Brutal Magazine by carohnsen

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AUTUMN’15

BRUTAL PUBLISHING

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world

brutal the cold edition

B R U TA L

is a travel magazine for people

who want their holiday to give a shock and leave a mark in the body. we show you t h e p l a c e s t h at t h e t r a v e l a n g e n c i e s d o n â&#x20AC;&#x2122; t p r o v i d e s pa c e f o r i n t h e g lo s s y m a g a z i n e s .

bwrourtladl

i sw s uoer lodn e

w otralbde l o f c o n t e n t

08 unstad sufring txt:

Carolyn Bain Alex Campbell Benjamin McMahon

photo:

Camille Mcmahon Jessica Brinton Damir Sagolj

brutal by Caroline Johnsen Oslo, Norway *this is a fictic magazine all texts and photos are borrowed and credited

We have had up to 15 metres. In the spring, summer and autumn, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nice mellow waves.

18 actross iceland Fultor aperum patume tra rem notis. ciercem ia sit. Catieni cienium pulicav olisse con hostem que inpractume

28 the last iceberg Fultor aperum patume tra rem notis. ciercem ia sit. Catieni cienium pulicav olisse con hostem que inpractume

26 t h e t o u r i s t : Cecilie Skog 34 a l e t t e r f r o m : North Korea

world

first issue

THE COLD EDITON

In this first issue we have looked at what Asia has to offer other than umbrella drinks turquoise wather in Thailand and overcrowded tourist traps â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we are talking about North Korea.In addition, we have seen the toughest roads as we drove through Iceland, we have frozen our balls of while surfing in the cold waves in Unstad â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Norway. Have a good brutal cold amusement!

world

FREAKINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ICE COLD

UNSTAD photo: jessica brington text: benjamin mcmahon

unstad

Sixty-two miles inside the Arctic Circle in the archipelago of Lofoten, Norway, is Unstad Arctic Surf. The water temperatures at Unstad may never rise much above 12 degrees, but the Northern Lights make up for that. nearby Dan Graham public sculpture—built for the 2013 edition of the Lofoten International Arts Festival—and an ‘opera hotel’ designed by Snøhetta architects opening later this year add to the sense that the Arctic is no longer an idea to think about, so much as be in. With that in mind, Amuse sent photographer Benjamin McMahon to test the waters, while Jessica Brinton talks whales, waves and limestone wetsuits with Thor’s daughter, Marion Frantzen, who took over Unstad Arctic Surf from her father not long ago.Your dad was probably the first person to ever surf in the Arctic. What are the waves like? – We have had up to 15 metres. In the spring, summer and autumn, it’s nice mellow waves. After September until June, it’s big wave season. We have some of the best left waves in the world. Is it true that in the summer, you can surf undera midnight sun? – Yes, from April until August, you can surf 24 hours a day. It’s quiet, and warm, and sometimes there are killer whales looking in, and some eagles passing by. Killer whales only eat fish, so they come

into the bay to eat. The water is so clear you can see the fish swimming beneath you. They come here to make babies. What about when it’s dark all of the time in winter? – In the middle of winter, we get a couple of hours of light every day, from 12 until two. It’s a kind of daylight without sun – a grey twilight. There isn’t any light pollution so you can see the Northern Lights very clearly. Then on January 7th, the sun comes back. It’s a small strip of sun, but the ocean turns blue, and the mountains with snow on go pink. It’s crazy beautiful. Some surf communities don’t welcome outsiders. What’s Unstad like? – We limit visitors here to 50 beds, so there’s no localism. We have our own club which is called Lofotem Ecstrem Klubb, or LEK, which means “play” in Norwegian and it has its own web cam! But we all meet on the beach and people will always speak to you in the parking lot. We rarely have to queue for waves anyway, and if people follow the usual surf rules, like how to paddle in and how to take a wave, everybody is welcome to be together and share the nature and love.

norway

unstad

norway

ARRIVAL

From Bodø, you can take a beautiful journey with the coastal steamer “Hurtigruten”. This historical boat trip takes 4 hours from Bodø to Stamsund. Departure Bodø at 15.00. Arrival Stamsund at 19.00. From Stamsund to Unstad it is an approx. 35 min drive. Traveling in the Lofoten islands is very easy if you are driving. We recommend getting here by car because of the limited bus routes and schedules in our region.

Do pro-surfers ever surf here? – Yes we’ve had a lot of international people over the years. Pro-surfers tend to travel as teams. They come between February and April. In Cali and Hawaii, you have snack bars, hot girls and a warm climate but you don’t get this connection to nature. Here, you have these big mountains and the surrounding valley. It’s like the whole sky is opening, and you are almost on your own. How do one sign up for lessons? All of our surf lessons are directed by professional educators with many years of experience both teaching and coaching all ages and skill levels. Our staff consists of certified instructors of the international surfing association (ISA). They are all first aid and CPR certified, and as professional watermen, each provides unrivaled, quality instruction. The average student to teacher ratio is 5:1, which allows individual attention to develop necessary skills. With the North Atlantic as your classroom, you need the best technology in surfing equipment. We support you with the best equipment so you can enjoy and develop your surfing.

Do you need any special kit? – We use the best wetsuits in the world. They’re made from limestone by an American brand called Matuse, and they’re also more environmentally friendly. We are lucky – ten years ago, cold was a serious issue. The Arctic is one of the most delicate ecosystems on earth. Have you noticed any impact from climate change? – The ocean temperatures in summer never would rise above 11 degrees, but these last two years they have reached 13 degrees. We used to get very heavy snow in winter, but now we hardly get any. Something is happening for sure. What do people do after a day of surfing? – For the visitors, we have hot tubs and saunas, and fireplaces everywhere. We give them good brandy and some bacalao [salted, dried cod], or whale meat that has been barbecued or made into a stew. The locals just get in their cars and go home. Final question, when is your next course? During the rest of the year, courses will be held by request. Do not hesitate to contact us!

antartic

we are fucked

THE LAST ICEBERG New research predicts a doubling of surface melting of the ice shelves by 2050, risking their collapse by the end of the century. Antarctic ice is melting so fast that the stability of the whole continent could be at risk by 2100, scientists have warned.

antartica

we are fucked

Widespread collapse of Antarctic ice shelves â&#x20AC;&#x201C; floating extensions of land ice projecting into the sea â&#x20AC;&#x201C; could pave the way for dramatic rises in sea level.

w e awr o e rfludc k e d

he new research predicts a doubling of surface melting of the ice shelves by 2050. By the end of the century, the melting rate could surpass the point associated with ice shelf collapse, it is claimed. Western Antarctic ice sheet collapse has already begun, scientists warn. If that happened a natural barrier to the flow of ice from glaciers and land-covering ice sheets into the oceans would be removed. Lead scientist, Dr Luke Trusel, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, US, said: â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Our results illustrate just how rapidly melting in Antarctica can intensify in a warming climate. This has already occurred in places like the Antarctic Peninsula where weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve observed warming and abrupt ice shelf collapses in the last few decades. Our model projections show that similar levels of melt may

occur across coastal Antarctica near the end of this century, raising concerns about future ice shelf stability. The study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, was based on satellite observations of ice surface melting and climate simulations up to the year 2100. Co-author Dr Karen Frey, from Clark University in Massachusetts, said: â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The data presented in this study clearly show that climate policy, and therefore the trajectory of greenhouse gas emissions over the coming century, have an enormous control over the future fate of surface melting of Antarctic ice shelves, which we must consider when assessing their long-term stability and potential indirect contributions to sea level rise.

text: rress association photo: camille mcmahon

aw n toarrltdi c

north korea

world

A COLD LETTER FROM

INSIDE NORTH KOREA photo: damir sagolj text: alex campbell

world

a letter from

north korea

ith constant surveillance from trained minders, suspicions of bugged hotel rooms and a repeatedly failing power supply, North Korea is unlikely to feature prominently on most tourist wish lists. But more than 3,500 Westerners visit the enigmatic state every year - and the numbers are said to be increasing. At more than £1,000 for a typical five-night visit it is not a cheap option. So what exactly is the attraction? Specialist tour guide Carl Meadows has visited North Korea 15 times in the past eight years.

the most bizarre captial The groups are usually well-travelled, open-minded people who have heard a lot about it and just want to see it for themselves. Pyongyang is a showcase city. Most people find it fascinating to spend their time in what is one of the most bizarre capitals in the world. What most foreign visitors encounter is a carefully-arranged snapshot of a secretive republic. There is little or no hint of the poverty, food shortages and human rights abuses which blight its people. In fact, to rists in Pyongyang can expect to be well-fed and treated as ”guests of the state” - housed in their own hotels and, if needed, treated in their own foreigners’ hospitals.

like marbella Visits to museums, monuments and beyond are planned with military precision. Guides and a driver accompany foreigners whenever they leave designated hotels. But most travel operators say visas are granted freely to any Westerner who is not a journalist.Father-of-four Andrew Drury, from Surrey, a self-styled ”adventure tourist”, has travelled with his cousin Nigel Green to dozens of world danger zones, ranging from Mogadishu in Somalia to Iraq. North Korean capital city Pyongyang. Compared with Mogadishu, which really was dangerous, Pyongyang was like going to Marbella. The country is so run down and so poor that it seems a laugh we’re worrying about them starting a war. technological stone age I think the hotel rooms are heavily bugged. Our security got off the lift on one floor and we carried on up to our rooms. We talked about trying to get out without them, but on our way down the lift stopped at anun-

a letter from

marked floor and they got on - we could never beat them. They took away our phones and computers at the border but they didn’t understand what an iPad was, so I was allowed to keep it. There’s no internet, so I couldn’t email out, but I showed some of my videos to a woman who was with our security - she didn’t know who The Beatles were. All tours are likely to include the world’s tallest triumphal arch, giant statues of ”eternal president” Kim Il-sung andV his son Kim Jong-il, and the palace-turned-mausoleum where both of their bodies are on display. You see people drawn to tears when they are talking about Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, it’s incredibly sincere and 100 per cent genuine,” said Mr Meadows, whose employer Regent Holidays takes 300 people a year to North Korea.

muzzled We warn people that they shouldn’t say anything negative about the leaders or former leaders because they are treated with real reverence. Day trips to the demilitarised zone, a heavily-guarded buffer between north and south, are also said to be popular. Most Westerners tour North Korea in small groups. Specialist tour operators book itineraries and arrange visas with a state tourism body. Exact numbers are not released, but the number of visiting Westerners has grown steadily ever since North Korea opened its borders to Western tourists in 1987. The tourists usually reach Pyongyang by train or plane from Beijing, using state-owned Air Koryo or Air China. Freedom to roam is surrendered at the border - often along with technology such as phones and laptops. Mr Drury’s tour included a visit, at his request, to a rusting old roller coaster, and a rare couple of hours spent away from the minders.

AT A GLANCE

An armistice in 1953 ended armed conflict on the Korean peninsula but the two Koreas are technically still at war. About 3.5 million of the country’s 24.5 million population live in Pyongyang. The country is led by a family dynasty which runs an uncompromising communist regime. Popular food dishes include cold noodles, cuttlefish and dog soup. Most of the country’s tourism comes from neighbouring China.

north korea

a letter from

north korea

<< empty cells We eventually managed to escape them for a while but there really isn’t a lot to see. Most of the big hotels and buildings over there are empty inside, they’re just shells. They don’t want to be seen as the aggressors. You are given the impression that everybody in the country is happy. South Korea is known as an imperialistic American regime where the people will one day be liberated. Trips can also be arranged to see unspoiled countryside and the picturesque peaks, lagoons and ravines of the Mount Kumgang region. Some groups visit universities and schools - pending prior approval - and others time their trips to coincide with national holidays and mass dances or military parades. There is a lot to see and a bit of flexibility over where you go but you can’t just do your own thing. Everything has to be pre-arranged. But you are very well looked after and there is plenty of food. The guides are trying to promote the image of a bountiful state and so people are usually quite surprised at the quality. Lancashire-based Lupine Travel organises trips to North Korea for between 300 and 400 tourists a year. About a quarter of them are British. Director Dylan Harris, 34, started the business after finding his own trips to unique tourist spots were impractically expensive and difficult to co-ordinate. When I started doing the tours I was aiming at the backpacker market but I didn’t really get that audience - it’s actually a really wide range of people. I’ve had 18-year-olds through to 85-year-olds. It’s curiosity, a lot of people have read about it and they want to see it for themselves. Mr Harris received an email last week from the KFA (Korean Friendship Association), a North Korean government-affiliated organisation, warning about the possibility of imminent war. But he has stopped short of cancelling trips. I’ve got a group booked to go in five days’ time so I have got to make a decision about that. I would never let anybody travel if they were going to be in danger, but at the moment I don’t think there is any. Nicholas Bonner founded Koryo Tours, the longest-running North Korean tour operator, in 1993. I think it’s one of the most rewarding places you can go. It’s the fact that you’re going into a very different kind of society and seeing one of the least-visited countries in the world.

world

TOUGHER THAN YOUR DAD

CECILIE SKOG

Fourty-one-year old norwagian. No other woman has accomplished what she has. On top of that, Cecilie crossed Antarctica together with Ryan Waters. They had no supplies delivered during the trip and used no dogs or ski sails to get there. This had never been done before. Her love for adventuring began in high school with some outdoor classes. Soon she began climbing the mountains in her home town. Before long she began a climbing class so she could become better and faster at summiting mountains in the region. She started out as a nurse but before long became a glacier guide. Skogs attempted to summit K2 in 2005, but didn’t quite reach the top. The mountain is said to be tougher than Everest. So she and her husband returned in 2008 but the it resulted in tragedy. On the groups descent an avalanche swept away the groups ropes, killing 11. Skogs’s husband was among the 11 that lost their lives that day. Understandably, she took some time away from mountaineering but since then she has visited both the North and South Poles as well skied cross-country through Greenland. THE TRAGEDY Cecilie’s husband Rolf Bae died on 1. August 2008 at the age of 33 in the biggest tragedy ever to occur on K2 (8611 m). Eleven mountaineers died. While Cecilie and a companion goes to the peak, Rolf stops the ascent just before the peak and waits. When the trio descends after Cecilie’s return, an ice avalanche breaks off at almost 8200 metres at a notorious bottleneck. Rolf, who is leading at the time, is swept away. In the darkness, Cecilie cannot see where Rolf fell. But looking at the broken fixed rope, Cecilie realises what has happened. Cecilie and her companion manage to go down to Camp IV. Other mountaineers whose route back got cut off by ropes ripped away, are aless lucky.

cecilie skog

iceland

roadtrip

RIGHT ACROSS

ICELAND photo: damir sagolj text: carolyn bain

iceland

The energy is palpable on this magical island, where astonishing natural phenomena inspire the welcoming locals and draw an increasing number of visitors in search of splendour. t’s hard to answer way I love Iceland without either gushing embarrassingly, or resorting to clichés (OK, I’ll admit it, Iceland makes me want to grow up to become a birdwatching vulcanologist who plays in a band). Like everyone, on my first visit l was awestruck by the landscapes. On subsequent visits, the beauty of those same landscapes can still reduce me to tears – but the locals are what affirm my love for Iceland. Their resourcefulness, quirkiness, interconnectedness and warmth is unparalleled; on this research trip, every day presented human stories and interactions that rivaled Icelandic nature for beauty.

a symphony of elements An under-populated island marooned near the top of the globe, Iceland is, literally, a country in the making. It’s a vast volcanic laboratory where mighty forces shape the earth: geysers gush, mudpots gloop, ice-covered volcanoes rumble and glaciers grind great pathways through the

mountains. Its supercharged splendour seems designed to remind visitors of their utter insignificance in the greater scheme of things. And it works a treat: some crisp clean air, an eyeful of the cinematic landscapes, and everyone is transfixed.

the power of nature The power of Icelandic nature turns the prosaic into the extraordinary. A dip in the pool becomes a soak in a geothermal lagoon, a casual stroll can transform into a trek across a glittering glacier, and a quiet night of camping may mean front-row seats to the aurora borealis’ curtains of fire, or the soft, pinkish hue of the midnight sun. Iceland has a transformative effect on people, too – its sagas turned brutes into poets; its stories of huldufólk (hidden people) may make believers out of sceptics. It may just have the world’s highest concentration of dreamers, authors, artists and musicians, all fuelled by their surrounds.

roadtrip

iceland

roadtrip

<< day one The tour takes you out of Reykjavik in an easterly direction as you drive towards the highland road, Sprengisandur, which lies between two of Iceland’s most magnificent glaciers, Hofsjokull and Vatnajokull. There are many interesting places to visit during Day 1, these include Hveragerdi, a hot spring village, Thorsardalur valley.

day two VULCANO

While some countries might be scared to live in the center of a fiery ring of volcanoes, Iceland grabbed nature by its slippery throat and figured out how to use it to their advantage. Roughly 85 percent of Iceland’s energy is from renewable resources, and well over half of that is geothermal alone. Of course, it didn’t start out as a means of power for most of the country—before geothermal energy became more prevalent, it was mainly just used for basic water heating purposes. However, over time it eventually became used for general electricity needs. On top of everything else though, the most important use for it is heating swimming pools. Iceland has well over 150 public swimming pools, and most of those are kept heated thanks to all-natural volcanic heat.

The excitement continues as the tour route takes you north on the Sprengisandur highland road and down into the valley of Bardardalur. Today there are many possibilities for interesting stops, for example, Hrafnabjargafoss Waterfall and you must not miss the magnificent waterfall Godafoss. Your accommodation is arranged in Akureyri.

day three Today the tour takes you west from the town of Akureyri, through the most prosperous agricultural regions of Iceland in the Skagafjordur region, before you need to take the highland-road Kjolur which will take you between the Hofsjokull and Langjokull glaciers. Here you are able to enjoy various kinds of hot spring, to take the time to listen, see, feel.

day four The final day of your tour takes you from Hveravellir along the south the highland-road Kjolur to the mountain lake of Hvitarvatn, to the amazing Gullfoss Waterfall (the Golden Waterfall) in river Hvita (the white river) to the remarkable geothermal area of Geysir with its world famous hot springs and finally through Thingvellir national park on the way back to Reykjavik.There will be plenty of time to stop and view or to take the photographs of a life time before you return to Reykjavik.

iceland

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