Suunto X9_en manual Suunto X9 in Action, Mont Blanc Climbing, Arrival and initial preparations

4. SUUNTO X9 IN ACTION

4.1. MONT BLANC CLIMBING

In this chapter you will follow an American mountaineer on his independent two-day trip to the summit of Mont Blanc along the Gouter route. In the previous chapters you have acquired theoretical knowledge on how to use all the Suunto X9 functions and in this chapter you will find out how to apply that knowledge in the field.

4.1.1. Arrival and initial preparations

It is a sunny afternoon when Mike Mountaineer arrives in Col De Voza, France. Since the time zone in France differs from the one in California, he asks the locals what time it is, changes the time in his Suunto X9 and sets the Californian time as the Dual time for reference.

Had he shown a bit more initiative, he could have checked what the UTC difference in France is beforehand, and adjusted it accordingly. Then the GPS would have synchronized the time automatically. However, Mike can adjust the time pretty quickly since on his recent trip to Nepal he had to do it manually anyway because Suunto X9 cannot adjust the UTC to a 15-minute reading interval, which is required in Nepal.

He checks the time and has plenty of time to catch the train to Gare. He locates the correct platform. There he checks the current altitude on the map, and changes the Suunto X9's reference altitude to 1,653 meters in the Alti/Baro mode. Since he is going to be on the move for a while, he sets the Alti mode on with the Use function so that he can monitor the altitude changes en route.

The train trip is relaxing, and he lets his eyes absorb the picturesque landscape while he talks with fellow travelers. When he arrives in Gare, he checks the altitude reading and confirms that it is exactly 2,372 meters just like the map says.

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