfully skied the Otterbody Route off of the Grand Teton --making her the first female to do so. It was also her third descent of the Grand in total.

Her partners in this descent included Brian Warren and Pete Gaston.

Kim is still hoping to get some Teton turns in this spring before heading to Norway with Freeskier Magazine at the end of May.  Stay tuned for more reports. In the meantime, check out these amazing photos of the route and what it looked like from her perspective. Enjoy!

Rappelling off of East face into Otterbody snowfield below

Win an adventure trip to Lake Tahoe!

This July, you and a friend have a chance to win an all expenses paid trip from Suunto, Salomon and the Gear Junkie to Lake Tahoe for the Ragnar Relay Trail Series - July 26 & 27.

Click here to enter.

If you win, you'll get geared up from head-to-toe and flown to the Sierra Mountains on our dime. Winners will don Salomon running apparel, Salomon Sense Mantra shoes, a Suunto Ambit watch and plenty of other swag! ($1000 + value)

To enter, please submit your email address and a photo, short video or some text demonstrating and explaining why you, or a friend, would be a perfect fit for our team and this trip! We encourage creative, witty, interesting and true entries featuring adventurous souls! While you're at it, enter the Ragnar Relay, which includes up to 20+ miles during the relay. Motivation and physical fitness are major criteria when we choose the winners of the grand prize.

Winners will be chosen this weekend. Good luck!

The Ambit2 S captured on film

Just before the Suunto Ambit2 S came out, the Salomon/Suunto team had a blast testing out the new wrist computer in mid April at the USA Salomon Athlete Summit in Ogden, Utah, and, it’s safe to say the entire team is psyched about the latest on-the-market Suunto innovation.

Highlights for multi-sport athletes and adventurers: It transitions seamlessly from activity to activity (pool, to foot to bike) without having to reprogram anything, it’s lightweight (“It disappears after two miles,” said Cameron Clayton at the athlete summit in Ogden, Utah.) and, you can customize it specifically to your liking by plugging into the App Zone in Movescount.

Want to see the Ambit2 S in action and hear for yourself what the team has to say? Check out this just-released video:

Suunto Ambit 2 and Ambit2 S hit the market

Finally, the embargo on the new Suunto Ambit2 S and the Ambit 2 have been lifted and the newest additions to the Suunto family are ready for use with the online training-tracking program, Movescount and the online community, App Zone.

The sleek, lightweight Ambit2 S was developed for multisport athletes. The GPS wrist unit accurately measures power meters (ANT+) for cycling. It learns your swimming style and uses that information to track precise pace and distance in the pool. Additionally, the unit calculates accurate pace and distance while you’re running thanks to FusedSpeed—Suunto’s accelerometer-integrated GPS.

According to Suunto president Mikko Molianen, “The Ambit received tremendously positive responses from consumers last year. To meet the needs of performance sports-oriented users even better, we felt that a lighter, slimmer GPS with more sports-specific features was needed to complement the Ambit family.”

 

Plus, Suunto’s updated Ambit, the Ambit 2, takes an adventurer’s watch to the next level by combining the Ambit2 S’ multisport functionality with the previous Ambit’s award-winning outdoor functions. While slightly heavier than the Ambit2 S and also available in a stylish Sapphire edition, the Ambit 2 has been tested by hardcore mountain athletes and proven to stand up to rigorous backcountry exploration.

Mountain athlete Ueli Steck said, “I've been using Suunto products for many years and the Ambit2 is the ideal product out there for anyone serious about their mountain sports.” 

To read the entire press release, click here. Enjoy! 

Suunto Adds Color to the M5 Range

The popular fitness watch, the Suunto M5, recently got an update. These two new designs are available soon and feature new colors; black/silver and black/lime.

To read the entire press release, click here. The M5 is a very versatile training watch that lets users simply enter personal data and select the correct exercise program to lose weight or improve fitness. The M5 is like a personal trainer on your wrist telling the ideal daily workout to help achieve your goals. It is also compatible with a range of Suunto PODS; foot, bike and GPS that provide speed, distance and more real-time information.

Suunto sponsors the 16th Annual GORE-TEX® Elk Mountains Grand Traverse

The last weekend in March 2013 we sponsored the 16th Annual GORE-TEX® Elk Mountains Grand Traverse in Crested Butte, Colorado. This event is a 40-mile backcountry ski race between the towns of Crested Butte and Aspen and is a fundraiser for the Crested Butte Nordic Council. Read more about the race and see results here. Above are pictures of the Expo where we handed out swag and let everyone involved check out our line of watches.

Two major upgrades slated for Suunto digital community

At the end of April 2013 there will be big upgrades for Ambit users and the online sports community Movescount.com. We are sticking with our commitment to improve services offered to Suunto users. The first upgrade will be to our App Zone which is a community forum where users can find and create their own Apps for our Ambit GPS watch. The second upgrade that users will see is an overhaul of our Movescount.com website. To read more about the upgrades go here and stay tuned to see the upgrades as they go live.