Iceland's Call with Chris Burkard, Chapter I
The Frozen Enigma
Ice towers and a marvelous empty land
Iceland's Call with Chris Burkard by Chris Burkard, Chapter I
A land; barren, cold and lifeless. The waves crash and rumble, they hold onto a cold that is seldom felt. An island of contrast; jagged mountains of ice tower out from the ocean, mist rolls across shoreline engulfing the green and please interior, while great waterfalls of glacier run-off battle through the land to reach the vast frozen swell.
As fascination with this mystical island mounts, Iceland’s call can be heard amongst the tribe. They are seeking out a new wave, a wave that comes with different experiences, different expectations and different rules. What they seek isn’t easily found, but when they find it, it’s felt right to the core. These frozen rumbles are chilling the hairs on the back of surfers necks across the globe. Chris Burkard is one surfer that has felt the call and has become captivated by this arcane landscape, where the true spirit of isolation can be experienced, where no man has surfed before and the land lacks the human touch all too familiar.
Chris’s work is a reflection of someone who is truly experiencing his surrounds, his love of nature and the search for original experiences resonates deeply out of his photos – the true representation of an artist, not just a photographer. This trip was no exception to that rule, on a quest to explore Iceland’s south-east coastline, Chris returned on a third trip to intentionally search for waves that were a little slower, in contrast to the western part of the island, where he had been before, and its heavy ocean.
Joined on his trip by Mikey Detemple and Reid Jackson, who’s affinity with the long-board matched Chris’s search for the slower rhythm of Iceland, they spent 6 days moving through the land along the southern ring road from Dyrhólaey to Hofn. Along the way they spent their nights under canvas and their days on the surf. Their mindset is global, the call of nature and these intimate experiences are being played out across the world. We will explore this mindset deeper, we will dig into their experiences and try to truly understand the draw of this stirring island.
The second chapter, “Cold water. The ice cold call of surfing”, is coming soon.
Photography. Chris Burkard
Words. Jeffrey Bowman Guest editor
Drawing. Ángela Palacios
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Traveller/s
Chris Burkard
Photographer, Surfer and Motivational Speaker
Chris is an American self-taught photographer and artist, based in California Central Coast region. Burkard’s work is layered by landscape, lifestyle, surf, outdoor and travel subjects. Burkard has led trips to some of the coldest regions of the globe: his travels seek out adventure and perfect waves in some of the coldest harshest conditions known to man, including over seven trips in Iceland, Norway and other parts of Europe.
@chrisburkard
@chrisburkard
