Norwegian Surfing selects Lost Shore as National Performance Centre
As featured in Sports Nation
Norway’s surfing national governing body, Brettforbundet,has selected Lost Shore Surf Resort in Edinburgh as its National Performance Centre, becoming the latest European surfing nation to partner with the world-class facility.
The agreement will give Norway’s national team access to Lost Shore’s wave pool, high-performance facilities and Surf Lab as it develops athletes for international competition and future Olympic pathways.
It follows Irish Surfing’s recent decision to designate Lost Shore as its National Performance Centre for Surfing and National Olympic Training Facility, with Norwegian Surfing partnering with Lost Shore on the same terms.
The partnerships form part of Lost Shore’s ambition to create a high-performance surfing ecosystem in Edinburgh that supports European nations to develop their athletes, coaches and performance programmes and, ultimately, improve European surfing on the international and Olympic stage.
Lost Shore’s location minutes from Edinburgh Airport is also central to its appeal as a European training base, allowing international teams such as Norway to travel to Scotland and be at a world-class surfing and performance facility shortly after landing. With accommodation on site, athletes can train, stay and recover in one location.
Norway’s national team has already been training at Lost Shore, with its Head Coach describing the instantaneous feedback possible when coaching athletes from the side of the wave pool as a “game-changer”.
Scott Erlandsen, Head Coach of Norwegian Surfing, said: “We saw a considerable amount of progress from our athletes in the short time we were at Lost Shore. For our athletes, we were able to make real progress in areas including technique, advancing specific manoeuvres and barrel riding.
“For me, the main point of difference is the instantaneous feedback. The athletes can surf a wave and, as they paddle back out to the peak, we can give them direct feedback immediately. Being able to speak to them while they are waiting for their next wave ensures they remember what they need to do and brings a whole new level of communication that isn’t quite possible when training in the ocean.
“Having Lost Shore as a National Performance Centre means we have a stable and reliable training facility where we can make significant progress throughout the year. We know our athletes will get a considerable number of waves and can focus primarily on their surfing, without having to worry about all the additional factors of a traditional line-up. That makes it a very appealing training solution.
“The accessibility is also extremely important. There’s a lot of logistics involved in planning any international training camp, so having everything we need on site allows us to spend more time focused on training rather than travelling or dealing with the other factors involved in a traditional surf trip. The fact it’s so close to Edinburgh Airport means we can almost be in the water within an hour of landing, which is pretty amazing.”
As part of the partnership, Norwegian Surfing will also have access to Lost Shore’s Surf Lab, created in partnership with Edinburgh Napier University. The facility uses the controllable environment of the wave pool to support applied research across areas including high-performance surfing, bringing research, sports science and athlete development together at Lost Shore.
Andy Hadden, Founder of Lost Shore Surf Resort, said: “We’re incredibly proud that Norwegian Surfing has chosen Lost Shore as its National Performance Centre. Together with our partnership with Irish Surfing, it is a significant endorsement of what we have created here in Edinburgh.
“Our ambition goes beyond providing world-class waves. We want to build an ecosystem that helps European surfing nations develop their athletes, coaches and performance programmes and ultimately strengthens European surfing on the international and Olympic stage.
“The combination of consistent, repeatable waves, live coaching and access to facilities such as our Surf Lab creates an incredibly powerful environment for athlete development. What the Norwegian Surf Team has experienced in just a few days demonstrates how quickly progress can be made when coaches and surfers can work together in this way.
“Edinburgh’s connectivity is another important part of that proposition. National teams from across Europe can fly into Edinburgh and be at Lost Shore within minutes, with the waves, performance facilities and accommodation all in one place.
“We are proactively building relationships with national federations because we believe Lost Shore can make a real contribution to the future of European surfing. Having both Norway and Ireland choose Edinburgh as a base for their performance programmes is an important step towards that ambition.”
Lost Shore Surf Resort opened in 2024 and is home to Europe’s largest wave pool. Located minutes from Edinburgh Airport, the resort combines its wave pool and high-performance facilities with Surf Lab and on-site accommodation, creating a highly accessible training base for national teams travelling from across Europe.
