Photographer Travels To The Coldest Village On Earth Where The Temperature Can Reach -71.2C (-96F)
If you think that winter has already come to your city, pictures from Oymyakon, Russia, the coldest village on Earth, might change your mind. With the lowest temperature of −71.2 °C (−96 °F), recorded in 1924, and the average for January being -50°C (-60°F), this village is the coldest permanently inhabited place on this planet. New Zealand-based photographer Amos Chapple decided to go on a two-day journey from Yakutsk, the coldest major city on Earth, to capture what everyday life is like in Oymyakon.
“I was wearing thin trousers when I first stepped outside into – 47 °C (-52°F). I remember feeling like the cold was physically gripping my legs, the other surprise was that occasionally my saliva would freeze into needles that would prick my lips”, the photographer told to weather.com.
The photographer recalls that the hardest thing was not the cold itself, but that his camera’s focus and zoom rings would occasionally freeze in place.
More info: amoschapplephoto.com (h/t: petapixel)
The Central Market In Yakutsk is full of fish and meat as the crops do not grow there
The ‘Road Of Bones’ is the only route to Oymyakon
Even the village sign reads ‘Omyakon, The Pole Of Cold’
A woman walks by a frozen house located in the village center
A thick layer of fur keeps these dogs warm
Most toilets are built outside, because the frozen ground makes it impossible to build indoor plumbing
Local farmer keeps his cows warm at night by tucking them away in this barn
The only working shop in Oymyakon provides the villagers with everything they need
Cars can only be placed in heated garages. The ones left outside must keep running, otherwise they won’t restart
A coal heating plant keeps the villagers warm
Oh boy, outside toilets... At this temperature...
Imagine having diarrhea!
"Where's mommy" "She went to the toilet 50 minutes ago, I think she's frozen to the loo, again"
Lmao
People don't go to outside toilets when it's -50, they use a bucket inside their house and then empty it into the toilet.
That's what I thought, too.
Pisseuse ^^
at this temperature everything will insta freeze 😞
Why do people voluntarily choose to live there? Doesnt seem like a large community either, why not move somewhere slightly warmer and a bit more populated? (But hey, if they're happy living there, kudo's to then!)
Most people that live there are A - native inhabitants, descendants of the local tribes, or B descendants of people that were sentenced convicts during the Tsarist or Communist Russia. You are right, few people would consider moving to live there but once born there, you have few options to move away. The nearest big city is also very cold, as far as I know :)
Thanks for the background info Bistra!
You're welcome!
Bistra, you are mostly wrong.. please dont write about something that you do not know... lots of people choose to live there as salaries are higher due to conditions.... there are special multiplictors for salaries from government.. plus – summer there is just a regular summer... and when air is dry and person is properly dressed – this cold is handled just fine... it is actually quite good out there
I doubt that anyone goes to live there but are born there. It is the only thing they know so it shows we can adapt to anything, which is also why we have different cultures.
OMG I hadn't even considered giving birth there!? :-O
People in Russia livivng on the north get higher salaries and other privileges because of harsh weather.
people are going to work here because of the salary. after 7 years they can afford to buy a flat in big city
Why would you live in a small country town which is so hot you've got to live in underground houses? Why live in Iceland, one of the most volcanicly active places on Earth? Why live in Japan with daily earth quakes? Why live in any iscolated tiny town/village? I'm gussing I don't need to go on.
People in Russia living on the north get higher salaries and other privileges because of harsh weather.
You'd have to be off your nut to live there. I grew up in Northern Alberta, and the coldest weather I've ever been out in was...below -50C. It was hard to tell because the thermometer bottomed out at -50. That kind of cold is physically painful, no matter how well you're dressed. Exposed flesh freezes in seconds. Death from exposure can happen in minutes. No thank you.
It's not a deadly place at all. I was born little bit west and love frost! At temperature -45C I and many children played on a street with snow. My chilhood was excellent, and frost give you reason running quicker, i.e. to like sport!
Agreed mike 300 Alaska highway B.C. I grew up in, and yes the coldest days our doors were freezing shit from inside and would jam, starting vehicles was intense enough. We had a very long driveway that would take 10 minutes to walk to the bus, doesn't sound very long, but during that weather during a -50 plus wind chill we missed I think 2 weeks of school because it just wasn't worth the risk. I can't wrap my brain around these kids comfortably adjusted and playing in this weather lol
Simply 3 sets of clothes and .. known advice to keep a warm is to make snow house. But at -50 C really it's better to drink hot tea at home-:)
Here in the North of Sweden there is no such thing as skipping school because of the weather, it can become -45C here (-50F), if you're lucky your parents drive you to school but most of the time you just have to deal with it and walk... We have PE outside unless it is colder than -18C (-0.4F) even if it is 2 meter snow and windy, playing rugby in snow is pretty fun though... My dad had to go to school eventhough they had to climb out of the window because the snow blocked the front door :P Whenever I hear of USA having "snowdays" we're slowly making our way to school through 50 cm snow, trying to not get snowflakes in our eyes in atleast -30C (-22F) XD
Mile*
When the Northern Albertan questions your weather-related sanity, time to move! Other replies to your comments don't seem to acknowledge your expertise on the matter. As a Montrealer I do.
I get mocked a lot because of how much I loathe winter. Consider that I grew up a couple of hours drive from some of the best skiing on the planet and I never learned how. I think people who pretend to be cheerful about freezing weather are either kidding themselves or nuts.
Heat makes me very sick. Today it was only 26C and I've already had to take an extra pain killer to settle my migraine, I almost fained from dizziness related to the heat and I could bearly eat cold foods without getting hotter. If I can ever afford to move to Norway I plan to because the cold doesn't affect me. While I highly doubt an "outsider" would move to this town, I'm sure most people who live there would be use to living in the cold. I'm not sure that someone from this town would be able to tolerate any location that gets too warm.
Oh boy, outside toilets... At this temperature...
Imagine having diarrhea!
"Where's mommy" "She went to the toilet 50 minutes ago, I think she's frozen to the loo, again"
Lmao
People don't go to outside toilets when it's -50, they use a bucket inside their house and then empty it into the toilet.
That's what I thought, too.
Pisseuse ^^
at this temperature everything will insta freeze 😞
Why do people voluntarily choose to live there? Doesnt seem like a large community either, why not move somewhere slightly warmer and a bit more populated? (But hey, if they're happy living there, kudo's to then!)
Most people that live there are A - native inhabitants, descendants of the local tribes, or B descendants of people that were sentenced convicts during the Tsarist or Communist Russia. You are right, few people would consider moving to live there but once born there, you have few options to move away. The nearest big city is also very cold, as far as I know :)
Thanks for the background info Bistra!
You're welcome!
Bistra, you are mostly wrong.. please dont write about something that you do not know... lots of people choose to live there as salaries are higher due to conditions.... there are special multiplictors for salaries from government.. plus – summer there is just a regular summer... and when air is dry and person is properly dressed – this cold is handled just fine... it is actually quite good out there
I doubt that anyone goes to live there but are born there. It is the only thing they know so it shows we can adapt to anything, which is also why we have different cultures.
OMG I hadn't even considered giving birth there!? :-O
People in Russia livivng on the north get higher salaries and other privileges because of harsh weather.
people are going to work here because of the salary. after 7 years they can afford to buy a flat in big city
Why would you live in a small country town which is so hot you've got to live in underground houses? Why live in Iceland, one of the most volcanicly active places on Earth? Why live in Japan with daily earth quakes? Why live in any iscolated tiny town/village? I'm gussing I don't need to go on.
People in Russia living on the north get higher salaries and other privileges because of harsh weather.
You'd have to be off your nut to live there. I grew up in Northern Alberta, and the coldest weather I've ever been out in was...below -50C. It was hard to tell because the thermometer bottomed out at -50. That kind of cold is physically painful, no matter how well you're dressed. Exposed flesh freezes in seconds. Death from exposure can happen in minutes. No thank you.
It's not a deadly place at all. I was born little bit west and love frost! At temperature -45C I and many children played on a street with snow. My chilhood was excellent, and frost give you reason running quicker, i.e. to like sport!
Agreed mike 300 Alaska highway B.C. I grew up in, and yes the coldest days our doors were freezing shit from inside and would jam, starting vehicles was intense enough. We had a very long driveway that would take 10 minutes to walk to the bus, doesn't sound very long, but during that weather during a -50 plus wind chill we missed I think 2 weeks of school because it just wasn't worth the risk. I can't wrap my brain around these kids comfortably adjusted and playing in this weather lol
Simply 3 sets of clothes and .. known advice to keep a warm is to make snow house. But at -50 C really it's better to drink hot tea at home-:)
Here in the North of Sweden there is no such thing as skipping school because of the weather, it can become -45C here (-50F), if you're lucky your parents drive you to school but most of the time you just have to deal with it and walk... We have PE outside unless it is colder than -18C (-0.4F) even if it is 2 meter snow and windy, playing rugby in snow is pretty fun though... My dad had to go to school eventhough they had to climb out of the window because the snow blocked the front door :P Whenever I hear of USA having "snowdays" we're slowly making our way to school through 50 cm snow, trying to not get snowflakes in our eyes in atleast -30C (-22F) XD
Mile*
When the Northern Albertan questions your weather-related sanity, time to move! Other replies to your comments don't seem to acknowledge your expertise on the matter. As a Montrealer I do.
I get mocked a lot because of how much I loathe winter. Consider that I grew up a couple of hours drive from some of the best skiing on the planet and I never learned how. I think people who pretend to be cheerful about freezing weather are either kidding themselves or nuts.
Heat makes me very sick. Today it was only 26C and I've already had to take an extra pain killer to settle my migraine, I almost fained from dizziness related to the heat and I could bearly eat cold foods without getting hotter. If I can ever afford to move to Norway I plan to because the cold doesn't affect me. While I highly doubt an "outsider" would move to this town, I'm sure most people who live there would be use to living in the cold. I'm not sure that someone from this town would be able to tolerate any location that gets too warm.