How does bushwhacking 50 miles and 25k feet of elevation gain without a set course sound? We asked Suunto ambassador Max King who did just that at the Euchre Bar Massacre near Foresthill, California. Read on and Max will explain why it isn't your typical running race!  ”I don't usually do races where a finish is a good result, but every so often, I humbly find myself in one of those situations where I'll just be happy to finish...literally.  On October 16th, I found myself in exactly that situation. This was one of those peculiar races where there’s no "elite" field, there's no finishers medals, or t-shirts. It's just you versus the course, and it's going to do its best not to let you cross that finish line.  And I'm not talking about the self-deprecating, ”Oh gee, I hope I finish,” type of mentality when the normal finish rate is well north of 80%. I'm talking about a race where the finish rate is typically lower than 10% and no one in the field is trying for a fast time.  The Euchre Bar Massacre is in a similar vein to the popular Barkley Marathons in Tennessee, where people – not very many of them – wander around the mountains looking for books to rip pages out of and therefore "prove" they have completed the course. And I use "course" loosely; while there is a route that you are supposed to follow, it's unmarked, mostly off-trail, and ultimately, you're not going to follow the same ”course” as everybody else. (See Max’s Instagram post for book pictures!) Due to the off-trail nature of the Euchre Bar Massacre, there is significant bushwhacking leading to typical finish times over 24hrs. Did I mention it is only a 50 miler?! The length of the course is irrelevant. Distance on a course like this is measured in ”hills”, as in ”it is 3 hills until the drop bags” rather than ”it's only 10mi till the drop bags.” The vertical gain of each hill and difficulty of the bushwhacking determines the time until you can drop from the race...or stubbornly continue on to the next set of hills.  These types of events aren't popular, and it's not because they are difficult. Trail runners do plenty of hard things. They appeal to a small number of folks that are drawn to this type of adventure. I think each participant's reasons may vary but for me, it's the whole combination of elements that really sucks me in. I love the wild nature of this type of race. It is remote – I raced alone for 20hrs without seeing another person other than about 10 minutes at the drop bags.   It is rugged, obviously – it has 25k of vert, tons of vegetation, and about half is off-trail. I looked like I was stuffed in a burlap bag with 20 cats before I was done.  It is routeless – with no course markings you're going by map and compass and when it gets dark, you better know how to use that compass. I kept telling myself ”trust in the compass” as I was going in a direction that my mind was telling me was completely the wrong direction. I also did a complete 180-degree circle around a patch of manzanita in the middle of the night and realized I'd been there before. That's a terrible feeling.  There's a lot about an event like this that appeals to me and a few nutty others but doesn't appeal to a lot more people out there. And that's okay. Now, If you're thinking of getting into one of these, here are a few tips: First, reconsider your decision... Second, practice navigating, bushwhacking, and being alone for a long time in a safe space. Third, put ”For The Win”, or ”FTW” on your calendar as there are no winners, just finishers. Words and images by: Max King Thank you for this recount, Max! We sure know who to call when we want all pain and no gain!     

A snowboard guide by winter, and a passionate artist inspired by nature Jessa Gilbert lives to be in the outdoors. This is the fourth in our Peak Creator film series, which celebrates creative people inspired by the great outdoors. We talk to four creators and find out what inspires their creative work. As a teen, Jessa learned to snowboard on the Catamount in the Catskills in upstate New York and before she knew it she was competing in freestyle. She racked up five knee surgeries by the time she was 27 and was eventually told she could never run or board again. She thought packing her painting kit might force her to slow down - it didn’t - but it did result in her capturing the stunning landscapes she shreds in and has led to her creating graphics for brands. “We are in a time where we are starting to remember that public art is important,” Jessa says. “The beauty of public artwork is that you are creating artistic environments.” Click play below and watch Jessa share her creative inspiration.

In this third film of our Peak Creator series we profile landscape architect Ryley Thiessen who shares how he designs mountain resorts that bring people closer to nature. The Peak Creator film series celebrates creative people inspired by the great outdoors. We talk to four creators and find out how nature inspires them. Ryley specializes in designing four season resorts around the world. He grew up in the countryside and from an early age knew he wanted to work with the earth. The essential principle for this work is balance: “It’s working with nature and finding that balance where you’re not taking too much,” he says. Click play below and watch Ryley share how he approaches his work.

Originally a graphic designer, once Angela Percival got a taste of outdoor adventure photography there was no going back - she decided to focus on creation. This is the second in our Peak Creator film series, which celebrates creative people inspired by the great outdoors. We talk to four creators and find out what inspires their creative work. Now Arc’teryx’s senior outdoor photographer, she had to work hard to break into a profession dominated by men and now her work speaks for itself. “What inspires me creatively is just being outside, period,” Angela says. “Being in the mountains, yes, being in the alpine even more, but I just need to be outside.” Click play below and watch Angela share her creative inspiration.

In the first of our Peak Creator film series, we present Dan Raymond and his work building and repairing mountain bike tracks in Whistler. The Peak Creator film series celebrates creative people inspired by the great outdoors. We talk to four creators and find out what inspires their creative work. In Dan’s case, his passion for designing and building trails started as a kid when he and his buddies followed one another’s tire marks down hills. He’s been at it ever since. When building a trail, Dan follows an important principle: “The driving force of building a trail is it has to look like it was always there,” he says. Click play below and watch Dan share his creative inspiration!

Since forever, the great outdoors and its misty forests, silhouetted mountain ranges, and craggy peaks have inspired creatives of all ilk, whether poet, painter, musician or photographer. The awe nature strikes in us gets the creative energy flowing. The resulting work has, in some cases, inspired the masses and shapes how we see and protect the natural world. At Suunto we believe this is worth celebrating. So we initiated our Peak Creator film series, in which we met four creators - a trail builder, a photographer, an architect and an artist - and found out how the natural world inspires what they do. We’ll publish a short film about each of them in the coming weeks.   Meet photographer Angela Percival, architect Ryley Thiessen, artist Jessa Gilbert and trailbuilder Dan Raymond in the Peak Creator Series.   The first film up, the trailbuilder sees his work more as uncovering what’s already there; next up, the photographer admits she’d rather be out shooting than indoors editing; then the architect explains how his mountain resorts bring people closer to nature; finally, we meet the artist who packs her painting kit and heads out for epic free rides. Stay tuned for each film as it drops. And get your own creative juices flowing! Watch Peak Creator Series episode 1 – The Trailbuilder Watch Peak Creator Series episode 2 – The Photographer Watch Peak Creator Series episode 3 – The Architect Watch Peak Creator Series episode 4 – The Artist