Norway – How to deal with cold?

Thermometer, Kirkenes
Thermometer, Kirkenes

One day during our stay in Kirkenes, we took in the morning a picture of the thermometer that was showing -26ΒΊC, at night it was even a few degrees colder… I’m sure for many it sounds crazy and much too cold. For me, it’s also too cold, but I know with proper clothing I can survive. πŸ˜‰

General advice is to wear many layers, and I totally agree! However, the most critical parts are head, feet and hands. Warm hat is a must. And also fatty cream should be applied on the face. With warm gloves it’s a bit more complicated, because it’s difficult to take pictures while wearing the warmest ones. So it’s a good idea to have at least two pairs of gloves, thick and thinner for holding your cameras. For me it’s also difficult to keep warm feet, that’s why I decided to buy a very warm shoes. They are larger then my normal size, so I can wear 2 pairs of socks and still have space inside my shoes (which makes the trick because air is a good insulator). But it’s also much better when I can move my feet/toes inside my shoes to increase blood circulation and make myself warmer.

You can also buy hand warmers, disposable or reusable, and place them in your pocket, shoes or gloves. I tried them, but they didn’t work well for me. Well, maybe they’re old… I don’t know, but I’m not convinced…

What works the best for me is movement. πŸ˜‰ Seriously, when I start feeling colder, I just move, jump etc. Always helps. πŸ™‚

And, if you still feel cold, you can always ask for warm clothes and shoes from the Snow Hotel!

Do you have any tricks to stay warm?

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KtΓ³regoΕ› dnia w Kirkenes, zrobiliΕ›my zdjΔ™cie termometrowi, ktΓ³ry wskazywaΕ‚ -26ΒΊC. To pewnie byΕ‚a Ε›rednia temperatura podczas naszej wizyty, choΔ‡ w nocy byΕ‚o jeszcze o kilka stopni zimniej. MyΕ›lΔ™, ΕΌe dla wielu jest to zdecydowanie za zimno. Sama teΕΌ nie przepadam za aΕΌ takim mrozem, ale wiem, ΕΌe odpowiednio ubrana dam radΔ™. πŸ˜‰

“Na cebulkΔ™” to typowa i oczywista rada jak siΔ™ ubraΔ‡, gdy za oknem jest taki straszny mrΓ³z. Wiele, rΓ³ΕΌnych warstw zdecydowanie pomaga. Jednak, ja zawsze muszΔ™ najbardziej zadbaΔ‡ o gΕ‚owΔ™, stopy i rΔ™ce. CiepΕ‚a czapka to podstawa, ale teΕΌ warto zadbaΔ‡ o skΓ³rΔ™ twarzy i nasmarowaΔ‡ tΕ‚ustym kremem. Te najcieplejsze rΔ™kawiczki majΔ… z reguΕ‚y wadΔ™, gdy fotografujemy; rzadko kiedy moΕΌna w nich sprawnie trzymaΔ‡/uΕΌywaΔ‡ aparat. StΔ…d najlepiej sprawdza siΔ™ poΕ‚Δ…czenie cienkich rΔ™kawiczek (do robienia zdjΔ™Δ‡), z zewnΔ™trznΔ… warstwΔ… bardzo grubych. I czas na stopy, to chyba moja najwraΕΌliwsza na zimno czΔ™Ε›Δ‡ ciaΕ‚a. Moja sprawdzona metoda, to ciepΕ‚e buty, ktΓ³re sΔ… kilka rozmiarΓ³w wiΔ™ksze niΕΌ mΓ³j standardowy rozmiar. DziΔ™ki temu mogΔ™ poruszaΔ‡ stopΔ…/palcami, nawet majΔ…c 2 pary grubych skarpet.

MoΕΌna teΕΌ kupiΔ‡ ocieplacze do rΔ…k, jednorazowe lub do wielorazowego uΕΌytku. To takie maΕ‚e paczuszki (o rΓ³ΕΌnej zawartoΕ›ci w zaleΕΌnoΕ›ci od metody dziaΕ‚ania), ktΓ³re moΕΌna wΕ‚oΕΌyΔ‡ do butΓ³w, rΔ™kawiczek, czy kieszeni. BΔ™dΔ…c na Grenlandii miaΕ‚am kilka, ale nie zadziaΕ‚aΕ‚y dobrze, wiΔ™c nie jestem przekonana. MoΕΌe trafiΕ‚ mi siΔ™ jakiΕ› stary zestaw…

I jeszcze jedno, gdy czujΔ™ ΕΌe robi mi siΔ™ zimno po postu zaczynam siΔ™ wiΔ™cej ruszaΔ‡, np. skakanie w miejscu dziaΕ‚a rewelacyjnie. πŸ˜€

A gdybyście ciągle marzli, zawsze można dostać ciepłą odzież i buty od Snow Hotel!

A Wy macie jakieΕ› metody na mrΓ³z?

43 thoughts on “Norway – How to deal with cold?”

  1. Certo che ho un trucco, attaccarmi alla stufa a legna πŸ™‚
    Grazie per i consigli, spero però di non dover sopportare un freddo così forte, brrrrrrr
    Ciao, Pat

  2. long time ago I lived in Canada some years , there where I was , is 100 frost free day’s normal and there to ist goes to a -30 somedays , and I reaky did not have any problem with it , so maybe one get used to it as well

    1. I totally agree, we can get used to everything! However, it’s different when we just go to work, and don’t spend so much time outside, and when we plan to spend many hours playing outside when it’s -30C πŸ™‚

  3. Interesting article. Yes, the Scandinavia is a very cold place. I lived in Denmark for some time and visited Norway couple of times. During the winter, you may find the place extremely cold few days after your arrival, but within a week, you will pass the test to enjoy Norway. Thanks for sharing.

  4. Takie mrozy wydają się na pierwszy rzut oka straszne, ale zawsze w środku coraz cieplejszego lipca po prostu marzę, żeby choć raz ich doświadczyć :D.

    1. CaΕ‚kowicie siΔ™ zgadzam! Latem najchΔ™tniej zamknΔ™Ε‚abym siΔ™ w lodΓ³wce. πŸ˜‰

  5. For me always the fingers and toes start ¨suffering¨ pretty quick. I had bad experience at -30 degrees with my toes even with very warm clothes shoes and layers of woolen socks.

    Since I started living in Netherlands I get chilblains as soon as the temperature is about 5 degrees and lower, so quite often. The only thing that helps me is avoiding staying outside in the cold :-P.

    But ok seriously, in such low temperatures one always needs to be able to move the fingers and toes so shoes of a bigger size than normal is really recommended. And always bring a flask of warm tea. Another important thing is to increase the amount of calories you consume daily and the amount of healthy fats specifically, like nuts and avocados (or fish). It is better not to be underweight -even better if you have more fat on your body- since all the blood will gather on your central body to protect the organs first from cold and the hands and legs can start feeling numb.

    Regarding the warmers, they work sometimes for me but with a really short term effect …

  6. Brrrr…… Chez nous, nous n’avons pas -26Β°C mais je suis frileuse. Je porte des sous-vΓͺtements “Odlo” des bottes chaudes, une doudoune et tout et tout mais lorsque la bise est glaciale, j’ai encore froid.
    Merci pour la photo πŸ™‚

  7. MINUS 26?! BEjesus!!! I went to Oslo in October time and that was cold enough, but never in the deep winter or in the North. Fatty cream is a new one – not heard of that but certainly makes sense. I’ve experienced minus 15 in Moscow but more then that – yikes!

    1. it’s no so bad, when the humidity is low it’s actually easier than zero C deg in humid and windy place

  8. I actually enjoy the cold! A bit crazy but the only rule is to dress appropriately. Layers are essential and keep the extremities nice and warm is a must. I feel your pain with photography and big gloves…

  9. oh my god, -26 degrees?! that’s far too cold for me. I wouldn’t leave the house at all probably πŸ˜€ I’m already freezing at 0Β° πŸ˜€

    1. any fatty is good, e.g., some for children are also perfect. many years ago, people were using fat from water mammals…

  10. We lived in northeastern China for a year where it was below zero degrees for six months straight and our eyelashes grew icicles on our ten minute walk to work. We vowed to never again live in a cold climate!! Great tips though for those who are brave enough! πŸ™‚

  11. Thank you so much for these tips! I am always cold (except in Southeast Asia, which is one of the reasons I fell in love with this region of the world) but buying bigger shoes so I can wear more socks is definitely a smart idea!

    1. Yeah, I also often feel cold, but still prefer colder places than tropics πŸ™‚

  12. I cannot imagine how one can survive in -26 degrees! Living in Sunny Singapore cold is not at all a problem here, but if I ever need to warm up during my travels I definitely will try movement!

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