Ogden, UTAH (May 2019) — Suunto, a global leader in sports watches and precision instrument, is partnering with the Red Bull X-Alps, the world’s toughest adventure race, for the 2019 season. The 1,138-kilometer, or 708-mile, event will begin on June 16 in Salzburg, Austria, crossing the borders of six countries before ending in Monaco, France. The multisport race involves a mix of endurance activities—including running, trail running, mountaineering, hiking and paragliding—making Suunto an ideal partner . To celebrate, Suunto is releasing 1,138 limited edition Suunto 9 Baro Titaniums for each kilometer of the race.
“For most pilots, the X-Alps event seems like such a unimaginable race. If it were only three or five days, it would still be one of the hardest adventure flying races you could attempt, but two entire weeks—that’s just crazy,” says Cody Mittanck, an American athlete and professional paraglider participating in the 2-19 event. “I decided to put my hat in the ring because having unimaginable goals to work towards helps put life into perspective. I want to give it a shot and enjoy the process of working towards something that, at the outset, seems insurmountable.”
As part of its sponsorship of the event, Suunto will outfit each of the 32 participating athletes with one of the limited edition Suunto 9 Baro Titanium watches to help stay on route, pace their efforts and track their progress. The durable Suunto 9’s intelligent battery management system that can last up to 120 hours in GPS mode, 80+ sport modes, barometric altimeter and safety features like storm alerts make it the ideal companion for this type of event.
The limited edition version of the Suunto 9 Baro Titanium features a black textile quick-release strap with the Red Bull X-Alps logo and Suunto Red Arrow printed on each side. Each piece also features a red gasket and is numbered with a corresponding kilometer of the race on the titanium bezel.
The limited edition watch is available on suunto.com and at select retailers for $699.
