Is Surfing Harder In A 5/4?

For the most part, this clip is brilliant. It feels laced with a strange nostalgia for a place you’ve never been, accompanied by stunning landscapes and waves that verge on pumping.  

Sounds like an amazing surf trip…right? Well, it would be, until you add in the sketchy helicopter flights, knee-high wind-chop, and extra neoprene. 

Jack Freestone, Ryan Callinan, and Luana Silva are world-class surfers, all of whom have spent time on the CT. But even they look affected by the elements in BB’s latest Norwegian missive.

Most of us will probably never don a hooded 5/4, gloves, and booties for a strike mission to the far north, and fair enough. Not only does the weather look extremely unforgiving, the waves look fucking hard to surf.  This much wind and rubber would make anyone’s bottom turn feel a tad awkward, even surfing’s elite. 

That said, they sprinkle in a few moments of brilliance to remind us of just how talented they are.

Despite the conditions, Havamal is a definite filmmaking triumph. It’s worth your time, if only for Ryan Callinan’s hood-less wave at 4:58. Serious masochism right there.

Click above for an exploration into the rugged reaches of the northern oceans.