COLD COMFORT

North of Copenhagen, a wild and windy sweep of Danish coast has become an unlikely surf and lifestyle hub

- MARY HOLLAND

SWING BY KLITMØLLER BEACH in northwestern Denmark on any given day and the gray ocean will be dotted with surfers and kiteboarders in wet suits. So good are the waves along the windswept coastline stretching between the towns of Nørre Vorupør and Hanstholm that in recent years the area has come to be known as Cold Hawaii.

"When I moved here in 2017, surfing wasn't a big thing," says Alexander Bengtsen, one of the founders of Surf & Work, a coworking space in Nørre Vorupør. "I would surf with just a handful of people down at the local spot. That's impossible now." He's one of the many Danes who have decided good waves are as important as a career and traded city life for a slower-paced existence. Many work remotely, but others, like Bengtsen, have launched businesses that have helped create a sense of community. Maja Overgård relocated to Klitmøller after leaving her corporate job at Deloitte and in 2023 helped form Tech & Surf, a networking community that aims to connect women in tech. "I wanted to try something else, work less, enjoy life more, and surf when the waves are good," she says.