Living in The Real North! (PT2)

Listen, straight up - the place is cold!

But it’s the weirdest cold I’ve ever experienced. 

Having grown up in Durban, South Africa, a place where the average temperature year-round is about 20°C - I can honestly say I’ve never experienced cold like this.

It’s cold; that part is undeniable, but you’re never cold - if that makes sense - it’s just cold around you. Except when it’s windy - that sh** doesn’t play. 

When it’s windy, the cold breaks that skin barrier and you feel it in your spirit.

Also, it almost doesn’t matter what temperature it is that day due to the permafrost (permanently frozen ground); the ground cold comes through your shoes - and you FEEL it.

But, as they say in Scandinavia: “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes.”

And that’s the truth!

But the secret is the quality of what you’re wearing. Layers and layers and layers of clothing - especially cotton-based clothing-  aren’t going to do much. It doesn’t matter how cheap or expensive what you’re wearing is. Gucci hoodies aren’t going to save you any more than anything you get at Mr. Price unless it's wool.

Generally speaking, you need a good wool base layer and a good wind-breaking/waterproof outer layer. Whatever you do in the middle is up to you.

For me, I run hot almost all the time, so a good base layer is something wool and sweat-wicking. I usually skip the middle layers and just put on a wind break, but on some of the colder and more windy days, a decent jumper or hoodie is a perfect mid-layer.

Something to never compromise on is head, hands, and foot protection. Cover your ears and hands, and wear your wool socks and a decent pair of boots to resist the cold.

At the time of writing this blog, I haven’t yet experienced the blizzards and snow storms - so I may add a few things to this list later on - but, for now - I’ve braved temperatures as low as -25 and some pretty windy days, too.

Whatever else you do, pack your quality winter gear or come here with money to buy it - that’s what I did. I had high doubts that South African winter clothes wouldn’t be much help out here. 

Our local shop, Longyear 78, is the absolute plug!

Expensive but necessary!

Once you’ve got a cold management plan, I think everything else is relatively easy to figure out—most notably, a roof over your head and food in your stomach.

If you’re coming as a tourist, that’s just a matter of booking a hotel - most of which also have a restaurant and/or a bar - and because everything is within walking distance, you can try all of them.

If, like me, staying a couple of nights or so isn’t enough for you, then check out my next blog post, Getting to and Staying on Svalbard.