Join Camille Delannoy and Oswald Smith as they brave hostile conditions in search of wind and waves in one of the most dramatic sceneries in the world: Iceland. Was it worth it? In this feature article, Camille takes us behind the scenes of Mystic's latest film!

This trip was one of the wildest I've done. For five days straight, the wind was blowing 50+ knots, it was raining all day long, and temperatures never went higher than 10 degrees.

Since early 2022, I've wanted to do a cold water adventure with my partner-in-crime, Oswald Smith, and some of the Mystic crew. A bunch of friends, kite gear, heavy-duty camera equipment, and a mission to shoot whatever would come our way. In tune with the roots of the Mystic brand, we looked North for the ideal setting, somewhere with harsh climates and rugged landscapes. And most importantly – wind!

The idea was to head somewhere in the north Atlantic chasing a gnarly forecast, explore an unknown place and find the best possible conditions. The seed was planted. Now, all we had to do was wait for the green light. Fast forward to the beginning of May, when a massive storm came up on the radar. All signals pointed towards an epic mission. The stage was set. Iceland was on! We locked in the plane tickets, made a rough plan, and two days later, the whole crew was in Reykjavík with a 4x4, a camper, a bunch of Mystic gear (those wetsuits were absolutely essential), and plenty of fuel to explore the country. 

To be in Iceland and shoot there was a dream, but we wanted to capture its raw side instead. Everybody's seen the picture-perfect version of Iceland, but not its chaotic side. This is where the concept of 'Dysfunctional Beauty' came into play and would take centre stage for the remainder of the trip. It was time to go off the grid.

We spent the first days hunting for wind and the right spots without much luck. Iceland is not made for kiteboarding. With impossible kite launches and extremely strong and gusty winds, it took blood, sweat, and tears to find any viable spots.

We tried to kite everywhere, many spots out of our comfort zone. One of the strapless sessions I did was in a river right in front of a bridge. I wanted to get a strapless freestyle session in, and, at first, this place looked perfect: 35 knots, flat water, and a stunning backdrop. I got changed, Ozzie helped me rig up, and off I went.

After a few minutes, I realised that the spot wasn't rideable and that a single mistake would throw me straight into the bridge. The place was full of rocks with shallow water, and when the wind picked up, I started to think that riding this spot maybe wasn't the smartest idea. I got dragged on the rocks for 100 metres, trying to get back before the crew came to help me. I lost a couple of fins in the river, and it was definitely one of the scariest moments I've ever had while kiting. Still, seeing the shots after made it worth it.

That session put things into perspective for us. After only two days, we realised that we wouldn't be able to find actual kite spots, so we had to shift our focus. We weren't looking for spots anymore but for raw landscapes and beauty, and then we would find a way to ride the place - or at least give it our best to make it work. 

Comfort was long gone after two days. Wetsuits would never dry, the camper and cars were full of sand, and food was getting simpler by the day. We didn't see a single person going in the water, and people watching us launching our kites and getting in the sea looked at us like we were maniacs. Especially with the many signs that read, "Deadly sneaker waves. Don't get close to the water!" 

The main area we wanted to ride was a glacier lagoon, and when we showed up, the spot was completely off the table. We drove around for hours, looked at every little lagoon on the map, and searched for the best possible option. After a few unsuccessful stops and 20 minutes in the middle of nowhere, we finally found a spot with no one around, a lagoon brimming with icebergs, and a huge glacier in the background. To our delight, there was a strong dose of wind! This was one of the most memorable sessions I have ever had, giving me a full range of emotions.

Oswald Smith summed it up perfectly, saying, "Imagine an all-powerful alabaster of glazed iced. Gracing you with its monumental grit. One of the most majestic spots I've ever had the pleasure to kite."

Following that session, the plan was to find big waves and strong wind. After a few sessions in places that were definitely not meant to be kited, we found what we were looking for: 35 knots, big waves, and of course, freezing water. That was our last session in Iceland, and the stoke level was high as we scored a wide variety of spots ranging anywhere from glaciers, river mouths, waterfalls, and waves on the sharp rocky southern coast of Iceland.

It was the trip of a lifetime. I remember sitting in the airport with Ozzie on the last day and touching back with reality, still appreciating the week we spent with the head full of icy memories. Kiting in those kinds of conditions is hard mentally. You have to "take abstraction" of the cold and the rain and focus 100% on the moment. You're not thinking of anything else but what is happening right in front of you. I think that one of the most important things is to trust your gear. You have to know that you can rely on it no matter what happens. 

Finding these different spots was a challenge, but that was why we went there. We could have gone to a tropical destination with warm water and steady wind every day, but that's not what we wanted. We wanted to go to new places, places where people have never kited before. The whole trip was an exploration. The goal was to push the limits on where it was possible to ride. We wanted to show that kiting doesn't stop at the famous destinations that everyone is used to seeing, but that it can be done everywhere. No matter the place and no matter the conditions, if there is water and wind, it's possible to ride.

Videos

Dysfunctional Beauty | Iceland
By Camille Delannoy

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