The shark and the surfer are a part of the same ongoing archetypal outdoor-sports-lifestyle story that has been going on for ages: the hiker and the bear, the captain and the storm, or Captain Ahab and the white whale. It touches the human soul, because at its heart is the pitting of man versus nature and man versus beast, where the beast personifies the violent disregard of life that nature possesses, combined with the terrifying consciousness of a sub-human mind.

In these instances it is not uncommon for the man to not only dread his unfeeling foe, but to formulate an obsession concerning it. Perhaps the obsession with the Monstrosity originated from the fact that it is actually a reflective picture of the monstrous potential within the human soul. Fortunately for surfers in the arctic, the ‘Greenland Shark’ is a docile version of the more territorial Great White Shark of warmer waters.

This pic from a travel video is kind of interesting because the landscape has a very mysterious feel, which I am assuming is standard for this island-region of the world.

Last time we left off, the gang of explorers from Moscow were on the Trans-siberian railroad. They decided their destination should be Komsomolsk. From there they could take any other transportation to the the polar coastline of Russia. Uncertain about what kind of waves they will find there, they now settle down by a campfire until morning, talking about how much cold-water wax they have with them, and if there will be a cool surf shop at their destination.

There is a lot of talk about reform going around the political circles these days. You might be attending the Copenhagen Climate Conference or maybe you are discussing the party-line polemics of the Public Option with your fellow caucus populist. But let’s be clear my friends, none of this has any bearing on a radical inside reforming reef break on the frigid fringe of Europe’s Arctic Circle.

photo cred: thanks to Erik from here.

The world’s tallest man-made chimney is called GRES-2 in Ekibastuz, Khazakstan. Below is a photo of a natural geological ‘chimney’.

This arctic town, located on a narrow piece of sand bordering the ocean, filed a lawsuit against about two dozen energy companies. They wanted to regain $400 million dollars in losses for the global warming caused by the emission of greenhouse gases, which in turn caused the sea to rise and threaten the existence of the village. The lawsuit was turned down by the judge, but it appears that all the sand dispersal has created a nice sand bar for waves to break on.

Here is an inside look at how the Arctic Surf Blog tracks and targets some the worlds most remote a desolate and naturally hostile surf breaks.

Curl up in a nook with a good book, or swindle a crook to curl up with his Kindle. Be sure to catch a cold curl to pass time, after your e-book batteries dwindle.

I’ve been closed down these last few days with sickness, and the effects have taken a bite, but with time even this cold will be weathered.

The invention of the wheel, the Roman arch, the light bulb, the industrial revolution, the personal computer revolution, the pog craze: every era has it’s breakthroughs that we cherish to this day. By opening up a new category in history, the wetsuit is this kind of thing for the surfing realm. But historical analogies are susceptible to grandiosity, so let’s take an incredibly fast and honest look at what the wetsuit really is. We’ll see how the wetsuit relates to surfing in the arctic, and we’ll look at what the future might hold for surfing’s flexible friend.

The wetsuit is a skin-tight body suit that acts as a temporary layer of blubber, keeping you warm even when the ocean gets cold.  This man thought he was wearing a wetsuit, but don’t let him fool you, he’s actually wearing a wet suit.

On the topic of blubber: ocean mammals living in the polar seas have a hefty layer of blubber to keep warm in icy waters. Wetsuits made for the arctic must do this also. The best wetsuits hold a large amount of water, prevent leaking, and are stretchy. Below you can see some of the customary suits that are worn when temperatures go way down.

What is the future of wetsuits and surfing? As a result of warmer and slicker materials we will see new surf break discoveries in cold places, larger surf towns in the arctic circle, a rise in cold-water wax sales, and cold-water surf charters. Eventually most surfers will move to the polar ice caps because of the limitless availability of perfectly uncrowded waves.

In the distant future don’t be surprised to see a wetsuit that is in liquid form. It creates a mutational bond to your nervous system and actually surfs for you. Imagine the potential progression of the sport.