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
