Star guests, an international tournament in a new sport with a good portion of adrenaline and an unusual combination of sport and ecology – all this is about the North Wind festival. A unique sports festival was held in Nikel, an urban settlement in the Murmansk region, located beyond the Arctic Circle. Norilsk Nickel became the general partner of the festival.

The main events unfolded on the Shuonijoki River, where sap surfers from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan competed. Unlike surfing, paddle board racing (Superfing) is not yet included in the Olympic program, but in terms of entertainment and adrenaline it is quite consistent with it.

The final of the women’s sprint in Nikel turned out to be very spectacular, in which only a photo finish gave victory to the Russian champion Elena Surkova over Marina Revenko. Surkova also won the technical race. The victorious double for men on the “Northern Wind” was made by the champion of Russia Dmitry Sudakov.

Photo: © Evgeny Tumashov

Master class of the world champion

– All the leaders of the Russian team came to the festival in Nikel. There was a very interesting fight at the tournament,” said Elena Prokhorova, the first and so far the only world champion in SUP from Russia.

She did not participate in the tournament, but she gave a SUP lesson for the guests of the North Wind.

“Such events are very important in order for people in the north to believe that SUP can be practiced even beyond the Arctic Circle in any weather and at any temperature. You can go up to minus 16, and everything will be fine, – said Elena Prokhorova.

Amateur tournaments were organized for the guests of the festival. And stand-up surfing is just the kind of sport where the path from an amateur to a professional can be very short. If Elena Prokhorova came to stand-up paddleboarding from rowing, where she was the winner of the world championships, then, for example, Marina Revenko worked for five years in the fire department.

“I couldn’t imagine how cool life would turn out. If they had told me that I would be a member of the Russian surfing team, and not a general of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, I would have twisted it at my temple, ”said Marina Revenko.

Photo: © Evgeny Tumashov

Legkov mastered plogging

The large-scale program of the festival was not limited to SUP. Alexander Legkov, Olympic champion in cross-country skiing, became a special guest of the North Wind. He took part in plogging – an eco-run for the purpose of collecting garbage.

— Plogging is already quite common in our country, people understand that they need to take care of the environment. When you run with a company, you can clear the area faster. A good solution for nature, especially for those places where people relax, – said the famous skier.

Yulia Firsova, coach and sports blogger, founder of the Women’s Martial Arts Academy, also took part in plogging. And then, together with MMA coach Artemy Kiselev, they held a master class in dance styles mixed with martial arts elements.

In addition, Legkov, Prokhorova and Firsova held a public talk for the residents of Nikel.

— It’s great that Norilsk Nickel is holding such events. We have a big country, and it is important that even in the most remote corners people can see something new, interesting, try themselves in this, ”summed up Legkov.