cold water souls Archives - APPROACHING LINES

COLD WATER SURFERS – EDITORIAL FEATURE – CHRIS NELSON

ICE BREAKERS

> COLD WATER SURFING <

“That degree of cold carries with it an inherent threat, a quiet, ever-present menace. It waits for that one mistake when responses are slowed, when coordination and judgment are slipping, when the cloak of hypothermia clouds the senses. Just one broken zip during a mid-winter duck dive or a heavy wipeout can trigger a fight for survival.”
Ice Breakers, Chris Nelson

THE IDEA

Chris Nelson was commissioned to bring to life the untold story of cold water surf pioneers for a main editorial feature for The Telegraph Magazine.

THE RESULT

Written by Chris Nelson the 6 page feature brings together interviews and anecdotes in a compelling read. Published by The Telegraph Magazine.

Accompanied by photography sourced by Demi Taylor.

THE APPROACH

Chris was commissioned by Telegraph Magazine to write an in-depth yet accessible feature about those surfers who shun warmer climes to ride waves. The 1700 word article drew on the stories of pioneering surfers from Alaska, Nova Scotia and Scotland, bringing to life their adventures and the spirit that drove them to break trail in these frigid waters. The article ran as one of two main feature pieces in the weekend Telegraph Magazine, with images sourced by Demi Taylor from leading photographers.

Ice Breakers: The untold story of cold water surf pioneers by Chris Nelson for The Telegraph Magazine.

Ice Breakers, The Cold Water Surfers (an excerpt)

Charlie Skultka frantically scanned the frozen shoreline, the dark fringes where the raging Pacific collides with the forest-shrouded Mount Edgcombe volcano. Waves pounded the razor-sharp lava reefs, offering no safe haven for him to scramble ashore. He’d been drifting in the icy waters for about six miles and was beginning to run out of island.
For most people ‘do or die’ is a slogan, a mantra to stoke the fire or push them out of their comfort zone. Here in Alaska it is a very real possibility. Having wiped out and lost his surfboard, Skultka was locked in a fight for his life. Without the extra buoyancy afforded by his board, he was like a leaf in a river, helpless against the torrent.

ICE BREAKERS
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COLD WATER SOULS – BOOK – CHIS NELSON

COLD WATER SOULS

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Superb – a testament to the spirit of the surfers who are out there year after year, building the world’s frigid beauty into the stuff that fires the soul.
The Surfer’s Journal

Cold Water Souls: In Search of Surfing's Cold Water Pioneers written by Chris Nelson exploring Nova Scotia, Hokkaido, Scotland, Alaska, Iceland and beyond. — Image: Tim Nunn

THE IDEA

Chris Nelson conceived the idea to write a book unearthing the tales of cold water surfing’s pioneers.

THE RESULT

Cold Water Souls: In Search of Surfing’s Cold Water Pioneers written by Chris Nelson – a ground breaking 280pg full colour, critically acclaimed non-fiction book. Published by Footprint Handbooks.

The book explores the frigid line ups of Nova Scotia, Hokkaido, Scotland, Alaska, Iceland and beyond, bringing to life the tales of the surfers that call these places ‘home’.

Picture edited by Demi Taylor featuring images from the cream of international surf photographers.

Critically acclaimed, 280 pg full colour book

THE APPROACH

Chris Nelson grew up surfing the frigid reefs of England’s northeast coast, where winter water temperatures regularly dip below 5 degrees.

Cold Water Souls is a book of our times. It is an anthropological study of the world’s most inhospitable line ups – North East England, Scotland, Nova Scotia, Vancouver Island, USA, Alaska, Hokkaido, Iceland and beyond – and the surfers that call these waves ‘home’.

Chris’s international reputation as a respected surf and travel writer allowed access to communities whose stories had been previously untold. He travelled to inhospitable shores glazed in ice and beaches hidden beneath snowdrifts. He broke bread with biker gangs in Japan and talked story with nuclear engineers in Scotland, unearthing tales of communities across the globe whose surf culture runs counter to popular wisdom. Blending travel tales, history, and cultural references with never before heard tales of cold water surfing’s pioneers and photography from the world’s leading lensmen, Cold Water Souls is a critically acclaimed story of surfing’s final frontiers as told through its waveriding community.

A rich and beautiful book… Good reading and good looking – definitely one for the collection
The Surfer’s Path

Cold Water Souls in Search of Surfing's Cold Water Pioneers written by Chris Nelson Japanese surfer Taro Tamai image Richie Hopson — Image: Richie Hopson

THE REVIEWS – COLD WATER SOULS

“I’ve been captivated by (Chris Nelson’s) untold stories of weathered pioneers. A unique mix of historical and contemporary non-fiction, I recommend this book to anybody looking for peelers on roads less travelled” Cyrus Sutton, Korduroy TV

“The best surfing book to ever come out of the UK, it easily stands shoulder to shoulder with the best pieces of surfing literature on a global level.” Wavelength

“If you want to be regaled with inspirational tales of those on the vanguard of surfing’s latest evolution, start reading.” SBC SURF Pick of the Literature

“A genuine masterpiece of surf publishing that will whet your appetite for something different.” Drift

”Nelson has produced a beautiful read…grab a copy of Cold Water Souls. This book is too plain cool.” ESM

“Chris Nelson’s excellent book Cold Water Souls, (is) an exploration of the way the sport of surfing has spread from its warm-water genesis points to more frigid corners of the world.” The Scotsman

“A book of frozen treasures… championing the maverick spirits and unexpected beauty of these harsh environments.” Cooler Magazine

COLD WATER SOULS
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