By Erika Scafuro

Not all the surfing destinations are located at latitudes with mild temperatures even during the winter months. There are places which provide extreme conditions for surfing.

Intrepid surfers are always looking for incredible adventures, so why not expose yourself to a challenge with arctic waves?
Well equipped with a good gear to face with glacial temperatures, warm wetsuits, boots, gloves, headphones, you can choose some nordic surfing spots.

Iceland is definitely at the top of the best surfing destinations. This magical land owns all the natural elements that enclose the primordial force: volcanoes, glaciers, mountains, lava flows, moonlike landscapes, rocks. Surfing in this incredibly natural setting can only be a unique experience. For those who want to try it you should not only pay attention to the freezing temperatures, but also deal with spots really isolated, slabs of ice, reef and especially the unpredictability of forecasts. Relying on local guides is always the best solution to have fun surfing among the most famous spots in the Reykjanes peninsula, in the south – west of the country, as the black sandy beach of Sandvik.

Moving towards the Scandinavian peninsula, in Norway there are so many different wilderness places where surfing. The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Norway are the fjords and it is precisely among these that you can find one of the most popular surfing locations: Jæren. Moving north at the westernmost point of Norway, Hoddevik gives you an unforgettable experience, surfing waves between fjords and mountains.

The archipelago of the Lofoten, above the Arctic Circle, is one of the northernmost spot to surf powerful waves surrounded by snowy mountains and it is known by surfers around the world as one of the best places to surf in cold waters, as the left waves of Unstad. Even here the conditions are not always optimal, you have to deal with snow storms and bad weather, but is worth your patience to surf in a fascinating landscape like the Norwegian one.

Another country where to organize an extreme surfing expedition is Russia, with its eastern peninsula of Kamchatka. In this boundless territory surfers can find magnificent waves to ride in breathtaking views as volcanoes, glaciers and mountains. The right spot to to live an exciting adventure in this isolated land is Khalaktyrsky Beach, where the waves can reach 15 meters high.