Get the latest tech news

Story of USSR's First Surfer

Nikolai Petrovich Popov was Russia's first surfer and had to build his own boards and equipment and find his own cold-water breaks to make it happen.

Nikolai Petrovich Popov was a student at the Faculty of Geography of Moscow State University and captain of the alpine skiing team. As a journalist, he had to follow an exhibition called USSR: Country and People in Art Photography, which was supposed to take place in several cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles. It was a protected area, so he had to send a letter to the Central Committee of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League, asking for permission to visit the reserve.

Get the Android app