Norwegian surfing is not for the faint of heart. Even summers feel cold. But mid-winter is the real deal. When the waves are firing, the temperatures hit rock bottom. Some people call that hardcore, others say it’s heroic. But what you see here is pure madness.
SurfNorge, Norway’s only independent surf magazine, showcased some truly freezing surf sessions when they launched a recent photo contest. As entrants to the cleverly titled the Ice Breaker category, these girls of Hoddevik decided to up the stakes. They stripped down to their bikinis and embarked upon the coldest session possible.
“We wanted to win the competition and take the coldest picture possible,” photographer Camilla Monssen said. “With so many talented photographers and spectacular nature in Norway, and there’s some hard competition. We just had to step up the game.”
And step it up they did. Surfers Naomi Dalsbø and Møyfrid Barkved wanted to create some Hawaii-style winter madness. “The snowcapped mountain, the white beach and the turquoise color of the sea are breathtaking in itself,” says Camilla, who planned to use the scenery as a backdrop for a picture of the girls posing at the beach. They had other plans though.
“The plan was to just shoot some pictures and get inside, but the girls wanted to paddle out. We tried to talk them out of it, but there was no way to keep them out.”
10 minutes later, a few cold ones in the head, and one wave later, the girls were back on the beach. Surfing in a bikini is a rare sight in Norway, even in summer.
“Sessions like these never happen, but it might turn into a tradition now,” Camilla added. “If old ladies can manage to meet up for ice bathing, why can’t we turn ice surfing into a tradition?”
Editor’s Note: You can find more from SurfNorge online here and on Instagram here.
