Surfing the Perfect Arctic Wave
The meaning of luxury is expanding as time evolves; and the most recent shift has consumers craving experiential travel versus material possessions. They’re looking to see pink Dolphins on an Amazon river cruise, go diving in Fiji, or surfing in Unstad, a cold water area above the Arctic Circle, where you can actually surf under the midnight sun or Northern Lights.
I recently visited Unstad on a surf trip to see what the area had to offer. It has a seductive purity, and the quietness of an undiscovered place. It’s a destination where surfers breathe the tonic of ocean wildness and its almost-perfect point breaks. Long, high peeling waves form near coasts with curving headlands and bays. Unstad Bay is almost a precise semi-circle, and on either side, often snow-laced mountains. It is also far from the madding crowd. Traveling to Unstad could easily be considered a kind of pilgrimage to discover the perfect wave.
The city is on Austvågøy, one of the seven Lofoten islands, on the tip of the western coast of Norway. It also lies on the latitude of 68 degrees north, above Iceland and the Arctic Circle. And getting there takes time. From Oslo, you can take a plane to Leknes and then a car to Unstad, an hour away. Or drive six or more hours from Tromso. The average water temperature is between 8-14 C (40-50 F.) The cold doesn’t seem to bother surfers though due to advanced neoprene wet suit technology. One surfer called it “a cold Tahiti,” where Arctic Aloha is a common catch phrase.
The area has been inhabited for a few thousand years, first by Vikings, then by Samis, the native people of Norway. Right now, the permanent population of Unstad is all of 13. But there are many surfers who know this place, and stay at Unstad Arctic Surf, a lodging that Marion Frantzen and her husband Tommy manage.
Marion is of Sami descent, and her husband Tommy is Norwegian. I met with them when I was there, and both understood the deep, almost spiritual pull Unstad surfing has for those who make this trip. I asked Marion about the draw of surfers to the area. “First," she said, "Unstad has high, perfect waves. In Summer we have medium ones, but in Winter, waves can be thirty feet or more. And our water temperature, due to the Gulf Stream, never drops lower than 45 degrees.”
I’d heard the story before I came to Unstad of Marion’s father. His name is Thor, and he was the first person to surf here, on a homemade surfboard he built in 1963, after seeing a photo of one on the Beach Boy’s Surfin’ Safari LP album cover. For many years, Thor had a surfing camp at Unstad, and in 2007 Marion and Tommy bought the camp. The couple expanded it by building cabins, a sauna, hot tub, and small restaurant, so surfers could stay in comfort after days in the water.
“Our family lived on and in the Lofoten islands for six generations. And because we have been here, we feel a magic I can’t explain. We know when great waves are coming, and so do others! Even the surfers from as far away as Helsinki seem to know, [they] just drop everything, get in their cars and come here,” said Marion. “And when warm autumns create huge, perfect swells, there is a magnetic feel to Unstad. Once you have been here and experienced our high waves, and Arctic beauty, you come back. You just can’t stay away.”
Unstad Surf Camp is open all year-long and offers lessons, camps, rentals and lodging. Private, two-person cabins begin at $116 per night in low season. Among their packages is the Hang Loose Wknd offering a three-night stay from Thursday to Sunday inclusive of wetsuit rentals, access to the sauna and airport transfers. The package is priced at $293.
