Hi, this is me. I was born and raised in Yakutsk, the coldest inhabited city on Earth. Before going outside, I always check the temperature.
Today, it's -48°C. And yes, for us, this is just a normal winter day here. At -48°C, people go to work, kids go to school, and life doesn't stop.
And I'm definitely not staying at home today. I want to go to the mall to check winter clothing. But before I leave the house, I need to prepare because if you're not dressed properly in this weather, you can easily freeze in minutes.
So, let me show you exactly how we dress to survive this cold. I start with leggings. I already have my black ones on and on top of them I add a second pair.
Then I put on camel wool knee pads to protect my joints. My knees sometimes hurt because I didn't wear this when I was younger, so now it's essential. I also wear camel wool socks for insulation and warmth.
Next, I put on insulated padded trousers. These trousers keep my legs incredibly warm. Honestly, they're one of the best things human ever invented.
20 years ago, when I was a kid going to school, I had to wear hundreds layers of tights, and the cold still stopped my legs like thousands of tiny needles. Then I put on a light jacket underneath my thick goose down winter coat, which is made especially for Arctic winters. A good winter jacket cost around $800 to $1,000, but even that is sometimes not warm enough here.
The warmest option is a fur coat, but that can cost around $6,000. Keeping my hat, hands, and feet warm is absolutely crucial. My fur hat has gotten too old, so I need to buy a new one.
Wool hats don't really protect your head at these temperatures. My mittens have traditional yakutian beaded patterns combining warmth and culture. And finally, I wear yakutian fur boots.
Regular boots would freeze in minutes. And now I'm finally ready to go outside. This is how much time and effort it takes just to leave the house.
And honestly, it can be really annoying if you forgot to buy bread or milk. You can't just run to the store. You have to layer up all over again.
It turns a simple 5-minute trip into a whole mission. When you step outside, the cold air hits your lungs like a shock. It becomes harder to breathe.
Your throat feels dry and every breath feels heavy because of the freezing air. In Yakutsk, our entire infrastructure is built for extreme cold. Roads, buildings, and utilities are designed to survive temperatures below -70° C.
Most apartments have 24/7 central heating just to stay warm. Maintaining a car here is a challenge on its own, so I stick to public transport. The nearest bus stop is about 300 m from my home, a 5-minute walk.
But even in that short time, I can feel the cold sipping through my clothes, especially on my face. We can only stay outside for 10 to 15 minutes before the cold becomes unbearable and we have to rush back indoors. Luckily, Yakut has heated bus stops, little warm shelters that keeps us from freezing to death while waiting for the bus.
After 10 minutes of walking, the cold already starts biting into my skin. The exposed parts of my skin, especially my nose, are the first to freeze. You can see the skin on my nose turning white.
That's the first sign of frostbite. So, I decided to rush into the nearest mall to warm up before continuing. Even in this extreme cold, Yakutsk still has homeless people like this woman standing outside the mall.
The city provides winter shelters to help them to stay warm and safe, but not everyone uses them. Many homeless people suffer a severe frostbite every year and often lose fingers or toes to the cold. Inside the mall, we have cloak rooms where people can leave their heavy jacket.
It's impossible to walk comfortably inside a heated building wearing a thick down coat and padded trousers and heavy jacket make it feel like you are wearing armor. These clock rooms make it much easier to move around after surviving the cold outside. Shopping in Yakutsk is very different from central Russia.
We don't have big malls with lots of brands. Our malls are smaller with fewer options, especially now that many international brands have left. Because of this, most people prefer to order online and Chinese shopping apps are extremely popular.
Most here are also social hubs. A place to meet friends, escape the cold, eat something warm, or let kids play indoors when outdoors activities are impossible. Now I am heading to a special shop that sells fur coats in Yakut.
I don't have a car. At this level of cold, cars can freeze completely. I prefer to walk or take the bus.
I've never owned a car here. It's just too much effort. Engines must run constantly to avoid freezing or you need a heated blanket system that automatically turns the engine on and off, but those are heavy and inconvenient.
Public transport is easier. Although walking to the bus stop and waiting in the cold is still tough. Using phones outside in Yakutia is a challenge, so we don't rely on them much.
We only take them out if absolutely necessary as the cold drain the battery or shuts them off. Phones here are more for emergencies than casual use. Uh this is how we use the phone in Yakuta because it's really cold.
Uh my hands is already uh freezing so I have to be really quick. Another unique part of shopping in Yakutsk is visiting our local fur shops. Yakutsk has been a center of fur production for centuries.
During the Russian Empire, high quality furs like sable, mink, and fox were exported to Europe and became known as soft gold. Here, fur coats are not just luxury, they are a necessity. Even my two jackets will not protect me for long at -50 or -60°.
A fur coat provides unmatched warmth against a brutal cold. Prices start around $6,000 and can go up to $17,000 for a sable coat. Not everyone can afford one, so many women save for years.
After walking for a while, I started feeling cold again, so I stopped at the small coffee shop to warm up. The moment you step inside and feel the heat is such a relief. After a short break, I wanted to show you just how cold it really is outside.
I asked the barista for a cup of hot water to demonstrate something incredible. How boiling water instantly turns into ice crystals when thrown into the freezing air. This is what we wear and how we survive in the coldest city on Earth, Yakutsk.
I hope you enjoyed this video and stay warm wherever you are. Let me know in the comments what winters is like in your hometown.
