Torren Martyn - Northern Reaches

Mid-winter in the Arctic is not a place you'd think of when dreaming up that idyllic surf adventure. With air temperatures well below -10C degrees, an ocean on the verge of freezing and a wind chill that can kill in minutes if you're unprepared, the Arctic is far from most people’s surfing nirvana...

However, for the past couple of years Torren Martyn has found himself chasing waves in what is considered some of the harshest surfing conditions on the planet. This year he was traveling with his girlfriend Aiyana Powell and film maker Ishka Folkwell through the depths of the Western Sahara when needessentials founder and designer Ryan Scanlon invited them up for the annual Arctic wetsuit product testing trip. 

Filmed in February 2020, just before the world went into full lock down mode, this short film provides a window into this frozen coastline at the top of the world - where getting to the beach often involves trekking for many kilometres in deep snow and blizzard conditions just to get to the water.