Cold water surfers Inge Wegge and Jørn Nyseth Ranum go on a mission to catch the perfect wave – but there's a catch
In this film for Vogue Scandinavia, Norwegian filmmaker and cold water surfing enthusiast Inge Wegge, with the help of his friend Ranum and "four Swedes", embarks on a project he describes as "completely idiotic": to ride the waves using a surfboard made entirely of ice.
Wegge first took up surfing as an exchange student in Australia 15 years ago, chasing the more commonly-held surfing dream of board short- and bikini-clad revellers riding sun-kissed waves beside palm tree-lined soft white sands. Yet it wasn't until he returned home that he began taking cold water surfing seriously. Unsurprisingly, surfing under an Arctic sky was quite a different experience to riding waves' Down Under', but it quickly became the norm.
With years of experience under his belt, the filmmaker had the idea to take cold water surfing – sometimes referred to as 'ice surfing' – into more literal realms, crafting the most efficient icy surfboard.
Watch the film here:
The film sees Wegge and his team struggle to craft the perfect iceboard for their mission, testing ways to freeze and carve to ice. We watch as the filmmakers face challenges along the way – the main being that it's impossible to keep the grip on the board once in the water, making any kind of stunt or standing near impossible.
After a few failed test runs, the team realised the key isn't shaping the board into a conventional surfboard shape, but rather the surfer's ability to keep hold of it.
Armed with a pair of specially-made grip gloves, they head out to the water to give it another. But did they end up catching the perfect wave? Watch the film above to find out.