PHOTOGRAPHERS TRAVEL TO WORLD’S COLDEST INHABITED VILLAGE WHERE EYELASHES FREEZE AND EVEN THERMOMETER BREAKS

 

Gradually the winter is passing by. This year it almost looks like a chilled spring. So, before winter totally fades away, leaving the endless hot days for us, we bring a peek into the life of the residents of the world’s coldest permanently inhabited place. Sitting on our comfortable couch, this place might seem magical but do the residents of this village feel the same way?

The whole fuzz started when a girl posted her selfie with frozen eyelashes and it got viral. Reporters decided to take a look inside the life of this village and certainly, the results are unbelievable. Winter is not just about snowfall and you’ll know it by the end of this article.

Oymyakon, Russia

Oymyakon is located in Russia’s Sakha Republic. In 1933, Oymyakon, the Siberian village was named as the “coldest inhabited place” of planet Earth after mercury fell to -94 degrees Fahrenheit (-68 Celsius). Located at 63.4608° N, 142.7858° E latitude, it is not too far from the Arctic Circle, just several 100 miles.

Average Cold

This place has always remained distant from the other parts of Russia. The village is known as the “Pole of Cold” and this name goes with the village for its average temperature is -59°F. The collection of photos that these photographers have brought for us from the coldest village on Earth are clearly depicting the extreme weather.

Dark Days

In Oymyakon, winters stay for long enough, and so does darkness. This village stays dark up to 21 hours a day! The question arises in mind what makes people survive in such chilled conditions? Obviously, the residents of Oymyakon live a very different life from the rest of us when we talk about the weather.

Colder Than Ever

These photos show that the residents have adjusted with the freezing temperature. Sadly, the temperature they got used to was still to go down as last winters turned out to be colder than ever. Cold wasn’t the only thing that was crossing limit though. Many other things crossed limit with the weather. 

From The River

Oymyakon village got its name from a nearby village, Oymyakon River. The word “Oymyakon” is derived from the Even language – a fading language that is spoken only by the people of the Even ethnicity. The word Oymyakon stems from the word kheium means “unfrozen patch of water; a place where fish spend the winter.” while some say it is derived from heyum which means “frozen lake.” The Oymyakon settlement is less than 100 years old.

Watering Hole For Nomadic People

Oymyakon was not a village during the 1920s and 30s, just a bunch of reindeer herders who belonged to Yakut ethnicity used to visit the region. The area had a couple of thermal springs which the shepherds used for their herds. Those were the times of nomads, who never stayed at one place but the Soviet government had a plan for the Oymyakon region.

Declaring It Permanent Settlement

The Soviet government wanted its resident to settle down instead of roaming all around. That’s when they declared the Oymyakon area as a permanent settlement zone. Since then Oymyakon grew even in extremely cold conditions. A place that was all white became home to many Russians who were just looking for a place to settle.

Everything’s Simpler

At present, the village has a population of 500 people. Life at Oymyakon is not only different but also difficult. People here chose to live a simple life. They work hard to keep themselves as well as their cattle warm. 

How Do They Survive?

Oymyakon people are used to living a rural life, they do fishing and herding to earn a living. You’ll find reindeer, Yakut horses, and cows as the main cattle for the area. The keepers of these animals have a huge responsibility on their shoulders, ie, to keep these animals alive. The barns where cattle stayed during the night are different from what you might have seen in other places. Meanwhile, the fish sellers struggle with cold.

Never Have To Refrigerate

The place is colder than our refrigerators! Now, this makes sense if the people of Oymyakon don’t own fridges. For the short duration when it looks like day, street vendors, put up their stalls to sell what they’ve caught. People especially visit Oymyakon during winter to experience the weather.

Surprised Tourists

Most of the times tourists couldn’t help but stay in shock for while after seeing these vendors standing outside for hours and hours. After seeing the next image you won’t say it anymore. Because even the tourists went on to do intensely insane things in this place. 

Adrenaline Junkies

This picture was clicked when a bunch of Chinese tourists decided to play in the thermal springs around the village. The temperature was -76° F when this photo was clicked.  We must say, this a risky way to enjoy thermal springs. Also, most of the visitors are like Amos Chapple, a photographer from New Zealand. It was surprising to feel the weather and to see how nicely the residents have adapted to it.

Outhouses

Almost everything about this village is extraordinarily unique. Over the decades the villagers have done their best to get used to the subarctic conditions. Sabrina Barr, the person who visited the village said, “most people use outhouses because indoor plumbing tends to freeze.” 

School Kids

Even the kids living in this region have incredible patience and dedication towards their routine. While we feel lazy on any cold day to go to work, schools stay open until the temperature gets goes beyond -61°F. They expect all the kids to be present until the situations get worse which for us, are already worse.

Everything Is Frozen

“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,” recalled Amos Chapple. Coming up next is what frozen eyelashes look like.

Frozen Eyelashes

Oymyakon recently got one more nickname when it became home to the famous frozen eyelash photo. Anastasia Gruzdeva, a 24-year-old posted this photo on her Instagram account. Now you can imagine the levels we are talking about. 

Group Photo

She also went on uploading another picture with the rest of her friends. These girls are certainly increasing the levels of fashion. Within days of sharing the photo, it became popular as a new trending makeup style. A style statement was given by mother nature.

Unbelievable Beauty

And pictures like these are enough to shock one to the core. We would love to know what encourages people to show such heights of bravery. Oymyakon is entirely covered with snow. When we say cold we mean cold enough that even the thermometers are bursting.

Thermometer Breaks

The official weather station in Oymyakon once announced that the temperature went down to -74°F! That’s what they reported but the electric thermometer that was installed in the village a year later showed the temperature as -79°F! This was the last temperature that this thermometer showed…

Stopped

The thermometer stopped right after showing the temperature at -79°F. Even the thermometer couldn’t take it anymore. Well, this is not the lowest recorded temperature of Oymyakon as the village has seen far colder days.

Lowest Temperature Ever Reported

In 1933, Oymyakon’s temperature reached -89°F! So far, it has been the coldest recorded temperature throughout the Northern Hemisphere. It was a few years before Oymyakon became a permanent settlement. The village’s cold amuses the world while the villagers’ spirit to keep living is breath-taking.

Snow Days Are Rare

Amos Chapple reached at the village after completing a seven-hour flight and then traveling some 3,300 miles by road. “After the first couple of days I was physically wrecked just from strolling around the streets for a few hours,” he recalled.

Polar Opposite

The temperature of this village increases and goes as high as 86°F from June to August. The daylight time increases to 21 hours each day in summer. Even during summer, it’s not that easy to make the trip.

A Horrible Tale To Tell

You can only reach Oymyakon by the R504 Kolyma Highway that goes far to the Russian Far East. This highway was constructed by forcing labors to work. While the highway was still on its way to development, many labors lost their lives due to the weather.  That’s how it was named as “Road of Bones.” Also, reaching Oymyakon is still easy but it’s hard to leave. 

Hard To Run

In Oymyakon, if you leave your car outside, its engine won’t start again due to cold. Suppose you got to a nearby shop and can’t go back because your car isn’t ready to start. But here people find out their own hack for it. They leave the engine on so that car keeps going. Other times they have to park their car inside heated garages

As They Say

“Cars are kept in heated garages or, if left outside, left running all the time. Crops don’t grow in the frozen ground, so people have a largely carnivorous diet—reindeer meat, raw flesh shaved from frozen fish, and ice cubes of horse blood with macaroni are a few local delicacies,” said one of the residents.

A Chapter In Time

In an effort to combine their territories, Russian and American forces built an airfield in Oymyakon during World War II. Due to the lend-lease policy, American aircraft’s were brought to the Eastern Front from Alaska on ferries. Third regiment pilots that were flying from Fairbanks to Yakutsk used the airfield.

Just One Shop

There is just one working shop in the area during the winter season. The shop is the only spot where people can get all the things they want. Around 500 people in a village and everyone shows up at one shop. The shopkeeper must be knowing about everyone’s background in the village by now.

How Dogs Live?

Dog breeds that grow thick fur can survive in this village. This picture is of a dog who had quite a thick fur to stay warm in the cold. Puppies, however, need more care. They have short hair at the time of birth and if not taken in a warm place, their chances to survive are minimal.

Coal Heating Plant

To give them a little relief there is a coal heating plant which gives them warm in the chilling weather. As long as people are happy living there, it is going well. But the beauty and peace of this place that might not find anywhere else.