COLD WATER SOULS
Cold Water Souls: In Search of Surfing’s Cold Water Pioneers
The project
Connected to the project from his earliest experiences of surfing the frigid North Sea of the 1980′s, Cold Water Souls has taken author Chris Nelson on a personal journey from Nova Scotia, Vancouver Island, and Hokkaido to Iceland, Scotland and beyond in search of those pioneering souls who call the world’s most challenging line ups ‘home’. He has journeyed into the heart of surf culture to tell the story of each destination through its surf community, exploring how the landscape and harsh environments shape their lifestyles and surfing experiences. The resulting book is part anthropological study, part social commentary and part exploration and celebration of surfing’s final frontiers told thorough fresh perspectives and stunning photography contributed by the world’s leading lensmen.
CLICK HERE TO READ AN EXCERPT OF COLD WATER SOULS
What the press have said
“The book is a soulful tome that complements the author’s prose with plenty of gorgeous photography. …Nelson’s writing is reminiscent of Barry Lopez or Alain de Botton, with a reverent attention to the natural world. He has a touch of the romantic, but doesn’t paint these places as idylls…, showing surfing not as a cloistered pursuit but as a product of the places he studies and their longstanding relationships with the sea…Nelson’s book is 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 Surfers Journal
“A rich and beautiful book…(Nelson) can rightfully claim to have unearthed a whole new subspecies in the surfing genus, the zero-degree specialists. Good reading and good looking – definitely one for the collection.” The Surfer’s Path
“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 ”Nelson has produced a beautiful read…grab a copy of Cold Water Souls. This book is too plain cool.” ESM
“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
“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. There’s a whole chapter devoted to the development of surfing in Scotland, and Nelson has done the Scottish surf community a huge service by filling in some of the blanks in what, up until now, has been a sparse narrative.” The Scotsman
“A genuine masterpiece of surf publishing that will whet your appetite for something different.” Drift
“A book of frozen treasures…champions the maverick spirits involved in cold water surfing and celebrates the unexpected beauty of these harsh environments.” Cooler Magazine
The Author
Chris Nelson is a confirmed cold water soul. He grew up surfing the frigid reefs of England’s northeast coast, where open ocean arctic swells are groomed into reeling lefts and winter water temperatures regularly dip below 5 degrees. With over twenty years experience, he is one of Europe’s leading writers on surf travel and culture. He has written six books on surfing, and contributes regularly to surf media across the globe as well as national magazines and newspapers on surf travel issues.During the 90’s he launched Asylum and Freeride, two of the UK’s most influential boardsports magazines. As editor he interviewed surfing’s heroes and antiheroes and on his down time scoured the northern fringes of Scotland for unridden breaks. When not seeking out frozen shorelines, Chris can be found surfing the cliff lined beaches in Cornwall, where he lives overlooking the sea. www.coldwatersouls.com
Author: Chris Nelson
Art Direction: Demi Taylor
Photo Editor: Demi Taylor
Published: Footprint Books October 2010
Purchase: HERE
