Enduring the Worst of Winter in this World

For most of us, a severe winter is known for snow and temperatures around 14°F. Well, most of us, anyway.  Some people consider it a severe winter when icicles form on their eyelashes within a few moments of stepping outside the house. Ever heard of Vorkuta or Yakutsk, the coldest village on Earth? Antarctica, perhaps? 

How do you think people survive there? Do they leave their houses? What machines do they use? Can machines even operate in those temperatures? 

The environment there is beautiful, but very extreme. Still, people live there, do their jobs, have fun, socialize, work out… They do everything you do, and if you’ve seen videos on YouTube or social media, you’ll have seen that most of them don’t want to leave and move to a warmer climate. 

The cold makes life hard, but not impossible. Let’s see how life goes on in the coldest places on Earth. 

What do you think you’ll need to survive the Arctic besides being bodily fit and mentally tough for the bitter cold? Your body will have to fight off frostbite and hypothermia; your mind will have to handle the risks of succumbing to isolation and fatigue. And while these conditions don’t seem bad on paper, when you experience them and the dread overwhelms you, it’s a completely different story.

But humans are remarkable, and when life gives them lemons, they turn it into lemonade. Ice-cold lemonade, in this case.

Guðlaugur Friðþórsson (in 1984), an Icelandic fisherman, was forced to survive for 6+ hours in water barely above freezing after capsizing out at sea. He managed to swim just shy of 4 miles to the shores and then even walked barefoot on ice to find help.

How did he survive? Some say it’s a miracle, others attribute it to exceptional resistance against hypothermia, and some point out to an astounding will for life.

In 1999, Anna Bågenholm, a Swedish radiologist, fell into an icy stream while skiing and was trapped under the ice for 80 minutes. Her body is said to have suffered a temperature of 56.7 degrees Fahrenheit, but the doctors still somehow managed to revive her.

This case has paved the way for innovative therapies for hypothermia and has saved/helped numerous lives ever since.

Canada, the land of harsh wilderness, is merciless and there are so many true stories (some harrowing) from people who survived out in the wild.

There is a very famous one, when a group of hikers was lost for two weeks, below -4°F, with makeshift shelters, rationed supplies, and fire as warmth.

Rescuers found them and the story had a happy ending. 

Some get lost in the harsh environment and heroically survive. Others call that harsh environment a home.

Yakutsk, which is the capital of Sakha Republic, is the coldest inhabited city on Earth and in the winter, temperatures drop down to a terrifying -58°F. And yet, somehow, life goes on and people make the most of it. They wear thermal clothing, their homes have sturdy heating systems, and they keep their food underground to keep it from freezing. Their cars are constantly running to prevent freezing, because if they turn them off and let them cool off, they won’t be able to turn the vehicles back on. Also, the water pipes are above ground so they don’t burst. 

Yakutsk isn’t the worst there is – Oymyakon is. It’s the coldest permanently inhabited settlement on the planet and temperatures plummet to -76°F during winter. 

Locals eat a lot of meat because farming is impossible, and their homes have thick insulation. Outdoor plumbing doesn’t exist because of freezing conditions, but again – life goes on even here. 

Living without modern infrastructure in a harsh climate would be impossible, and when heavy snow comes, you have to maintain it. 

Equipment for removing snow is, as you can imagine, key. Roads and pathways have to stay clear so that the transportation routes can be open for supply delivery. A snow blade for tractor is a highly useful attachment, and it’s cost-effective. Think of it as a mini snowplow. It mounts to a tractor and it’s indispensable in both urban and rural areas during winter. 

These are specialized ships that are designed to plow through thick sea ice, so that the major shipping lanes and trade routes stay operational. Without icebreakers, entire regions would be cut off for months.  

Even in the coldest environments, industrial operations have to resume, but the machinery has to be designed to function in sub-zero temperatures.

Such machines are often used in the oil and gas industries, as well as fo scientific research. And they have to be specially engineered to withstands the subfreezing conditions. Meaning, they have specific lubricants that stay fluid in such an environment, they also must have heated cabins so ensure the safety of the operators and their ability to work, and the machines also are reinforced and/or coated so they don’t get damaged by ice.

Conclusion

Aren’t you thankful you don’t live in these icy areas? Or are you perhaps curious and you’d like to visit sometime?

If you fall into the latter group, you’ll be happy to know that visiting is more than possible and Arctic regions get a good amount of tourists. But aside from beautiful scenery, the locals you’ll meet in these places will surprise you with their warmth, hospitality, and friendliness.

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