‘Conquerors of the Cold’ expedition to hunt for the minimum temperature on Earth in Russia’s Yakutia

MOSCOW, Feb 3, 2020, Pan Pacific Agency. Arctic isn’t just a place for hydrocarbon production, but also a unique territory for tourism in Russia. In 1999, scientist’s group led by Vyacheslav Ipatiev discovered that in different areas of Oymyakon (the planet’s cold pole, located in the Russia’s Sakha Republic, or Yakutia), the temperature differs by 3-4 degrees. The first test expedition ‘Conquerors of the Cold’ took place from January 11 to January 22, 2020 with the support of the Russian Tourism Agency, the Russian Geographical Society, and the local govt, the press service of the Yakutia’s govt reported.

The organizers of the expedition hope that it will help to attract the attention of the world community to climate changing issues, accelerate the development of the Far North and will help to preserve the culture and traditions of the indigenous peoples of the Republic of Yakutia, as well as to introduce everyone to the local customs.

The regional govt expects that the expedition will become an annual event and will help to promote the tourism potential of Yakutia as the coldest inhabited territory of the world. According to its results, the places with the lowest temperature on the inhabited part of the Earth will be established, which will complement the official data of meteorological observations.

The next expedition is scheduled for 2021 from January 6 to February 6.

According to scientists, during this period the most severe frosts occurred in Yakutia. The organizers promised to adjust the route taking into account the data obtained during the test trip. The geography of tours is planned to expand to 10 regions of Yakutia, the duration of the expedition may increase to several weeks.

Participants will be offered not only to search for temperature extremes, but also to master the skills necessary for survival in the Far North: for example, learn to harness a deer and make a fire even at minus 50 degrees.