Snapps, Midsommar, Igelkottar and Surfing

Well, I am in Sweden. It is a land of korvs, trolls, sailing, snapps, Falcon beer, Igelkottar, and midsommar:

Kurungabaa has run an article on ex-pat surfing in Sweden by Tyson Ballard. See here (It is available in Swedish too).

I am in Asa, on the West Coast. It is known for kite-surfing and windsurfing, not so much surfing per se. That isn’t to say there are not surfers in Sweden.

There’s a bunch of mad bastards called the “Midnight Runners” who surf the Baltic when big storm systems spin across on their journey to Estonia, Russia, and Finland and send swell north past Stockholm, into nooks and crannies of the north coast. shhhhh – good luck finding the spots anyway. There’s also Toro (Stockholm – don’t bother), Otland, Simrishamn, and Gotland. But good luck – you want cold and very windy conditions (20 meters per second for two days) and a lot of patience.

On the West coast November is the best month. Winter storms whip up some wind swell – no ground swells here buddy, and the body of water separating Sweden and the Danish coast, known as the Kattegatt, is deep enough to allow a little  bit of punch. There’s also the Skagerrak that connects the Baltic to the North Sea, check out Orust for some more punch to the wind swell. The wind is far more consistent on the West Coast than the East Coast too, of course. It’s cold but, in the middle of winter it’s 0 degrees in the water and freezes over sometimes. Bring the hoodie, booties, and a battery-powered wetsuit. The vikings get out there in the slop with an enthusiasm that would put most of us to shame. The frequent West Coast spots like Molle, Vik, and the entire Skane coast. Asa also get a few mentions, off the harbour. There is a cove around the corner that breaks like a miniature Angourie, if only it would get over 1-ft. I lay on the ground and mind surf it. In fact, I have come across a few setups here, if you have the right eye to spot them. The other spots get crowded, funnily enough. No rush to get wet either, sun doesn’t really set.

Anyway, enough rambling: here are a few of the better videos that show, despite the odds, the crew in Sweden do get to surf and love it as much as anyone.  Most of the waves are West Coast waves: