Arctic Surfers

Where in the world would you most like to surf? For me, I would not even think of going north, but one look at an island called Iceland and suddenly I am interested.

There is one group of people who have made it their business to know where to go and when to go. Not only that, but if you are looking for a trip to the island, these guys make use of all that Iceland has to offer. An Arctic Surfers holiday is not for everyone, but if you are a decent level surfer and/or snowboarder and like the outdoors, getting away from the crowds while experiencing something completely unique, then read on.

Ingó Olsen from Arctic Surfers has kindly agreed to give Surf Bunker some of his time to answer a few questions that we have, which will probably result in me booking a holiday with them. After all, where else can you surf, snowboard, dive, see volcanoes, glaciers, and then there are the northern lights. Oh dear, looks like it's a done deal.

SB: Hey Ingó, thanks for sparing Surf Bunker the time, how is the weather there today?

Ingó: Hey James, thanks for having us. At the moment we have pretty mellow winter temperatures around -2 to 0c, SSW winds about 5-10m/s... But that is just where I am right now, if you go for a short drive from Reykjavik the weather is different. We can't complain about the weather, it has been a warm fall with lots of swell, the waves have been pumping hard this winter and still are.

SB: How many of you are there working for Arctic Surfers and where and how did you first meet?

Ingó: We are three people working for Arctic Surfers full time. We also have some extra help/assistance from good people that help us manage the office when we are out road tripping, hunting for waves and other adventures. We are a small and tight group of people, all hand picked by myself, and everyone brings something good to the table. My staff are people I have known for many years, but at some point took up surfing and have become very good surfers in a short period of time. They also have the right personality, attitude, approach and they have the drive to do things the way we do them . We are all just as stoked as our guests to get in the water and surf, that's important. It is not just anyone that gets to be part of our crew, the work is demanding and lots of travelling, but it comes with lots of benefits and perks. It takes the right person many years of training and gathering knowledge before they would become a lead/head guide for Arctic Surfers and can guide all of our tours. Good things take time and no one said that our job was easy.

SB: I understand you are keen travellers, what made Iceland so special to you that you wanted to stay and set up Arctic Surfers?

Ingó: I have always been a traveler, earlier on it was mainly for snowboarding (for that is where we came from) and then later for surfing. The more I traveled abroad for waves the more I understood and could see the potential and quality in Icelandic surfing. Surfing in Iceland is different, you have to work for the reward, but when it comes to payday you are reimbursed with interest.

To surf and travel in Iceland is different, a special feeling and an experience that will stay with you a long time. There is no place quite like Iceland. Running Arctic Surfers gives me and my staff the chance and opportunity to meet interesting and fun people from all over the world and travel and explore our island, seeking out and finding the best surf and the biggest adventures each and every time.

SB: It looks like there are so many amazing things to do in Iceland, what do you enjoy the most?

Ingó: Yes, there are many amazing things to do here in Iceland, if you have the right ideas and toys you can keep quite busy. My personal favourite is to run one of our Adventure Surf Tours, the Surf & Snow tours or go traveling with my local friends and to have our own surf adventures. These travels take us all over the island and are much more involved then just surfing.... We are all about getting the best thing each day can bring, surf or non-surf there is always something worth doing. We have a saying at Arctic Surfers that we live by,  " it is not always a good day for surfing but it is always a perfect day for something!"

I love the mix of things, going surfing when the waves are good, when the surf is not pumping we don´t spend our time chasing something that will not be there, we go for the next best thing " the best thing the day can bring" and it is never the same. That is the part that keeps it fun and interesting. Plan-B´s, we have lots of them..... e.g. ice climbing, SUP, sk8, snowboard, caving, hiking, snorkeling/diving, atv adventures, horse back riding, rafting, sight seeing, hot pools, paragliding, super jeeps..... the list goes on and on.

SB: I imagine that some of the activities are seasonal, what is the best time of year to stay with Arctic Surfers if you want to surf?

Ingó: The best time of year to visit us and hunt for waves would depend a bit on what you would be looking for. We have 4 seasons here in Iceland and every one of them brings something special to the table. If you want warm mellow surf then summer/fall would be a good time to visit. If you are looking for good waves, bigger and more challenging then Sept to May is the time of year me and my local friends get very exited about the waves. It is fun to explore Iceland in all of the seasons, for every season brings something special to the table...

SB: Did you find it difficult to set Arctic Surfers up, what has been your biggest challenge?

Ingó: There have been some challenges along the way but where there is a will there is a way. It is hard to start up a business in Iceland, specially if that business relies on expensive equipment that you can't get anywhere. We have a selection of good surf boards these days but it has taken us a long time to collect them. From the start we stive to offer our clients the same quality equipment that we choose to use ourselves. I always knew it would take time for us to bake the cake just the way I wanted it to be, but when it would be ready it would be so delicious, that its reputation would flow and people would come from all corners of the world for a taste or even a big slice.

SB: Do you still get some time off to travel and surf/snowboard? Where do you go on holiday?

Ingó: You can say that I have not been on a holiday for about 4 years, some would say that I have been on a holiday for 4 years..... I would say it is somewhere in between.

Starting up Arctic Surfers has demanded most of my time, money and effort so the holidays abroad have had to wait. I have a long bucket list of places to visit, now we are so lucky to know a lot of fun and good people worth visiting all over the globe... we just need to find the time and travel budget. "koma tímar, koma ráð"... (new times bring new opportunities )

Me and my staff  love the opportunity that comes with our job, which is special because it's not for everyone. Even though we were lucky enough to get to travel Iceland as kids with our parents and family, we are now starting to explore our island all over again with new and old agendas. We are visiting many new places and areas as well.

My latest travels abroad have been to Copenhagen, DK for skateboarding and meeting friends, Biarritz, France as I was able to mix it up with a visit to the ISPO convention. Both loads of fun and cool places with good people.

SB: Arctic Surfers is also a test lab for all sorts of outdoor and sports equipment, how did that come about?

Ingó: It was an idea I had that made perfect sense, both for us (Arctic Surfers) as well as the people and companies that are/would be involved.

In the environment we work and travel in,  quality equipment makes a big difference, our very scenic and beautiful island is also rough and demanding on us and our gear. At the same time it is extremely photogenic and offers opportunities for good photos and footage. If the gear we are testing works in Iceland through out the year, the gear will work everywhere else! This is partly for we have always been looking for the best wetsuits and gear that function well in our environment and often there was something missing or could be bettered for what we had been experiencing with many known brands.

The gear is put to the test by our guides, our guests/clients in Iceland all year round and then promoted through our test lab:project on our home page, through our social media and also with photos, posts and stories from our guests when the travel onward or back home.

I would say this is a win win project for every one involved and has lots of potential. We are still adding new and interesting products to our project and it has just begun.

SB: The idea of snowboarding right to the ocean, sounds amazing. How often does that happen? and is there much hiking involved?

Ingó: Yes, it is quite amazing, I guess for us it is just a normal weekend for we have been doing this from the start of our surfing careers.

From the very start of Arctic Surfers, snowboarding has always played a big role in our lives, hobbies and later our work. Our Surf & Snow programs are the perfect trip for the all around board-rider, surf and snowboard out of the same location.

The biggest mountain ranges in Iceland lie next to the ocean and deep fjords, it just made sense and we have been doing this since 2000.

Very commonly we have our tour base camp next to the mountains and ocean, and can run both activities out of the same location. We take advantage of the cabin as we switch our equipment or use our cars to do so, surfing and snowboarding on the same day and at the same location. If we need to move around to get better surf/snow conditions we do so, for it will be worth it.

In our snowboard/ski programs we have a couple of options: We can offer heliskiing through our partners and friends, then we use snow-cats, snowmobiles, ski areas, splitboards/mountain skis or kick it old school and hike in with the boards/skis on our backs. All depending on what version of the Surf & Snow tour we are running... There are many ways to do the same thing.

SB: Can you remember what your first surfboard was and do you still have it?

Ingó: Yes, I can and I still have my first surf board. I got it back in ´97, my mom took my sister to Scotland for a figure skating camp and bought my first surf board there.

It was is a Nigel Semmens Ocean Magic 7´0" x 20 3/4" x 2 3/4´. I sold it after 2 years of riding it. It circled though 5 other people/friends of mine then I bought it back 6 years later and I still have it today. That was my first surf board ever...

Before that I was doing my best to surf a kids boogie board that I had stolen from one of our local swimming pools in Reykjavík and used that to follow my friends into the ocean. It was not the dream set up but it was a set up! At that time I had bought a old second hand dive suit that had a zipper from shoulder to shoulder, wore woolen socks + plastic bags + sneakers for my feet and had no fins/flippers. That is how I started my surfing in Iceland.

SB: Can you describe how it made you feel the first time you caught a wave or got barrelled?

Ingó: This is quite hard to explain, as the good and famous quote said/says: " Only a surfer knows the feeling!" ... you kind of have to experience it to experience it.

My first wave I ever caught was at this beach break, surfing with friends on a board I was lucky enough to borrow for a day, at that time there might have been 10 surf boards in all of Iceland. I caught a 5' fat rolling wave on my belly and I remember that I was blown away, I felt like I was going so fast, thought it such a special feeling to be gunning over the water on these pulls of energy naturally made by Mother Earth. I did not do much of anything on my first wave, I pretty much just lay there with my eyes and mouth wide open almost in a shock, it was that good.

I was now hooked and needed more!

My first barrel that I made and rode out of came years later, that is also a pretty epic and special feeling... It is a new level of being hooked... There is a reason why most surfers never get enough barrel rides and most/many surfers always aim to get some time in the shade during there surf sessions. The Green Room.

SB: Great thanks to Ingó and really, if you have some or any kind of 'get-up-and-go' about you then this is where you should head.

For some of us, like me, decisions are difficult, what board to take to the beach? Which spot to head to? Which sport to indulge in? If you go on holiday with these guys it sounds like you can, have your cake, eat it, make another one and eat it again. You have the best of all worlds and have a mixture of 'surprise' activities sprinkled in. As Ingó said "koma tímar, koma ráð" or "new times bring new opportunities".

They say good things come to those who wait. This interview article took over a year to complete and it is well worth the wait, it really is a testament to Ingó that he managed to find the time for us at Surf Bunker and a big thank you again from us and you. If I was not sold before this little chat, I am most certainly booking up now.