FC Oymyakon

About FC Oymyakon

Omyakon is the coldest permanently inhabited settlement on Earth. With winter temperature highs of -30 °F (-22 °C) and a record low of-96.2 °F (-71.2 °C), it can be pretty chilly. The ground is permanently frozen and the village has never recorded an above-freezing temperature between 26 October and 16 March. 

With roughly 500 inhabitants, one shop, and one school, the indigenous people that live there - the Yakutians - have developed a number of impressive ways to deal with the cold. They leave their cars running whenever they're briefly left out of their heated garages and are only able to use outhouses in the winter months as the indoor plumbing freezes. Snow days are common - schools are closed if it is colder than −67 °F (−55 °C) - and the local hot springs are popular in winter with Yakutians looking to warm up in the negative temperature water. 

At the end of every winter, they host the "Cold Pole Festival" in honor of Chyskhaan, a pagan spirit that Yakutians celebrate. It's a day of reindeer racing, ice fishing and dog sledding. For those hardy tourists that make the 48-hour drive from the closest airport, Yakutsk, it's well worth the trip.