Just the thought of North Dakota, especially in the winter, brings a chill to one’s core. In a state defined by its vast outdoor landscape, residents remain in winter mode from October into the spring months embracing whatever Mother Nature sends their way. Sometimes that means minus 50-degree wind chills and minus 40-degree air temperatures.
“Those don’t hit very often, but when they do it's crippling,” said Colleen Graue, visitor service manager for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service based at White Horse Hill National Game Preserve.
For those who live in North Dakota, things like ice fishing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling are just what you do whether it is to pass the time, make a living, or for the practicality of getting somewhere.
While the brutal cold is not everyone’s cup of tea, those who live and play in North Dakota say life here is addicting. In fact, they have a name for it: Friluftsliv. It stems from the state’s Scandinavian heritage that interconnects the cold weather and outdoor activities as a way of life. Some people have even relocated to North Dakota just to embrace this unique chilly slice of utopia.
Families play pond ice hockey on Devils Lake. Courtesy Devils Lake Tourism
Friluftsliv: A way of life
The toughest part of understanding what Friluftsliv is, is knowing how to pronounce it. The natives with Norwegian roots pronounce it FREE-LOOFTS-LIV.
It means to embrace the outdoors, regardless of the weather. And while North Dakota can reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer months, winter gets most of the attention since the season occupies much of the year.
The short days of light when the sun rises at 8 a.m. and sets at 4 p.m. offer a limited window to get outside. Those who live here say that is a prime opportunity to take advantage of the mental and physical health benefits that come with getting outdoors.
Outdoor recreation like ice fishing, cross-country skiing, fat-tire biking and snowshoeing are popular along with snowmobiling on the 2,800 miles of groomed trails across the state. North Dakota makes it easy for outdoor enthusiasts to indulge in activities with public programs and winter trail access at places like Grahams Island State Park and White Horse Hill National Game Preserve.
"At the wildlife refuge we offer snowshoeing with nearly 100 pair of snowshoes available to loan that fit 3-year-olds to 100-vear-olds," said Graue. "The refuge is also home to a small herd of Rocky Mountain elk and North American bison. In addition to offering dedicated hiking trails outside of the fenced area, visitors may drive through the large animal enclosure to experience abundant opportunities for wildlife observation and photography year-round."
North Dakota commemorates its love of winter every year with a Friluftsliv festival, called Shiverfest. The annual festival takes place every February and, as you might imagine, celebrates all things winter. People descend on Devils Lake from all around the state to participate in fun outdoor activities including a youth fishing tournament, pond hockey and family skating.
The festival honors the state’s Scandinavian heritage and offers some historical insight into the ties that this northern state has to a region halfway around the world. When immigrants from Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark settled into east and north-central North Dakota in the 1870s they brought their heritage and customs with them. Luckily for those settlers, the chilled climate in North Dakota was a reminder of home so their traditions have been passed down through generations. Today, about 38% of people living in the state are of Scandinavian descent.
Tanner Cherney ice fishing on Devils Lake. Photo by Tanner Cherney
Hitting the ice
Of all the outdoor winter outdoor activities in North Dakota, for both locals and visitors, ice fishing is one of the most popular. Devils Lake is a prime spot for anglers for ice fishing as it is one of the deepest natural lakes in North Dakota. Devils Lake ice fishing is renowned for perch but it is also great for walleye, crappie, northern pike and the occasional white bass.
“Devils Lake has lots of water, healthy fish populations and healthy bait populations that have helped the fishing that we have here,” said Tanner Cherney, an avid Devils Lake angler. “Devils Lake is unique because up here with freshwater shrimp in our system the fish get so big.”
How big?
The average perch is 10-12 inches. Trophy size perch can be 13-15 inches and upwards of 2.5 pounds.
“Winter is the best time to catch the perch because they are nomadic and grouped in the middle of the basin which is up to 50 feet of water. The best way to target them is when you can get right over them,” said Cherney.
That’s why anglers flock to Devils Lake in the winter for a piece of the perch action. It is not uncommon to see over 100 fishing guides on Devils Lake regularly between December and March making a living with anglers bearing down in what looks like a community of ice shanties.
Devils Lake is often referred to as the perch capital of the world. The unofficial reference is designated because of the size and quantity of the perch here. The unique habitat and bait conditions in Devils Lake aid in the species’ thriving populations.
“People say that perch fishing here 50 years ago was unprecedented,” said Cherney. “There’s such a big body of water and large schools of perch and the bait that we have like the shrimp and a great habitat are all factors. Being able to get that size and class of perch and having that ability to sit in a spot and hit an active school of perch - 40 perch in two hours is not uncommon.”
That kind of catch average makes it easy for anglers to overlook the cold when temperatures on a typical ice fishing day can range from 0-to-10 degrees outside. Fortunately, with the advancement of clothing technology like ice fishing suits and outfitting ice shanties for comfort, anglers can withstand the elements for a longer period.
“The ice houses are advanced. It warms up to about 70 degrees in there. You used to have to fish outside and sit on a bucket, but now you can be out in the elements at a bare minimum and can be inside the ice house to fish,” said Cherney.
There are several ways to hit the ice for fishing in North Dakota. For beginners, it is best to hire a local guide and fish out of a portable ice house where everything from gear to instruction is provided for you.
Another option is renting a SnoBear, which is an enclosed unit, usually accommodating up to four people and equipped with heat, and even televisions for a comfortable day on the ice. The third option is for advanced anglers who want to rent larger, permanently stationed ice houses from local lodges. These are secured onto the ice providing shelter and heat and can accommodate about 10 anglers who come equipped with their own gear.
Hard-core anglers can even take part in the annual Devils Lake Ice Fishing Tournament that has been going on for 39 years and draws thousands of anglers vying for prizes from cars and cash gift cards to kitchen suites, ice fishing gear, ATVs, vacations and things even anglers might not expect to go home with like a sausage stuffer or table saw.
“The Devils Lake Volunteer Fire Department Ice Fishing tournament is the largest weekend of our year,” said Suzie Kenner, executive director, Devils Lake Tourism. “Over 24,000 tickets sell out within a couple of weeks with over 5,000 heading into town and onto the ice each year to try and win a prize.”
While ice fishing is undoubtedly one of the top outdoor cold weather activities in North Dakota, that’s just the tip of the iceberg and an easy entry point for anyone who wants to test their cold weather tolerance.
School children learn lessons in math while snowshoeing at White Horse Hill National Game Preserve. Courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Embracing Friluftsliv at a young age
Ask most North Dakotans why they love the cold weather and nature so much and the answer is simple.
“By default,” said Graue with laughter.
The scenery in the state is diverse. The east side of North Dakota is defined by lowland agriculture; with topography changing into rolling hills in the center of the state and the western part turning into badlands and jagged countryside.
This natural scenery is the backdrop for families and entire communities, so children are born into a culture where being exposed to the outdoors is part of their DNA. Outdoor life is also a generational priority. Children learn from an early age to embrace and engage in their surroundings, guided by parents or mentors.
“You almost need a mentor or have grown up that way [embracing nature and the outdoors]. You need people to show you how to do it,” said Graue.
Graue considers herself a mentor to her own children that grew up loving the outdoors and for the many children she engages with in her role overseeing programs at the White Horse Hill National Game Preserve.
One project in particular, the 5th Grade Enrichment Program for Devils Lake Middle School, intertwines the outdoors with a full curriculum of studies.
“They do all their core classes at the refuge including science, math, language and social studies. They are integrated with outdoor learning using their surroundings, like measuring trees, making their fishing rods and learning how to tie knots for fishing,” said Graue. “Other integrations include snowshoeing where they have to measure the snowshoe and measure the pounds per square inch to explain why they don’t sink so much. We look at animal adaptation, have lessons on hypothermia and ice safety before we take them ice fishing, and a lesson on birding and binoculars.”
The most popular lesson with the kids is the Freezing Point Lab.
“We go outside and make ice cream,” said Graue, emphasizing how engaged kids are when the lesson combines learning with the reward of a sweet treat.
In a generation growing up tied to technology, the kids learn the important lesson of “turning off” electronics and tuning-in to their natural surroundings. The refuge removes them from their normal daily stimulus and forces observation of the details of nature, like what occurs during the changing seasons.
“The kids are bused to the refuge and take a .25-mile walk in complete silence just to observe and then they have to journal what they noticed, " said Graue.
Working with these children in this way enables Graue to see firsthand the tangible and lasting impact of touching, smelling, hearing and engaging with nature.
“We need to make sure upcoming generations know and appreciate nature and we want to instill that sense of wonder and awe,” said Graue.
Chris Lavalley embraces the cold weather while ice fishing (icicles and all). Photo by Chris Lavalley
A chosen life and lifestyle
It is easy to argue that people who are born and raised in North Dakota embrace the Friluftsliv way of life because it is what they have always known. But what about those who have relocated to the state specifically to make this native lifestyle, their own?
Chris Lavalley is one of those transplants. He relocated to Devils Lake from his home in Wisconsin after just one visit to North Dakota on an ice fishing trip.
“When I had an opportunity to come to Devils Lake for ice fishing I said, ‘I think this is what I want to do,’ so as soon as I could, I moved out here and bought a house,” said Lavalley. “It’s a different world out here. There’s a lot less people, everyone is very like-minded with fishing and the outdoors, people are nice and it's a clean place. I love the whole vibe.”
Retired from the Coast Guard and walking away from a life of travel and the opportunity to live anywhere in the world, Lavalley settled down in Devils Lake becoming a full-time fishing guide.
“I lived in key west, Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico, and places people think you’d want to live. I choose here. I can do all the things I love to do outdoors,” said Lavalley.
This is where Lavalley met his wife, and now has a baby daughter who he is excited was born into a place that has such an affinity for the outdoors. Life is good, but he admits that friends and loved ones raised an eyebrow when he pulled up his roots and moved to North Dakota on what seemed like a whim.
“People are always curious as to why—they just don’t understand why anyone would live somewhere so cold, but they’ve also never had those experiences,” said Lavalley. “You prioritize what you want in life and go for it.”
Lavalley isn’t alone in his thinking. It turns out a lot of people are called to this way of life strong enough to relocate to North Dakota and permanently embed their ice picks. North Dakota is attracting new residents at a dizzying pace making it the fourth fastest growing state in the nation and one of only a handful of states to grow in population by more than 15% between 2010 to 2020 according to census data.
Just who is moving to North Dakota?
It’s a mixed bag according to the statistics with African Americans and Hispanics moving into the state in some of the large numbers. With more than 60 different languages spoken in Fargo alone and over 85 languages identified in the Bismarck public school system, the state has become a calling for many coming from a vast array of backgrounds.
The Scandinavian heritage is just one reason people are moving here. The state’s cost of living, business environment and quality of life round out the reasons that people are transitioning from visitors to residents in North Dakota.
The misconceptions are real and North Dakotans don’t seem to mind. It’s as if they have a secret that few people are in on as they soak in the peacefulness of the lakes and the nature surrounding them.
“I think people look at most of the Midwest as a flyover place and don’t know life beyond the big city. Once those visitors get out here to the lakes and the fields and it’s so peaceful and suddenly, they want to come back,” said Lavalley.
For people like Lavalley, many want to come back permanently and embrace the Friluftsliv way of life, even though many who live in North Dakota still have a hard time pronouncing it.