When Mick Fanning announced he was opting out of the majority of 2016's World Surf League, plenty of fans around the world were a little disappointed. Others, though, saw the bright side – with Mick sitting out of most world tour events, he suddenly had plenty of time to stack freesurf clips – and that's exactly what he's done.

While Mick's contest success has been the focal point of his illustrious career of late, the latest from Rip Curl's #TheSearch series reminds us that he's also very capable of producing some of the best video content in the surfing world. Along with Mason Ho, Fanning recently embarked on a journey to an unknown North American location, complete with crackling glaciers and mid-wave icebergs, to document one of the sickest surf edits we've seen in a long time. It's hard to describe exactly what the duo encountered on their journey, but this video does a pretty good job of showcasing it right before your eyes. Hit play right now – this isn't to be skipped.