Denmark Gallery: Aurora, storm & mushrooms - a summer trip to Cold Hawaii
Frithjof Blaasch
· 03.11.2024
EI actually avoid the summertime in Denmark, although "Cold Hawaii" is not that cold at this time of year. It's often too crowded for me on the water, and the wind and waves are not as constant as in the cooler, albeit darker, season. This year, however, I took a trip to the north-western part of Denmark and was surprised by some phenomena that I hadn't expected ...
The gold of the forest: chanterelles
A week before we set off, we heard that this year was going to be a special year for mushrooms. June was very rainy, whereas in July the sun really heated things up. Humidity and warmth are ideal conditions for lush mushroom growth in the forest - and in surf shoes.
Until last year, I was very sceptical and didn't really dare to go mushroom picking. There were too many negative stories that kept repeating themselves. There was everything from food poisoning to hallucinogenic trips, so I paid no further attention to the golden-yellow delicacies. Last year, this changed when I watched two friends preparing a mushroom dish containing just about everything you could find in the forest. After they exhibited natural behaviour the following day and showed no symptoms of poisoning, my study was complete and I started picking mushrooms, limiting myself to chanterelles. Chanterelles are actually very easy to recognise, although they only have a slightly poisonous doppelganger, which is significantly darker and more orange in colour.
A backloop for your birthday
This year it was really incredible in the forests of North Jutland: you could spot some of the so-called golden veins directly from the car, stop briefly and pick up your dinner on the way to the spot. Cleaning mushrooms has a meditative quality to it and can be done on days without wind and waves or between sessions. This year we were just as lucky with the surfing conditions as we were with the mushrooms.
Cleaning mushrooms has a meditative quality and is very suitable for windless and waveless days."
Loris Vietoris, one of the organisers of the German Freestyle Battles, accompanied us for the first week. He proved to be just as skilled at the hotplates as he was at judging freestyle manoeuvres and conjured up delicious tacos and burger patties from pulled chanterelles. Thanks to the good surfing conditions, he was even able to fulfil a goal he had set himself of doing a backloop before his 30th birthday. Even though it was a pushloop and not a backloop, I'll take this kind of backward rotation - congratulations!
The fascination of the Northern Lights
In addition to our newfound passion for mushroom picking, we have increasingly specialised in aurora borealis (northern lights). In 2024 there will be more solar storms, so the probability of seeing auroras is significantly increased. This phenomenon probably only occurs every ten years, so describing it in more detail would go beyond the scope of my expertise. The fact is, we have already seen them several times this year, including this late summer in Denmark.
The phenomenon is surprisingly easy to predict and can be observed with the naked eye for several minutes or even hours. You can see how the stripes of the auroras move and the whole sky lights up, but the colours only come to light with the help of cameras or a mobile phone. So if you're not quite sure whether you're looking at auroras, all you need to do is pull out your mobile phone and look up at the night sky in camera mode; the colours are shown on the display in real time.
The solar storm is followed by a summer storm
In addition to the solar storm, there was a real summer storm in the forecast for the second week. I had to travel back to Germany for a short time, but I wanted to be back in time for the storm. The storm was due to hit North Jutland from the south in the afternoon and turn to the west in the evening, only to disappear again as quickly as it had arrived.
In summer, the wind fields are often relatively localised, so the waves don't have quite as much pressure as in winter and therefore decrease again quickly. On the way back to Cold Hawaii, the wind picked up considerably and Leon Jamaer, who was already there, told me that the wind was actually far too strong for his 4.2, but that he wanted to try it if I wanted to take photos.
Crossing the bridge was a near-death experience
At this point, the wind readings showed a constant force ten with gusts of around twelve, which was unfortunately too much for the Oddesund Bridge, so it was closed. So I had to take a diversion to at least catch the evening session. The route over the fjord bridge at Skive was a near-death experience; I've never experienced such dislocations when driving straight ahead. As there was a brave - or life-weary - caravan in front of me and somehow managed to keep in lane, it should be possible with my bus ...
When we arrived in Hanstholm, the wind shifted to the west just at that moment and the first windsurfers took to the water. Leon was also somewhat surprised by this summer storm and had only brought his 4.2 as the smallest sail. Visibly overpowered, he still managed to put in some good moves. Martin ten Hoeve later reported that it was actually more of a battle against the forces of nature out there. Simon Thule in particular stood out on this day. The Dane demonstrated what he had learnt last winter in Australia. He performed the only jumps that evening and stood almost every goiter he put on - hats off!
Denmark is simply always beautiful - no matter what time of year
The wind shifted back to the south-west overnight and continued to provide good surfing conditions around the Klitmøller region for the next two days. As I had injured my foot on the day of the storm, I unfortunately had to spend the days ashore. Of course, your heart bleeds at the sight of such conditions, but the sight of a camera, good friends and mushrooms in the evening makes it a little more bearable. Denmark is simply always beautiful - no matter what time of year.
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