The watch marked the route as we advanced through the Valley of the Moon, at more than 2,300 meters high, showing data such as oxygenation, altitude, and heart rate. It was the beginning of the test of the new Garmin Fénix 9 andFénix 9 Pro.
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La Tercera was invited by the brand to test its fourth launch of the year in the arid landscapes of the north in San Pedro de Atacama.
The trip brought together athletes and influencers all connected to the outdoor world.
Among them, the sisters Antonia and Melita Abraham, champions and top references in Chilean and international rowing, the Astorga cousins, who are part of “El Clan” Chagual Orrego and Pedro Astorga, and Victoria Ansaldo, who travels Chile aboard Octavia, the 1985 traveling Kombi.
For two days, the watch went from desert hikes to mountain route navigation and high-altitude activity. And precisely that type of scenario is where Garmin seeks to differentiate its new device.
The first day began by touring the dunes and landscapes of the Valley of the Moon.
There, the Fénix 9 was used to record a hiking activity and follow navigation, while the group advanced through the mountains and dunes of the area that is part of the salt mountain range.
The device allows consulting maps and following routes without relying on a permanent internet connection, a feature especially useful in places where the signal may be limited or nonexistent.
The watch also allows creating round-trip routes. You can set a distance and a direction and, based on the information available on its maps, the device can suggest routes considering elements such as topography, points of interest, and accumulated elevation gain.
These functions are complemented by a construction designed to withstand the demands of outdoor use.
The Fénix 9 features a titanium bezel, while the case is made of fiber-reinforced polymer and has a titanium back cover.
In the case of the Fénix 9 Pro, on the other hand, the construction is entirely titanium.
Both models are available in sizes of 43, 47, and 51 millimeters and, despite their robust appearance, the construction aims to maintain a light weight and make it comfortable to wear during long days, and even to sleep with them.
Battery life is also one of its strong points: the watch offers up to 18 days of battery in smartwatch mode.
In the same logic appearsGarmin Epic, a new feature that allows gathering up to 92 days of activities in a single record, designed for those who undergo extended training periods, trips, or expeditions and want to review their progress.
The first day of the trip ended watching the sunset in a desert area on the outskirts of San Pedro de Atacama.
When it started to get dark, another of the tools that Garmin integrates into the Fénix 9 appeared: its LED flashlight.
The watch has three lighting modes: white, with four intensity levels; red, designed to facilitate night vision; and green, aimed at prolonged activities with lower battery consumption.
The second day began before dawn. The group moved to Machuca, a village located at more than 4,000 meters above sea level.
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The altitude change again highlighted some of the watch’s functions related to monitoring the body and the oxygen available at altitude.
The route also allowed exploring the surroundings and observing some of the species that inhabit this high plateau area, including the Chilean flamingo, the Andean flamingo, and James’s flamingo.
But the day still had another test prepared.
The group continued to the Guatín Canyon, in the so-called Valley of the Cacti.
The trail runs among cacti that can reach up to seven meters high and is accompanied by the water of the Puritama River, a volcanic and thermal origin stream.
Here, again, navigation was one of the central functions.
The Fénix 9 allows following routes and consulting terrain information directly from the wrist, something that becomes especially important on routes where the landscape can make it difficult to identify the path.
The Fénix 9 is not only designed to record a run, a mountain climb, or a gym session.
It also seeks to provide a more complete reading of the user’s physical state based on different metrics recorded during the day and night.
One of them is sleep tracking. The watch records how long you slept and breaks down the rest into its different phases, as well as providing a score that serves as a reference for sleep quality.
Another classic function is Body Battery, an indicator that seeks to represent the energy reserve, on a scale from 0 to 100, available during the day.
The watch also provides a stress level based on heart rate variations, allowing you to see how this indicator changes at different times of the day.
These tools are complemented by on-screen guided workouts for activities such as strength, yoga, and mobility, with animations showing how to perform certain exercises.
The experience culminated this Wednesday, September 9, at Mall Sport, one of the main meeting points for the sports world in Santiago.
There the new models were presented, along with a documentary short film, which recorded the adventure of the group of athletes and influencers during their time in San Pedro de Atacama.
The event also featured prizes and various surprises for attendees, as well as the participation of the trip’s protagonists, who shared their impressions about the experience and the functions they were able to test during those days.
“You can set a route by car and, if you don’t have connection, you can look for a nearby supermarket, a pharmacy, a gas station. If you don’t have connection on the phone, the watch tells you where to go”, explained Olympic athlete Melita Abraham.
For Chagual Orrego, who used a Garmin watch for the first time on this trip, one of the functions that caught his attention the most was the information related to the body’s condition during physical activity.
“It is telling me very well what is happening with my body. (…) At altitude, right away it showed us how our heart rate had increased. So you realize that, with that altitude, the heart is showing you something different. It’s impressive,” he commented.
The Garmin Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro are already available for those who want to learn about their features and purchase one of the new models. To check the different versions, sizes, and available options, you can visit the official Garmin store.
