Surfing The Arctic

Southern California’s myriad surf offerings, along with Hawai’i and Australia, are the destinations that generally come to mind when romanticizing wave riding, but that’s to ignore a number of other bodies of water that, while not the subject of any Beach Boys’ songs, do provide those that will brave the cold with other options.

Innovations in wet suit construction, design and available materials have made otherwise unapproachable waters the latest in surf destinations. Yes, Iceland, Norway and others are becoming the hottest (still all sorts of cold) in surf destinations. Alaska, Antarctica, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Russia and Sweden, along with the all-important Neoprene used in today’s wetsuits, make surfing under the Northern Lights a possibility if you have around $500 to invest and wish to enjoy a break without fighting with others for warm-water waves.

According to Timothy Latte, a champion cold-water surfer, in an interview with The New York Times, “Cold-water surfing is the new black.”

One of these cold-water surf destinations is the Lofoten Islands and the town of less than 20, Unstad, home to more sheep than people, which hosts an annual tournament of cold-blooded shredders.

While the town only has a few handfuls of permanent residents, it plays home to the Lofoten Masters each year and sees as many as 5,000 surfers make the trek 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle with many enjoying the hospitality of the Lofoten SurfSenter .

If that’s too tame for you, Iceland has Arctic Surfers to provide you with their local knowledge and a unique experience in the waters of the beautiful island nation.