When Olga Seminova opens her door each morning in winter, cold icy blasts drive in from Siberia. In a town where winter temperatures average -46C, the population of just 500 people finds it nothing unusual. This is Oymyakon in Russia, officially the coldest inhabited town in the world. It takes a hardy soul to survive here.

It is a barren and inhospitable place, a two-day trek from the nearest town, Yakutsk. In this climate there’s no agriculture because nothing can grow and that affects employment as well as diet. Most people work in the vital heating plants or municipal jobs and their diet is mainly frozen raw fish – salmon or whitefish, or horse liver. Worse, the town’s location means it’s impossible to run water to homes so outhouse bathrooms are the norm.This is just what life is like for people in the world’s coldest climates. Officially, the coldest places on earth are Russia, Iceland, and Alaska. Cold can be exhausting. But with the right mindset, winter can be exhilarating. For Scandinavians, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing – in Norway they say: “Det fins ikke darlig vaer, bare darlige klaer”. It’s true, winters can be amazing, you just need to be prepared. 

So how do people in chilly northern climes survive – and what can be learned from their survival skills in the darkest months? Of course. it will be dark, early. That means that the inhabitants of the coldest countries survive on less than five hours daylight every day of winter. That’s tough, and may explain the high rates of depression, and vodka consumption, in countries like Russia, and right across Scandinavia.The darkness may be overwhelming but during daylight hours in Sweden the light is bright and sparkles on the snow. Even for just a few hours, it creates a welcome uplift in mood. Winter brings enormous pleasures too. Embracing the outdoor lifestyle is the key to adapting to life in a cold climate. Swedes have a term ‘livlust’ which means ‘lust for life’ and Danes have been recognised as the happiest people in the world. Swedes and Finns are renowned for their love of the outdoors and, once wrapped up and prepared for the outside chill, there’s skiing, moose and reindeer trekking, and snowshoeing. But more, there’s fishing from frozen lakes and snowmobiling on frozen rivers – it’s a treat for any adventurous lover of the outdoors.

Finland is one of the northernmost countries with a permanent population and winter lasts from three to seven months. In a country where the average high temperature in winter is -2 c, inhabitants have tactics to survive the sometimes brutal conditions. One of the many things that keeps them going, like others in the region, is sauna. It’s known for its restorative properties but it’s also a social experience. This country of 5.4m people boasts some 2m saunas, something that is part of the culture and sees people celebrating the feasts of Christmas and Midsummer – a high point in the Scandinavian calendar – with sauna. Across Scandinavia, including Iceland, warm homes are standard – triple-glazed windows keep the warmth in even when it’s -20C outside. That, along with the window panes that function as solar panels, and 10cm thick external insulation on homes, makes every home a cosy place to escape the extreme conditions.Unlike in Europe, snowfall doesn’t mean roads become accessible. Cars are fitted with snow tyres and engine-block heaters make them easier to start in the morning. Everyone understands that snowfall means everything takes longer, driving, walking, commuting are all affected.But there are many plusses to an harsh climate. The cold, dark evenings may seem unappealing, but locals cope by creating cosiness – which we’ve come to understand in the Danish term ‘hygge’. It can mean a number of things from nights in with a loved one, candles on the hearth; a hearty meal; or watching raindrops trickle down the windowpane from a cosy fireside chair. It can be whatever you make it.What’s clear is that people in the coldest countries, from Russia to Iceland, embrace the cold and find ways to celebrate it.