For Vogue Scandinavia, I spoke with some of the region’s diehard surf enthusiasts.

The best waves of the year only arrive during the area’s coldest months, often meaning sub-zero temperatures and a risk of frostbite. “When I stop feeling my toes, I go up, I put some hot water in my boots, I get the feeling back in my toes,” one committed surfer told me. “And then I go out to surf again.”

If it sounds brutal, that’s probably because it is. Yet surfing in such conditions also comes with some extraordinarily beautiful scenery, including the opportunity to ride waves under the Northern Lights.

To read more about the people heading out to the coast when the temperature is down and the surf is up, get the December-January issue of Vogue Scandinavia or read the full story at Vogue Scandinavia ($).