In a land famous for its Vikings, Kragerø welcomes another set of adventurers ready to take to the sea in an attempt to conquer. The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series touches down on Norwegian soil for the first time this July at the midway point of the 2010 campaign. We could hardly have picked a better spot. Renowned for its incredible natural beauty, the Kragerø archipelago, one of Scandinavia’s most popular summer destinations, is a region that takes its high diving very seriously. Grunde Vegard, a former international diving judge, is still competing – at the age of 77! Grunde won’t be one of the competitors when the World Series rolls into town (though he’d probably say yes if you asked him) but will instead be among the thousands of spectators. In the days of sailing ships, Kragerø, the focal point for almost 500 islands, was one of Norway’s largest ports. The Vikings and the ships have long since set sail, but the town remains exactly how the expressionist painter Edvard Munch described it – a pearl.
Cliff Diving: Norway