Suunto’s New Route Planner Is Free and Awesome

Something you don’t see every day: A sports tech company is offering premium features for free. Suunto’s route planning tool allows you to create and upload GPX files without even creating an account. No paywall, no trial period: just open the page and start planning routes. And the tool itself works great.

What you can do with the Suunto route planner

The tool has everything you’d expect from a paid service, and more:

• Creation of routes using different types of maps (external, satellite, even specialized for winter and avalanche terrain)

• An optimized route for your activity (running, hiking, cycling, mountain climbing, roller skating, etc.), using real heatmap data from real athletes.

• Overlay heatmaps for about a dozen different sports so you can see where people are actually going

• Elevation profiles with climb and descent numbers (crucial for not dying on climbs you didn’t see coming)

• Export routes as GPX files that work with virtually any GPS device

• Shareable link generation (valid for six months) so you can send directions to friends without making them create an account either

• Ability to import and edit existing GPX or FIT files from other platforms

• Optional account sync if you own Suunto or Hammerhead equipment

You don’t even need to be in the Suunto ecosystem to use it. I was able to export a map to my Garmin watch without issue. If you have a Suunto or Hammerhead device, you can link your account and the routes will sync automatically.

How to use Suunto route planner

Go to routeplanner.suunto.com. From there, creating a route is pretty simple. If you let your browser share your location, it will focus on where you are. Otherwise, just search for where you want to start.

The controls on the right side allow you to switch between card types. The usual suspects are there: exterior, satellite, light, dark. But then it gets weird in the best way with a winter map, an avalanche terrain map for backcountry stuff, and, in a show of national pride, a terrain map dedicated to Finland. Respect.

To actually connect points on the map, you have the following options:

• Free drawing (no automatic routing)

• Any road or path (ideal for walking activities)

• All types of roads, avoiding hills (ideal for bicycles)

• All types of roads (always ideal for bicycles)

• Paved roads (ideal for road cycling)

After creating your route, simply download the GPX file and launch it on any GPS device you own.

Six-month shareable links are also a good idea. You can plan a route for a group walk or run, send the link to everyone and they can grab it without jumping through hoops. It’s the kind of frictionless sharing that should be the norm, but isn’t.

Why should you try the Suunto Routeplanner

Strava and Komoot have trained users to expect paywalls for route planning. Of course, this could be strategic on Suunto’s part: giving away the software in the hope of selling the hardware. Or maybe it’s just goodwill after years of user complaints about Suunto shutting down its Movescount tracking system. Either way, the users win. You get a legitimately useful tool without opening your wallet or giving out your email address.

If you already pay for route planning elsewhere, try this first. Worst case scenario, you lose five minutes. Best case scenario, you cancel a subscription and pocket the savings. Even if you’re not looking to save money, having another route planning option in your toolbox doesn’t hurt.