The village of Oymyakon in Yakutia (Russia) is the North Pole of Cold of Russia and the earth, where in 1933 a record low air temperature was recorded: −67.7 ° C. Oymyakon means “non-freezing spring” in the local language. In this area there really are streams, sections of rivers that do not freeze in such a severe frost. For example, the non-freezing stream "Razluka", to which, according to legend, prisoners secretly came to visit in the 30s.

In the village of Oymyakon, there are 521 local residents. The harsh region, in which the winter day lasts 3 hours, the summer 21 hours, the temperature fluctuation during the year is 100 degrees, is unattractive for permanent residence. Here, severe frosts form a way of life, habits, activities. In Oymyakon, the school is not closed even - 60C, policemen do not carry batons, because they crumble from frost, cars are not turned off here, because after two hours of inactivity, it will never start. Residents of Oymyakon do not wear clothes made of synthetic fabrics, because they fall apart in the cold, in winter even cows are dressed here so that they do not freeze the udder. There are no colds in Oymyakon, because viruses freeze, exhaled air and alcohol freeze.

Oymyakon on the map:

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For many years, the cold held back the flow of tourists to the region of permafrost. But recently, it is the cold that has contributed to the development of a new concept of tourism, has become a new brand in the tourism infrastructure of the region.

And now, those who want to test themselves for strength, to see what real winter looks like, go to Yakutia, the edge of permafrost. It is exceptionally cold here, but very friendly. Routes have been created for tourists that will allow them to explore the local life, gastronomic preferences, see the algys ritual, the working days of reindeer herders, participate in horseback riding routes, sport fishing, hunting, sightseeing, visit the Pole of Cold festival.

Expedition to the Pole of Cold:

During the festival, mass festivities include dog sledding made of Yakut huskies. If you are lucky, you will be able to taste the incredibly tasty chubuku bighorn sheep meat, which is extremely difficult to get on the hunt.

The Indigirka River, flowing in Oymyakon, is known not only for gold mines and antimony mining, but also for a large number of different types of fish. Fishing for vendace, nelma, omul, whitefish, whitefish, whitefish is carried out on the river. Tourists can take part in ice fishing: in the clear water of Indigirka, fish can be seen even at a depth of four meters.

In the tourist complex "Chochur-Muran" there is a small ethno-museum. Its exposition consists of antique items. In winter, a park of ice sculptures is created on the territory of the complex by the hands of Yakut masters. This kind of art is very popular in Yakutia. The main attraction is the “Kingdom of Permafrost” arranged inside the mountain. In the cave, tourists are greeted by the Yakut frost carved from ice - Chyskhaan. In the room of the Master of the North, you can see ice furniture and dishes. The next hall is intended for rites of purification, reverence. The newlyweds are honored here, and they sincerely wish that their union would be as eternal as the surrounding permafrost. The Permafrost Museum has an ice slide, the Ice Bar. For your visit to the unusual Museum, you can get a personalized certificate from the Archivist.

Oymyakon is best known as one of the "Cold Poles" on the planet, according to a number of parameters, the Oymyakon Valley is the most severe place on Earth, where the permanent population lives.

Geography

Oymyakon is located in subpolar latitudes, but south of the Arctic Circle. The length of the day varies from 4 hours 36 minutes (December 22) to 20 hours 28 minutes (June 22). From May 24 to July 21, white nights are observed, when it is light around the clock. Nights with astronomical twilight last from April 13 to August, and nights with nautical twilight last from May 1 to August 13.

The village is located at an altitude of 745 meters above sea level.

The nearest settlements are Khara-Tumul (the closest) and Bereg-Yurdya. Also not far from the village are the settlements of Tomtor, Yuchugey and Airport.

Climate

Oymyakon has a fairly complex type of climate. The climate is affected by the latitude of the village, equal to 63.27 degrees (subpolar latitudes), great distance from the ocean (sharply continental climate), being at an altitude of 741 meters above sea level (altitude zonality affects). Height above sea level lowers the temperature by 4 degrees compared to that which would be observed at sea level, and increases the nighttime cooling of the air. In winter, cold air flows into the village, as it is located in a hollow. Summer is short, with a large difference in daily temperatures, during the day it can be +30 °C and higher, but at night the temperature can drop by 15-20 °C. The average annual atmospheric pressure in Oymyakon is 689 millimeters of mercury. The absolute minimum temperature at Oymyakon Airport is -64.3 °C.

At the moment, the authorities of Yakutia have resolved the dispute in favor of Verkhoyansk, but the question remains open: a number of scientists and meteorological observations clearly indicate the advantage of Oymyakon in the dispute for the "frosty championship of the Northern Hemisphere." Although the minimum average monthly temperature in Verkhoyansk in January is 3 degrees lower than in Oymyakon (-57.1 ° C in 1892), and also lower on average in January, February, April, June, July, August and December, according to today's data the average annual temperature in Oymyakon is 0.3 degrees lower than in Verkhoyansk, and the absolute minimum, according to unofficial data, is 12.2 degrees lower. If we take the official data, we get a temperature rise of 4.4 degrees.

Climate comparison of Oymyakon and Verkhoyansk
Indicator	Jan.	Feb.	March	Apr.	May	June	July	Aug.	Sen.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.
Temperature difference, average temperature in Oymyakon compared to Verkhoyansk	+0.9	+0,6	-0.3	+2.6	-1,3	+0.3	+0,2	+0,6	-0,4	-2,6	-1,3	+0,5

Temperature observation technique

Clarification should be made regarding the location of meteorological observations. Regular meteorological observations are carried out at the Oymyakon airport, which is located 40 km from the village of the same name and 2 km from the village Tomtor. However, when talking about minimum temperatures, the name is always used. Oymyakon. This is due to the fact that Oymyakon is not only the name of the village, but also the name of the area.

In addition to extreme cold in winter, Oymyakon can experience temperatures above +30 °C in summer. On July 28, 2010, a heat record was recorded in the village (as well as monthly and absolute). Then the air warmed up to +34.6 °C. The difference between the absolute maximums and minimums of temperature is more than one hundred degrees, and according to this indicator, Oymyakon occupies one of the first places in the world. Also in Oymyakon, the largest amplitude of average monthly temperatures is observed.

According to unofficial data, in 1938 it was -77.8 °С in the village. The lowest temperature on Earth (-89.2 °C) was noted at the Vostok Antarctic station, but the station is located at an altitude of 3488 m above sea level, and, if you bring both temperatures to sea level, then the coldest place on the planet Oymyakon will be recognized (-68.3 and -77.6 degrees respectively).

Climate of Oymyakon (data from 1930).
Indicator	Jan.	Feb.	March	Apr.	May	June	July	Aug.	Sen.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Year
Absolute maximum, °C	−16,6	−12,5	2,0	11,7	26,2	31,1	34,6	32,9	23,7	11,0	−2,1	−6,5	34,6
Average maximum, °C	−42,5	−35,4	−20,8	−3,7	9,1	20,0	22,7	18,2	8,9	−9,2	−30,7	−42	−8,8
Average temperature, °C	−46,4	−42	−31,2	−13,6	2,7	12,6	14,9	10,3	2,3	−14,8	−35,2	−45,5	−15,5
Average minimum, °C	−50	−47,3	−40	−23,9	−4,7	4,0	6,2	2,6	−3,7	−20,4	−39,3	−48,8	−22,1
Absolute minimum, °C	−65,4	−64,6	−60,6	−46,4	−28,9	−9,7	−9,3	−17,1	−25,3	−47,6	−58,5	−62,8	−65,4
rainfall rate,

Oymyakon is the pole of cold, one of the harshest places on earth where people constantly live and work. Children go to school at -50 °C, streams do not freeze even at -70 °C, and on the street you can meet women in nylon stockings. "My Planet" has collected facts and opinions of local residents about this unique Russian region, which is becoming increasingly popular with tourists.

Population

In the Yakut village of Oymyakon, 512 people live (according to 2012 data). Mostly people are engaged in cattle breeding, reindeer herding, fishing. In summer, residents go for haymaking in the so-called letniki. There is civilization in Oymyakon: there is the Internet, and cellular communications, and an airport that was created during the Second World War. There are a school, a hospital, a club, a kindergarten, a music school, a library, a bakery, a gas station, a gym and shops. Prices are higher than in Moscow: for example, a loaf of bread costs 50 rubles.

Days and nights

Photo: Amos Chapple

The shortest day in December is three hours long. But in the summer there are white nights - light around the clock. Summer is characterized by a large temperature difference: during the day it can be +30 ° C, and at night - below zero.

Education in elementary grades is canceled at -52 °C. At -56 ° C, the whole school does not study.

standing cold

Photo: Dmitry Chistoprudov

The village is located at an altitude of 741 m above sea level in a hollow where cold air flows in winter. There is no wind, but, according to the locals, the stagnant cold penetrates through and through.

The temperature minimum, according to various measurements, ranges from -77.8 to -82 ° C. Scientists and meteorologists are constantly arguing about which settlement in Yakutia should be considered the main north pole of cold: Oymyakon or Verkhoyansk. According to the latest data, the absolute annual minimums in Oymyakon are 3.5 °C lower than in Verkhoyansk.

The temperature difference in summer and winter reaches 104 ° C - according to this indicator, Oymyakon occupies one of the first places in the world. +34.6 °C is the highest temperature recorded in the summer of 2010.

There is snow in Oymyakon from 213 to 229 days a year.

Yakut truckers do not turn off their engines for months

Children

Photo: Reuters

Small children are dressed according to the principle of cabbage, leaving only their eyes open, you can only walk on a sled, since the baby is unlikely to be able to walk independently in such uniforms. Education in elementary grades is canceled at -52 °C. At -56 ° C, the whole school does not study. Children are looking forward to the frosts so that they can spend the whole short polar day outdoors, riding downhill.

clothing

Photo: Amos Chapple

Adults dress in fur coats, down jackets, fur hats, high boots made of reindeer skin, put on two or three pairs of tights, pants and socks. A hat to the forehead and a scarf to the bridge of the nose save from frostbite of the face and nose. But cases of frostbite still happen. However, nothing will change the female nature: there were cases when women at -50 ° C put on nylon tights under a fur coat and managed not to freeze.

Cars

Photo: Olga Vodopyanova

Cars are parked in heated garages, before leaving the driver warms up the engine for 10-15 minutes. If there is no garage, then the engine is not turned off, but, as they say in Yakutia, they rumble. Additional stoves are installed in the cabs of the vehicles, arctic diesel fuel is used (diesel oil is mixed with kerosene). Many drivers make a special home-made pipe for heating fuel. Yakut truckers do not turn off their engines for months.

A cow can only be let out of a warm barn at -30 ° C, putting on a special bra on the udder so that it does not freeze

Nature

Photo: Spiridon Sleptsov

Oymyakon has a beautiful unique nature: there are streams that do not freeze in 70-degree frost, and ice that does not melt in 30-degree heat. Recently, tourism has been very developed: foreigners and Russian travelers come from all over the country. Among the local attractions are museums, Gulag camps, full of secrets and legends Moltan rock and Labynkyr lake and, of course, the bitter frost itself. In the spring, the festival "Oymyakon - the Pole of Cold" is held annually, which attracts Santa Clauses from all over the world. Tourists are advised to dress very warmly: wadded pants, a pair of hats, fur sweaters, high boots made of deer wool and a scarf with which you can wrap your face will not interfere.

Animals

Photo: Author unknown

Of all animals, only dogs, horses and reindeer can endure the Oymyakon cold. A cow can only be let out of a warm barn at -30 ° C, putting on a special bra on the udder so that it does not freeze. Cats are not allowed outside in winter, but if the animal jumps out on its own, frostbite is guaranteed. On very cold days, the owners let the dogs into the house or in the garage, but the rest of the time they live on the street.

special effects

Photo: Reuters

The locals claim that:

- in severe frosts (-65 ° C), if metal hits metal hard, sparks are cut out, because of this it is very dangerous to use gas stations;

- vodka freezes in the cold, like mercury thermometers;

- the police do not have batons - in the cold they harden and burst on impact, like glass;

- a fish taken out of the water in the cold becomes glassy in five minutes;

Locals take washed clothes outside to freeze. In a minute it rises a stake. They are collected after two hours very carefully, otherwise you can break the pillowcase or tear off the collar of the shirt.

Because of the permafrost, it is very difficult to dig graves. People pray that loved ones do not die in winter.

Evgenia Zibinskaya, originally from the neighboring village of Nelkan, Oymyakonsky District, abolished in 2008 Until 1997, I lived in the village of Nelkan. Our village was surrounded by a ring of mountains, because of which we had no wind and the cold was tolerated quite easily. But in Yakutsk -30 ° C is a real torture because of the winds constantly blowing, as if from all directions at the same time. The polar day is very short. Walking, we captured a piece of the polar night - so children roaming around in pitch darkness were not uncommon. I still have no fear of night walks. The main northern device is deer fur. Reindeer fur is unique: each hair is a hollow tube filled with air. Thanks to such an air cushion, the fur retains heat very well. We had a gold mine, so the main activity of its inhabitants was focused on this, the rest provided the infrastructure. Gold, by the way, could be found right in the river (I'm not talking about a trifle, which is enough in the Urals, but about quite large nuggets), but it was of no interest to the inhabitants, because if someone decided to hand it over to the state, then paperwork would be more than enough, and taking it out, you know, was unrealistic.

Updated 12/05/2019 Author Oleg Lazhechnikov Views 25307 Comments 29

The final post about the January trip of my friend Vitalik. This is how it happens, at first he didn’t want to write, and then he signed for several posts :) I read and understand that such people need to blog, it’s too fluent to write. But this is not surprising, they are all linguists.

During my two days at the Pole of Cold, I learned something remarkable from the life of ordinary Oymyakonians. As a result, the idea arose to arrange it in the form of a small selection of 33 facts. Here's what happened in the end.

1. Oymyakon in Yakutia is called the whole area, which includes several settlements, including the village of the same name. The center of the district is the village of Tomtor, where there is an airport and a meteorological station, where the minimum temperature of -71.2°C was recorded. Here you can have a look.

2. In Oymyakon itself (the village), which is located 40 km north of Tomtor, there has never been a weather station, but a memorial stele was installed there for decency.

3. Outwardly, the villages of the Oymyakon Valley differ little from those familiar to us somewhere in the Volga region. It turns out that the technology of a simple Russian hut can easily withstand extreme frosts.

4. Cars do drive with double glazing. Moreover, if a double package is immediately placed on the windshield, then this is impossible with the side ones, so the second glass is glued to ordinary adhesive tape. Otherwise, the person sitting next to him will have the risk of frostbite on half of his face.

5. Cars are turned off at night, but there are special heated garages for them, where the temperature does not drop much below zero, so starting is not a problem.

6. At temperatures below minus 56 (this is considered cold here), the equipment starts to behave strangely, and it is not recommended to travel far without unnecessary need.

7. If you still had to go in such a cold, then the consumption of gasoline is doubled. In addition, if you stop on the road, the tires begin to deform under the weight of the car, and at first you have to drive slowly and as if over bumps. You also have to carry a complete set of spare parts with you, enough to fix a motor that has stalled on the road.

8. Children of elementary grades stop going to school at temperatures below -52, older children - at minus 58. This is due to the same risk of equipment failure, because. many children get to school by bus.

9. In some houses, for example, in the village of Kuidusun, where I stayed, there is a central water supply. However, only hot water flows from the tap (cold water would simply freeze in the pipes), and taking a shower for those who had hot water turned off at home should be fun: you need to carry buckets of cold water and dilute it with hot water from the tap - the opposite is true.

10. By the way, many have a toilet in the yard. It has light, but no heating, and this is considered the norm. I probably won’t share my feelings from visiting such a place =) However, they try to build new houses in a familiar, not extreme format.

11. The cost of firewood for heating a 120 m2 house + sauna + garage per season (which lasts 8 months here) is about 50 tr. Taking into account the fact that this also provides hot water, it comes out even cheaper than in Moscow.

12. "Oymyakon" in Even language means "non-freezing water". Indeed, where is she still not to freeze. It's all about the warm springs that gush out of the ground and form streams on the surface. They completely freeze only by March. The nature around them is exceptionally beautiful.

13. People live by hunting (for themselves) and animal husbandry (for selling and getting cash). Horses are bred for meat, there is also a large reindeer farm. Pictured is a barn.

14. The Yakut horse is a unique beast. She does not need a barn, she grazes in the open air in any weather, she also gets her own food, picking the frozen ground with her hoof. It should be fed only so that it does not go far from the owners.

15. Farmers say that this horse is “programmed” to look for special nutritional herbs, so its meat contains such a complex of vitamins that allows a person to fully eat without eating vegetables and fruits.

16. Horse meat is considered coarse meat by the locals. Foal is held in high esteem, and in the Yakut restaurant you will be served exactly it, and not horse meat.

17. A foal at the age of 6-7 months is slaughtered, blindfolded and struck with a hammer.

18. I can’t check on vitamins, but a bottle of koumiss from this horse’s milk makes you forget about hunger for a long time. Its taste is exceptionally tart, and resembles a dense strong ale.

19. The height of the hunting season falls on the most severe frost, because. hunting is prohibited in spring - during this season, animals give birth, and in summer bears compete (which, however, does not really stop the locals, they only complain that it is forbidden to shoot bears, and if necessary, then they will have to prove it).

20. Despite the attachment to nature, the locals are very knowledgeable in information technology (although only MTS has mobile Internet). For example, the driver Max, who drove me from Ust-Nera to Tomtor, quit his job with his wife, they are now engaged in network marketing - they manage the sales of some Tibetan dietary supplements.

21. Everyone, including 70-year-old pensioners, has a WhatsApp account with photos.

22. WhatsApp allows you to help out the driver or hunter in case of problems: for example, if he did not return at the agreed time and did not get in touch, the wife makes an alert through the group, and everyone who is in touch helps organize a search and rescue operation.

23. Debt in the store can be paid by transfer from card to card.

24. In the village of Tomtor, there is a cafe for the whole region (at least they go there with family and friends, like in a cafe). You can’t eat foal meat there, but you can have French fries and nuggets - for the locals this is a delicacy. Upon learning that I was from Moscow, they persistently tried to find out if they had the right potato.

25. Of the power structures in the entire Oymyakon Valley, only in Tomtor there is a district police officer and an investigator. In the rest of the villages, according to the locals, anarchy, banditry and drunken showdowns reign.

26. There is one guy in Oymyakon, I don’t remember his name. Once, in a drunken fight, he was knocked out right on the street and left. He woke up 15 minutes later, came home, fell asleep. The result - amputation of almost all frostbitten fingers. Works now as a driver, by the way.

27. There is a local history museum in Tomtor. In it, you can twist almost all the exhibits in your hands, including the carbine of 1764. A visit to the museum is free, but for this you must first find its owner. .

28. Oymyakonye is famous for its Gulag camps, of which there were 29 in one area. They say that in order to counteract escapes, the NKVD officers promised local hunters for each fugitive hand brought a bag of sugar or flour (the brush was needed to verify fingerprints). The scheme worked. Moreover, the especially cunning first caught the fugitives, forced them to work for themselves for some time, and only then killed them: well, what, a bag of sugar is not superfluous.

29. In addition to local history, there is a museum of the Gulag, as the locals call it. It was assembled by a simple rural teacher and is located in the school building. I wrote a little more about it