Pole of cold: harsh life in Yakutia at -50 ° as a common occurrence

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

34travel author Ekaterina Borisova, who spent her childhood and adolescence in Yakutia, talks about how they live in the regions where there is ice cream at -30 ° C, ride down ice slides at -50 ° C and not jam cars from late autumn to mid-spring Is the norm. The word to Katya.

I was lucky to be born in a region that occupies ⅕ part of Russia, and in terms of territory is similar to eight France or ten Italians with a population density of 1 person per 3 square kilometers! How to live in a place where you have your own three square kilometers, but outside the window is -50 ° C and why go to the Pole of Cold?

Where is it?

Of course, the coldest place on the planet is Antarctica. Similar extreme low temperatures can be found on the tops of the mountains. True, such places are inhabited only by penguins, polar explorers or climbers who have dropped in for a couple of hours.

The real Pole of Cold - the coldest place in the world where people constantly live, is located in the area of the village of Oymyakonv Yakutia. The minimum temperature of -71.2 ° C was recorded here in 1933. According to unofficial data, in 1938 the temperature dropped to -77.8 ° C. Since then, there have been many discussions about measurement methods and it was even proposed to move the Pole of Cold to another place in the same Yakutia - Verkhoyansk. They say it was colder there by -0, 1 ° C. But since the stele informing you that you are at the Pole of Cold is still in Oymyakon, then go there for a memorable photo.

"The minimum temperature of -71.2 ° C was recorded here in 1933."

Practice getting a good shot in a couple of seconds before you leave. On the spot, you will have just that much time before the camera freezes. Touch phones and selfies, as you know, are not for the Yakut frosts.

It is better to go to the Pole of Cold in summer. The climate in Yakutia is sharply continental - winter -50 ° С -60 ° С are replaced by summer + 30 ° С + 40 ° С. The annual temperature drop here reaches 100 ° С! As a last resort, come in the fall. As a rule, snow has been falling since the end of September, so you can easily take a winter photo at -30 ° С. And then, in such warm weather by Yakut standards, try to eat ice cream on the street with local children!

How do people live here?

In Yakutsk, the largest city in the region, in which people constantly live, it is slightly warmer than Oymyakon both in winter and in summer. The minimum recorded temperature is -64.4 ° С, the maximum temperature is +38.4 ° С. Frost starts in November and lasts until March, the most severe falls on the New Year period. In my memory, the temperature did not drop below -57 ° C, but this is quite enough! As a rule, the cold is accompanied by such a thick fog that you cannot see your outstretched arm. Sometimes, however, the temperature can rise to -30 ° С -35 ° С. And then there is talk everywhere in the city about the coming global warming!

Every winter morning in Yakut houses begins with listening to the local radio. After all, they can announce the active day and cancel classes in schools! In the days of my youth, the activated day was announced at once for all students at a temperature of -50 ° C. There were enough such days in winter! And already in high school they made a progressive scale and now the kids stayed at home at a ridiculous -45 ° С, and high school students studied up to -52 ° С. If you only knew how sad it is to go to school in the morning at -51, 5 ° С! It can only be worse to go there and find out that the activated day has been announced after all.

“If you only knew how annoying it is to go to school in the morning at -51, 5 ° C! It can only be worse to come there and find out that the activated day has been announced after all"

But the local frosts are not at all a reason to stay at home! At this time, large wooden slides are erected on all squares of the city, ice towns and whole exhibitions of sculptures are being built. There are always plenty of people here, and in the evenings many-meter queues are formed from those wishing to slide down the hill. Everyone, from small to large, ride, just not to freeze.

So that a walk along the winter Yakut streets does not turn into frostbite, do not forget to go to bask in shops and cafes along the way. It is not necessary to buy something at the same time. Here it is quite normal to refer to just warming up for 20 minutes each. Even homeless people in the city are allowed to warm up in the entrances and share hot tea and warm clothes with them. And anyone you meet, if he notices signs of frostbite on your face (white spots on the skin), will definitely warn you about it!

Due to the fact that almost the entire territory of Yakutia is located in the permafrost zone, the buildings here stand on high piles. This is done so that the heat from the house does not melt the permafrost. At the same time, during construction, piles are not driven into the ground, but "frozen". The first floor, raised from the surface by 2 meters, is called technical and is not taken into account when calculating the number of storeys of a house. Such a Yakut ground floor. An obvious plus of high piles is that you can significantly cut the road and walk calmly “under the house”. The space between the piles is also used for other purposes. Homeless people like to settle here in the summer, children build their "headquarters", and schoolchildren run to smoke in secret from adults.

All communications in Yakutia are also conducted above the ground. The pipes are sheathed here with glass wool and covered with a protective material. Hanging out in winter and summer on heating mains is a favorite pastime of the same schoolchildren and homeless people. True, there is a possibility of combing to death after contact with glass wool!

And now there will be pain. Even without talking about villages and villages, not all houses in Yakutsk are still comfortable. Not far from the center, you can see rickety wooden houses with a toilet on the street … And this is -50 ° С! So if you decide to take a ride in the Yakut villages in winter, think several times about the prospect of a toilet on the street.

Another Yakut feature noticed by all visitors is the terrible quality of the roads. Sometimes there is a feeling that you are distracted and military operations have taken place on a newly built street. It's all about the same thawing permafrost and the so-called "heaving" soils. Well, the most common question is how vehicles drive in such frosts. It's simple, car owners do not jam them from autumn to spring. Otherwise, there may not be a second opportunity to start the car. Those who put their cars in insulated garages carry the battery with them. In addition, in winter, second glass is screwed onto cars and buses.

The most amazing thing is that there is no city transport in Yakutsk! From Soviet times to the end of the 2000s, huge square LiAZs drove around the city, and travel until the mid-90s was generally free. Buses gradually fell apart and because of the terrible rattling while driving, the Yakutians called them "sheds". By 2010, the last "sheds" were written off and only private minibuses on PAZiks remained in the city. The city government gave all routes and bases of public transport to private individuals and agreed with them to control the cost of travel. Now a trip within the city will cost € 0, 40.

See Yakutsk and not die

If the desire to walk in the winter city melts with every step, go to the local history Museum them. Yaroslavsky(Lenin Ave., 5/2). Here they will tell in detail about life in Yakutia "from ancient times to the present day", but you need to go there, first of all, because of the "bones"! On the way to the museum in the street “pavilion” you will see a huge skeleton of bowhead whale, and inside a mammoth is assembled in full size and the bones of animals that have long been extinct and perfectly preserved in the Yakut permafrost are displayed.

Learn more about prehistoric animals in "Mammoth Museum" (street Kulakovskogo, 48) at the local university. The skeletons of mammoth and woolly rhinoceros are exhibited here, tusks and teeth of the animal are exhibited. In addition, the specialists of the center are actively studying mammoths, which means they will tell you a lot of interesting things!

And one more good news for mammoth lovers. There are so many remains in the Yakut permafrost that souvenirs made from animal bones and tusks, and even their hair, are sold in shops and kiosks throughout the city. At the same time, a mammoth tusk keychain will cost only € 3-5. Main specialized gift shop "Kudai Bakhsy" (Ammosova str., 3A) located in the Old Town, a good selection of souvenirs is also available in the shops at the hotels "Tygyn Darkhan" (Ammosova str., 9) and "Polar Star" (Lenin Ave., 24).

You can see Yakut life with your own eyes and immerse yourself in local traditions in the ethnographic complex Chochur Muran (Vilyui tract 7 km, 5). Here are the first wooden watchtowers and houses of Yakutsk, built by the pioneering Cossacks. It is clear that all these buildings are new buildings. The last surviving tower of the Yakutsk prison was burned down in 2002 by some gopniks. Also in the complex "Chochur Muran" you have a chance to participate in shamanic rituals! Yakuts are pagans, and shamans are extremely revered here.

The main question for all residents of Yakutia is whether it is true that diamonds are actually lying under our feet. For an answer, go to Treasury of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) (st. Kirova, 12). It is located in the building of the local treasury and the security measures are appropriate here: armored doors, guards armed to the teeth and "a jump on the spot is considered an attempt to fly away." The collection of the Treasury amazes even a seasoned Yakut. Here are the largest stones mined on the territory of the republic, and unique jewelry, and small diamonds are simply heaped up on display trays.

“The most common question is how vehicles drive in such frosts. It's simple, car owners do not jam them from autumn to spring. Otherwise, there may not be a second opportunity to start the car"

If the brilliance of the diamonds charmed you and wanted a pebble for memory, just go to the central street of the city - Lenin Avenue. There are jewelry stores almost every couple of meters here, vying with each other to lure customers with decent discounts. In them you will find not only modern jewelry, but also Yakut national ones. Moreover, the latter are extremely popular with the local population. I advise you to take a closer look at the Yakut earrings. Perhaps something more beautiful than them is difficult to come up with! Real Yakut earrings are made of silver and you can guess a female figure in their outlines. True, recently, earrings began to be made of gold, and the silhouette of a woman was replaced with one of the symbols of Yakutia: a Siberian Crane or a deer.

Well, it will help to cool down after seeing wealth. "Kingdom of permafrost"(Mount Chochur Muran 7 km, 1). It is located in an abandoned adit, where food was once stored, and represents caves carved into the permafrost with various ice sculptures. Do not be alarmed, in winter and summer the temperature inside is -10 ° C. So in cold weather you can even warm up here! In the warm season, visitors are given felt boots and a thermal coat, more like a space traveler's suit.

Now go outside and look around - all this time you have been in the Russian version of Hollywood! In the last decade, there has been a cinematic boom in Yakutia. Every year, dozens of low-budget films are released here, which make Hollywood blockbusters at the local box office and participate in class "A" festivals. Most of the paintings are shot in Yakut or a mixture of Russian and Yakut languages. Films with Russian subtitles are shown in cinemas "Lena" (Lenin Ave., 45) and Cinema Center (st. Kirov, 18 "G"). Read about how Yakut cinema works in the article "Such cases".

“Anyone you meet, if you notice signs of frostbite on your face (white spots on the skin), will definitely warn you about it!”

But cinema is not the only entertainment in the city, there is more State Circus of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)(Poyarkova str., 22) - the northernmost circus on the planet! But this is not his main merit. It so happened that the Yakut acrobats are considered one of the best in the world. And all because during the formation of the circus, local artists were sent to study acrobatic skills in China. And now the Yakut circus, already well-known, without exaggeration, all over the world can boast of many international awards and a busy touring schedule. It is good that the troupe does not forget about performances in their small homeland.

If the cultural life of the city has captured you and does not let you go, go to the performance at the Yakut Academic Theater - Sakha Theater(st. Ordzhonikidze, 1). The performances here are in the Yakut language with synchronous Russian dubbing into headphones. They range from contemporary local writers to translated Shakespeare. Choose performances based on traditional Yakut epics (olonkho) and enjoy Sakha culture and delicious national costumes. Moreover, olonkho is included in the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List.

Well, if the picture of life in Yakutia has not yet formed in my head, watch a clip from a local project "ZLOI MAMBET"that blew up Youtube a few years ago. By the way, mambet is a dirty word, as city dwellers call the Yakuts who came from the villages, who speak Russian very badly or do not at all. People more intelligently call them "ulusniks" (the territory of Yakutia is divided into uluses, that is, districts). But in both cases, both words addressed to the Yakut foreshadow a fight.

And yet, in any case, the Yakuts will immediately recognize you as a visitor, but if you want to imitate the local population, remember the main rule! In Yakutia, they do not speak Yakuts and Unts, but Yakuts and Unts.

What to do in the summer?

White nights, hairs and swimming in Lena - this is how the Yakut summer can be fully described. For those who are afraid of frost in the warm season, Yakutia also has something to do. The main thing is not to forget your swimsuit and sunscreen!

Fans of St. Petersburg white nights should visit summer Yakutia and understand that in the Northern capital they were cruelly deceived and none of the nights in St. Petersburg are white! In the summer months (June-July) in Yakutsk it is absolutely the same light at night as during the day, and there is no hint of twilight. Time can be distinguished only by the sun - at night it hides behind the horizon and does not fry, which is enough urine, which means you can safely walk around the city.

"The hairsters slowly circle over their prey and dive in an instant, clinging tightly to clothing or tangled in their hair."

During the day, in hot + 35 ° C, the streets are empty, only flocks of hair-cheeks fly. These large tree beetles with a jet-black body and long mustaches are a real test for the nervous system. Although they gnaw holes in clothes and can bite when landing on a naked body, they are more afraid of them because of their terrible appearance. They often move singly or in pairs, but sometimes the sky is covered with black clouds of beetles. Hair bites slowly circle over their prey and dive in an instant, grabbing clothes tightly or getting entangled in their hair. Little life hack - these creepy bugs mainly sit on light-colored clothes and loose hair.

Most of the summer entertainment in Yakutsk is associated with the Lena River. You can walk along the promenade from Old town(Ammosova str., 6/1) - an entire block with restored historical buildings, up to the dam in microdistrict 202. There is also a beach here. Of course, the quality of water within the city is poor, but the cleanliness of the main city beach is actively monitored by utilities. Yes, and it is pleasant to run here a couple of times a day and plunge into the cold Lena water. As a rule, in the morning and in the evening, when the heat subsides, there is nowhere for an apple to fall on the beach! On weekends, the Yakutians prefer to go swimming "on the Lena" outside the city to equipped or wild beaches.

If in extreme heat you cannot bring yourself to go far from the river, get on the ship and take a ride to the main attraction of Yakutia - the national park "Lena Pillars" … The trip will take a couple of days, with most cruises departing on weekends. The most popular motor ships on the route are "Demyan Poor"and "Mikhail Svetlov"from Lenaturflot … In addition, many small companies can take you to Stolby by speedboat. In any case, you will pay for the trip like for a flight to Moscow. Tickets can be purchased at the River Port (Novoportovskaya st., 1).

Well, where in Yakutia without snow and ice, even in summer! On the other bank of the Lena, in the Kangalassky ulus, there is a huge and snow-white that does not melt in summer Buluus glacier … Translated from Yakut, Buluus means glacier. You can get here on your own by car or by joining one of the excursion minivans. The trip will take a whole day. On site, you can wander along the glacier, taste the water from an underground source and even swim. A separate pleasure is crossing the Lena. The river is so wide that you can't see the other side. So, standing in the scorching Yakut sun, one can imagine that you are at sea … Laptevs.

Well, to finish, or, on the contrary, to start, your summer Yakut trip should be celebrated by the celebration of the local “new year”! Ysyakh[iseh] is the main holiday of the Yakuts, traditionally celebrated on the day of the summer solstice. Now the date of Ysyakh is chosen annually from June 10 to 25 and approved by a special decree. One thing is invariable: the holiday takes place in nature, begins on Saturday morning and lasts all day and all night. In Yakutsk, the place of celebration is Ust-Khatyn. On this day, almost all residents of nearby settlements come here, and city streets are dying out. Yakuts in Ysyakh wear national costumes, sing and dance a traditional circular dance - osuokhai [asokhai] and drink kumis (a drink made from mare's milk). It also hosts many concerts, exhibitions, equestrian and sports competitions. At the same time, they compete in traditional Yakut sports: hapsagai wrestling and various styles of national jumps.

"Fans of St. Petersburg white nights should visit summer Yakutia and understand that in the Northern capital they were cruelly deceived and none of the nights in St. Petersburg are white!"

Yakut cuisine: stay alive

The basis of the diet in Yakutia is all kinds of fish caught in the Lena and many other northern rivers. Almost all meat is imported from abroad. Vegetables and fruits are tense even in summer. Most of them are brought from China and often they are completely inedible. The prices for food here are higher than the national average, and for vegetables / fruits are 3 times higher than the average, if not more. This is due to the lack of a railway to Yakutsk and a bridge across the Lena, so all goods are delivered to the city by airplanes or trucks. The last ones only in summer with a crossing over the river or along the winter road.

But the fish in Yakutia is amazing, you won't find it anywhere else in the world! It is sold in three states: raw / frozen (€ 12 / kg), smoked backs - balyk (€ 15 / kg) and tosha - smoked or salted bellies. For fish or just for an excursion, go to the largest gastronomic market in the capital - "Peasant"(Yakutsk, Lermontov st., 62/2, block A). Inside the covered pavilion, smoked and salted fish, local milk and vegetables / fruits are sold. There are rows of frozen fish on the street in winter, and fruit stands open in summer.

"The most delicious dishes are served here almost frozen on ice."

It seems that there is nothing better after a cold winter day to go to a warm restaurant and try something from the Yakut cuisine. So, to keep warm, and the soul turned around! I will disappoint you, the most delicious dishes are served here frozen almost on ice.

The most popular and immensely beloved local dish of the Yakut cuisine is stroganina. Itself is ready to give half a kingdom or a couple of tens of euros for it! As a rule, it is prepared from ice fishing, which immediately freezes in the cold for 10 seconds. There is also stroganin from raw foal or its liver, but there are much fewer fans of this option. In both cases, frozen fish or meat is sliced into thin slices using a "Yakut knife". In extreme cases, you can get by with a large household blade with a well-sharpened blade. The main thing is to eat the dish before it melts. Stroganin, of course, is served in any restaurant in winter. At home, as a rule, a huge fish is bought in December and gradually planed over the course of winter. Store fish outdoors or on the balcony. If, during storage or cooking, it even melts a little, they do not make sliced more of it.

Indigirka salad is a light version of stroganina for the fastidious. In fact, this is finely chopped frozen ice-fishing fish, lightly sprinkled with vinegar, mixed with onions. In restaurants, it is prepared from nelma or omul, and at home it is often made from freshly frozen herring. By the way, fresh-frozen herring in Yakutia is eaten just like that, eating bread.

If a raw food diet is not at all yours and it is already sickening to look at frozen dishes without heat treatment, order stuffed carp! Now I will teach you to eat them correctly. First, you pick up the ribs with a fork, then you eat porridge made of rice and crucian caviar, which is stuffed with fish, and then you finish the meat from the ridge. And here comes the moment of the gourmet part - the crucian carp tongue!

At this point I will stop tormenting you with strange Yakut dishes, take a break and have a snack with oyogos. Despite the unreliable name, this is just a boiled foal. More precisely, foal ribs. By the way, foal is extremely useful meat, they say, it absorbs radiation and removes radionuclides from the body.

Well, for dessert, you can take, again, a frozen dish of whipped cream with berries or jam. In the people it is called "monkeys", and in the restaurant menu it is called "kerch". There is another similar dessert made from frozen butter whipped with milk - chohoon. And you can wash it all down with traditional Yakut kumis. However, be careful in strong kumis up to 4.5% alcohol. Bon Appetit!

* This place should have a tourist slogan of Yakutia, but it has not yet been invented!

What to wear?

If you decide to go to Oymyakon in winter, the advice is obvious. Take all the warmest that is in your wardrobe, put it aside and buy clothes 2 times warmer!

In recent years, technologies have been developing at a rapid pace and it is already possible to easily replace 2 pairs of leggings / underpants with one set of thermal underwear, and a fur coat with a warm down jacket. The only thing is that everything worn close to the body should be made of natural materials. Be sure to take a pair of woolen sweaters (most likely, you will put them on together at once), 2 pairs of woolen mittens (they are also put on each other), a large scarf that can cover your entire face, and warm socks.

Yakuts still prefer to dress in furs. Among outerwear, fur coats and sheepskin coats predominate, in a mink in the harsh Yakut winter you will definitely freeze. Young people are increasingly switching to down jackets. Look for jackets with at least fabric lining for your trip. In the cold, synthetics freeze and stand with a stake, which means that in such a jacket you will move around the streets like a robot.

"Take all the warmest that is in your wardrobe, put it aside and buy clothes 2 times warmer!"

As for footwear, fur boots with felt soles prevail here. Women's models are decorated with beaded patterns, while men's ones look pretty strict. Traditional high fur boots are sewn from reindeer skins and they cost from € 230 per pair. The price directly depends on the quality of the fur, dressing and sewing with beads. A dark color is especially appreciated, if there are white blotches on the pile, then the cost of high fur boots is reduced. The most famous local fur shoes manufacturer - factory "Sardaana"(Yakutsk, Kirov st., 7). In city shops and in the Chinese market "Metropolitan"(Yakutsk, Dzerzhinsky st., 72) you can also buy horse boots with long fur pile, which cost 2 times cheaper, or a torbaza - shoes similar to high fur boots with felt soles made of sheepskin, which will cost € 80-90.

Of course, if you are not driving in the coldest season, you can get by with leather shoes. Only it should be insulated with natural fur, you will still have to wear it with woolen socks. In severe frosts, the rubber sole often bursts, and you can be left not only without shoes, but also without legs. In general, in winter you don't walk around the city much in leather shoes, the cold binds your legs pretty quickly.

And remember, never, never, never blink in the cold! It is likely that next time you will be able to open your eyes only by going into a warm room and melting the snow and ice frozen on your eyelashes.

How to get there?

The administrative and cultural center of Yakutia is located in its capital, the city of Yakutsk. Direct flights from Moscow airlines fly here Aeroflot, S7 and Yakutia … From October to April, there are often huge sales and you can fly with a 70% discount. You will spend 6.5 hours in the air.

The village itself Oymyakon is located 683 km from Yakutsk. From April to October the regional airline's maize flies there Polar Airlines … The flight time is 2.5 hours, and the prices are comparable to tickets Moscow-Yakutsk. Be careful, flights to Oymyakon depart from the small airport "Magan".

In winter, the only way to get to Oymyakon is to find a driver in Yakutsk. The most popular local portal will help you with this - ykt.ru … You will have to drive about 930 km along the Kolyma highway, which is also called the Road on Bones. In addition to the fact that it is cold outside and on the way there will not be a single settlement, the road beyond the village of Khandyga passes through the Verkhoyansk Mountains with cliffs, clamps and other delights. In case something happens to the car on the way, the drivers take firewood and vodka with them! In general, even before arriving at the Pole of Cold, there will be more than enough extreme.

True, in Oymyakon itself, apart from the "Pole of Cold" stele, there is nothing special to do. Therefore, when the main photo is taken, jump in the car and return to Yakutsk. A rich cultural program awaits you here!