How to survive in the tundra in winter. Mainland tundra. Shelter area

The lost northern villages are cut off not only from the mainland, but also from each other. What is it like a place where there are no roads and no connection with civilization?

See how people live in a town where there are almost no cars, and “half a day on the reindeer” is not a metaphor, but a way of getting around.

1 The village of Novy Port is one of those villages that are called the edge of geography. You can get here either by air or (for less part of the year) by water by ship. There are several streets here, and around the endless tundra.

2 Such isolation from the world always affects the way of life, and many of these northern villages are more colorful than distant countries somewhere in Africa.

3 The only reason a tourist can come here is to get acquainted with the life of reindeer herders. The indigenous population of this land, the Nenets, still live in tents of reindeer skins in the middle of the tundra, and the village serves as the only stronghold of civilization for many kilometers. Only here there are shops, a bank and a post office.

4 Almost everyone wears sunglasses, especially in winter: the snow is too bright.

5 Communications are laid directly along the roads. It is useless to bury them in the ground: permafrost.

6 All houses are built on piles, but unlike in the Far East, you will hardly see them either: the foundation is sheathed around the perimeter.

7 In the center of the village is the district administration. There are no fences and guards here, people are constantly scurrying back and forth, about their business.

8 Among the inhabitants of Novy Port, the Nenets also make up the majority: not everyone likes to live in a hut in the tundra. But traditional clothes are worn, it is practical, and sometimes the only way not to freeze to death.

9 The administration has the only ATM in the entire district. But grocery stores accept cards!

10 There are practically no cars, as there are no roads. The main transport is snowmobiles and tracks on huge low-pressure wheels.

11 Surprisingly, everything is fine with the connection. You won't find Wi-Fi hotspots here, but mobile Internet works at least in the 3G and even LTE range. True, only one operator - Tele2. I prudently bought a SIM card in Salekhard. They don't seem to sell here. MegaFon works from time to time, but Beeline does not catch at all. At the same time, 20 kilometers from the village there is the Gazprom Neft field, where, on the contrary, it accepts only Beeline. Bring a phone with two SIM cards.

12 The bank occupies one of the most unkempt buildings in New Port. To be honest, I expected to see the whole village in this state. I looked at photos on the Internet. But over the years, a lot has changed, and this was the biggest surprise. I was (theoretically) ready for the harsh conditions.

13 There is no public transport. Who needs buses in the tundra? In the village, people walk, the distances are small. If you are tired of walking or do not know the way, try to stop your private snowmobile - they will give you a lift!

14 You will have to go in a wooden trailer-cart, but this is in the order of things, everyone drives in them.

15 Snowmobiles are found in three varieties: the Russian "Buran", the Japanese "Yamaha" or a very fierce homemade product. The number of "Kulibins" per capita is off the charts.

16 In fact, the tank is empty. I checked.

17 There was a time, half of the village looked something like this. Architectural masterpieces were created from containers-sheds. In the days of the oil "Klondike" there was no time for excesses.

18 Enterprises in Novy Port are few. The largest in the village is the local boarding school, where the children of reindeer herders study. There is a fishing port, which is active in the warm season, and another twenty kilometers away is the large Gazprom Neft field.

20 Life in New Port is changing. Three years ago, everything looked much worse. The changes can be explained by the proximity to the oil workers who invest in the development of the village, build housing and improve the coast. I've seen what the northern places look like, where there is no mining: the difference is impressive. So Yamal will stand out in this regard. I think that's why the helicopter flies here regularly

21 There are five shops in the village. Really cool for a place with fewer than two thousand people. I liked the Yamal Deer store the most.

22 Inside is an ordinary storage shed. There are no supermarkets here, of course. It is necessary to stand in line to the saleswoman, during this time having come up with what you want to buy. I always have a stupor in such places.

23 Venison is sold here in all its types, from steaks to sausages. But there are also ordinary products. Look at the prices. More expensive than in central Russia, but much cheaper than Kamchatka and Chukotka.

24 Instead of cafes and restaurants - the only canteen in the village. Open from 10 am to 8 pm. And if you are not a local or an oil worker, you have nowhere else to eat.

25 The menu with an assortment of two drops of water reminds of a school cafeteria. Rolls, cutlets, meatballs and grilled chicken. This is what I ate all week, alternating with dried venison.

26 Food can also be bought in the canteen.

27 In my opinion, the village should have looked like this.

28 It turned out that most of the buildings have been renovated or built recently. With the support of oil workers, street art artists come here to make the village brighter. Colorful houses have already become a hallmark of the Far North.

29 The houses themselves are simple, three or four floors, with several apartments per floor. But they look bright and neat.

30 Entrance doors are not locked with a coded lock, for the same reason as in Chukotka. A blizzard will begin - run and hide in the first house!

31 These houses are also built on stilts.

32 It's unusual to see courtyards without cars. Instead of them, snow and cross-country vehicles are parked at the house.

33 All villages in Russia would look like they do on Yamal!

34 Although I was told that in winter everything looks better because of the white snow, and in summer everything is gray. But the infrastructure does not disappear in the summer.

35 Not every district of Moscow has such waste sites!

36 I have already shown unusual baby carriages, here almost everyone has them. One of the brightest impressions in the village!

37 There is no hotel in Novy Port. The nearest one is in the neighboring village of Yar-Sale, but only by helicopter there. The only way out of the traveler is to rent an apartment. There are few options, but there are. It costs about 2 thousand rubles per person per day.

38 Danil Kolosov and I settled in an empty "odnushka" with basic renovation. The owners left for the "mainland", but left their furniture and belongings. The room had two sofas, a TV and a cot. No one has ever hung the curtains, although how do they fall asleep on a polar day? Danil is a man of great soul. During the trip, my camera broke, and he helped out by sharing photos. It would be very disappointing to fly so far and leave without photographs. Thanks!

39 The view from the window is almost like the sea, only the tundra. And garages are like beach houses.

40 A neighboring high-rise building was celebrating a housewarming. The whole house. A good half of the village is lined up in front of the entrances. Even two television cameras arrived, a quadrocopter was flying in the cold. Event!

41 Keys to apartments and key fobs for intercoms. Why, if the entrances are not closed? 😃

42 The commissioning of new housing for Novoportovites is a holiday: the dilapidated fund is still enough, and those who got apartments in this house, generally wandered among relatives for a year: they used to live in a hostel, but it burned down.

43 Almost all new construction is financed by Gazprom Neft, they are actively investing in the development of territories near the fields within the framework of the Native Towns program. This concern has a completely understandable reason - social responsibility. The company extracts minerals, but does not forget about local residents, improving their conditions.

44 Yamal cats are as hardy as humans! They stood for half an hour in the twenty-degree frost, waiting to receive the keys. Not a drop of discontent on their faces, they enjoy life, they smile! No wonder they say that pets are like their owners.

45 New settlers step outside their apartments for the first time.

46 Kitty was brought in for a reason, he was the first to enter the apartment of his owners, and then he was asked to go through the houses of his neighbors.

47 Next time I will tell you about how the indigenous people of this region live and how they celebrate their professional holiday - the day of the reindeer herder. For his sake, I climbed here.

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Survival in the polar regions depends on proper clothing and shelter. If they are environmentally friendly, cold temperatures, biting winds, snow and ice can be handled just like any other natural challenge.

The North Polar Region is the frozen ocean, the Arctic Ocean, and the South Polar Region, or Antarctica, is the land 3 to 4 km above sea level. This means that it is very cold and is almost completely covered with ice, the thickness of which in some places reaches 3 km.

In the polar regions in winter, the sun can remain below the horizon for several months, so the only source of heat is the wind blowing from lower latitudes. In summer, the sun is low in the sky, warming a little, although over the Arctic Circle (66 ° 33 ′ N) the sun is above the horizon around the clock for several weeks. Only two species of flowering plants grow in Antarctica, and the animals of the polar regions feed almost entirely on what they get from the sea. There are almost no land-dwelling animals in Antarctica, and a polar bear lives in the Arctic. Birds arrive in the Arctic in the summer, but in fact they live in the tundra. Seals can be found in both polar regions, and penguins are typical inhabitants of Antarctica.

Tundra animals

Tundra is a huge area in the north of Asia and Canada, covered with vegetation, devoid of trees.

• Arctic hare. These animals get their own food all winter.
• Canadian deer (caribou). It lives in the north of Canada and migrates long distances.
• Lemming. The most widespread small herbivore living in the tundra. Lemmings migrate, and many of them die trying to overcome water obstacles.
• Musk ox. Does not migrate, spending the winter in the Arctic Circle.
• Reindeer. The Eurasian version of the Canadian deer migrates south every winter.

Predators

• Wolf. Hunting Canadian deer, migrating.
• Ermine. It feeds on lemmings, and in accordance with this, their number changes.
• Arctic fox. Another common predator in the tundra, which, like an ermine, turns white in winter.

Land animals

Polar bears are usually found near the coast and must be treated with great care. You can approach them only if you have a good gun, because they are very dangerous animals.

In the spring you can see seals lying on the ice near their holes. However, they are very empathetic and difficult to get close to. You will probably be able to kill the seal with an accurate headshot before it slides into the water, because it will be very difficult to get it out of there.

Beware lest a polar bear sneak up on you, which may be attracted to the smell of the blood of a newly killed seal.

Birds

• Goose. It is widely distributed in the polar region, where in summer it hatches chicks.
• Tern. Arctic terns breed in the southern parts of the Arctic and spend the winter in Antarctica.
• Merlin.
• Partridge. Lives in the Arctic all year round. Females dig shallow holes in the ground, where they lay 8 - 13 eggs.
• Swan. Also breeds chicks in summer.
• Diving duck (including common eider). Dives to the very bottom in search of food.
• Polar owl. It hunts for partridge and black grouse.
• Plover. Forage in shallow water.
• Teterev. Also remains in the Arctic.
• Gull. He often rests on the ground.
• Purser. Dives to great depths and feeds on fish.

Taiga animals

Taiga is a northern forest that turns into tundra in the north, and deciduous forest and meadows in the south. Taiga stretches from northeastern Europe through Russia to the Pacific Ocean and across North America from Alaska to Newfoundland. Most of the taiga lies north of the Arctic Circle, and although the winters are as cold as the tundra, the summers are still warmer.

• American Moose. The largest deer in the world. The Eurasian version is elk.
• Squirrel. Remains active in winter
• Shrew. Remains active in winter.
• Forest hedgehog. Inhabits North America and winters there.
• Forest lemming. In winter, it hibernates.
• Vole. Red-backed voles live in burrows and can climb trees well.

Predators

• Great ermine. Turns white in winter.
• The marten is real. These weasel-like carnivores also climb trees well.
• Weasel. The back is brown, the belly is cream or white. The fur of the weasel that lives in the north becomes white in color.
• Lynx. Nocturnal predator 80 - 100 cm long.

Birds

• Eurasian black grouse. The largest bird of the grouse family.
• Woodpeckers. The northern three-toed woodpecker lives in the northern subarctic hemisphere.

Plants

In the arctic and subarctic regions, smaller plants prevail than in the temperate zone. Some of the large black lichens are edible and are called lasallia populeza. Lichens were used as food by hungry researchers.

There are several edible species among the tundra plants. Eskimos eat bear berries either fresh or mixed with animal fat. Europeans eat cloudberries, blueberries and cranberries. Some mushrooms are also edible.

Keep an eye on where animals and especially birds eat, as this will lead you to edible plants. While walking, pick off edible plants that come across your path, and gradually you will collect enough food.

• Ivan tea (fireweed). It grows in the forest, near streams and on the coast in the polar regions. Tall plant with pink flowers and narrow leaves. Leaves, stems and flowers are edible, especially in spring when they are still soft.
• Icelandic moss. It grows exclusively in the Arctic, in open areas. May be gray-green, white or brownish-red in color. All parts of the plant are edible, but they must be soaked in water and then boiled thoroughly.
• Marsh marigold. It grows in polar and subarctic regions in swamps, lakes and sometimes in streams. It has rounded dark green leaves on a short stem and yellow flowers. All parts of the plant are edible, but must be boiled.
• A water lily, or a yellow water lily. It grows in shallow, calm water. The yellow flowers turn into fruit shaped like a bottle. All parts of the plant are edible. The seeds can be boiled and ground into flour. The roots can be boiled.
• Lasallia populeza. Found on rocks and boulders. The plant is round in shape, with curling edges. The top of the plant is usually black in color, the bottom is lighter. All parts of the plant are edible, but irritation can occur if eaten raw. Therefore, it must first be soaked for a long time, changing the water, and then boiled thoroughly; after that, for taste, it can be fried over an open fire, then it will be crispy.
• Bearberry (crowberry). It grows in the tundra of North America and Eurasia. A low-growing shrub with evergreen needle-like leaves. Small black berries can be eaten fresh or dried for future use.
• Northern willow. It grows in the tundra of North America, Europe and Asia. It has rounded leaves and yellow catkins. Contains a large amount of vitamin C, you can eat the cleaned pulp of young shoots and roots.
• Bearberry. It grows in arctic regions and in regions with a temperate climate. The plant is characterized by thickened leaves at the ends and white or pink flowers. Red berries can be eaten fresh, and tea can be brewed from the leaves.
• Reindeer moss. Grows in open, dry places. The gray stems are hollow inside, the branches resemble antlers. All parts of the plant are edible and must be soaked for several hours before being cooked.

Trips

The decision to hit the road when you are in a difficult situation and have to think about how to survive should be based on the likelihood of getting out of the dangerous situation and serve as an alternative to waiting for rescuers to be able to find you, especially if you are near a large object like a crashed aircraft.

Other factors are the weather and your physical condition. You do not have to travel during or in the knowledge of a snowstorm; you need to be aware that you will need a lot of strength and more food and water. In addition, you will have to build shelters along the way. When you have to climb over thin ice, lie down and crawl so that your body weight is evenly distributed. The air in the Arctic is very transparent, which, like in the desert, makes it difficult to accurately determine the distance. There is a danger that you underestimate the distance as objects appear closer than they really are. Set up camp early so that you have time to build a shelter. If the snow is deep, use snowshoes. They can be made from willow.

You will need to determine your current location, as well as the proposed route. The following can help you with this.

• Stars. In the Northern Hemisphere, north can be identified by the constellation Ursa Major, which points to the Pole Star above the North Pole. In the Southern Hemisphere, the direction to the south is indicated by the Southern Cross. Without a sextant and tables, you will not be able to calculate the latitude in height above the horizon of the North Star.
• . If you know the exact local time, a shadow cast by an erect object perpendicular to the ground at noon will point north and south.
• Sky map. Clouds above a snow-free ground or above water will appear black, while clouds above snow or ice will appear white. Pack (the most powerful long-term drifting sea ice formed in polar basins. Thickness up to 3-5 meters) ice and snowdrifts create a variegated picture of clouds.
• Birds. Seabirds usually leave in the morning and return to shore in the afternoon.
• Flora. Moss will be the thickest on the north side of rocks or trees. Alder bark is lighter on the south side. There are more lichens on the south side.

Diseases arising in cold climates

Dehydration

Layered clothing can cause profuse sweating and therefore dehydration.

Symptoms The urine acquires a rich yellow color, and a headache appears.

Treatment. Make sure that your water intake is sufficient and the balance is maintained. You should know that when your urine becomes clearer and your head stops hurting, it means that you are all right and your body cells are filled with water. Avoid dehydration as this will affect your ability to think and plan.

Preventive action. Drink the right amount of water daily and don't sweat too much. Clothing should be appropriate for the weather.

Hypothermia

This means that the body temperature is below normal.

Symptoms Reduced resistance to cold, strong tremors, lethargy of movement and thinking.

Treatment. Return to normal body temperature as soon as possible. Place the torso in warm water (37.7 - 43.3 ° C). Care must be taken when doing this, as immersion in warm water all over the body can cause shock and cardiac arrest. For survival, it is best to put the victim in a sleeping bag with someone with a normal temperature. Ideal if both are completely naked. Take action as quickly as possible and, if the person is conscious, start giving them hot, sweet liquid. After the victim's temperature has returned to normal, it is not necessary to immediately remove him from the heat source, because his temperature may drop again. Give him the opportunity to restore his body heat and, if necessary, continue to give him hot drinks.

Preventive action. Avoid prolonged exposure to cold without food, hot drinks, or other sources of heat, and do not put yourself in danger if you get wet and especially if you are in the wind.

If you fell into the water while in the polar region:

• Swim quickly and energetically to the shore;
• Lie in the snow, which will absorb some of the water;
• Run quickly for cover and warm up there as soon as possible;
• Shake off the snow before entering the shelter;
• Dry your clothes, eat and drink a hot drink.

Frostbite

Symptoms This is serious damage to the skin and sometimes other body tissues through frostbite or the formation of ice crystals in tissue cells. This usually occurs when the temperature is below -12 ° C, but it can also be at 0 ° C, when there is a factor of the coefficient of harshness of the weather or when the victim is wet. Because cold is anesthetic, the victim may not immediately notice frostbite. Frostbite is usually those parts of the body that are least protected, namely the face, nose, ears, hands and feet. The first signs are dull, whitish skin color, then the formation of bubbles, the death of some skin cells and subcutaneous tissue.

Treatment

• Warm the affected area of ​​the skin and make sure that frostbite does not occur again.
• Wrap frostbitten hands in clothes and keep them pressed to the body.
• Put your frostbitten feet in your friend's clothes.
• Don't poke the blisters, but dust them with antiseptic.
• Apply a surgical dressing or other clean cloth to the affected area.
• Do not immerse the affected area in hot water or keep near fire. Use body heat instead.
• If the person is in severe pain, use morphine.
• Serious cases of frostbite with deep tissue involvement should be treated by a healthcare professional.

Preventive measures

• Do not wear tight clothing that obstructs blood circulation and increases the risk of frostbite.
• Avoid wind exposure whenever possible.
• Do not leave the premises in light clothing.
• Keep your clothes dry.
• When in the cold, move your limbs and facial muscles.
• Do not touch cold metal with bare hands.
• Be especially careful if you are tired and out of energy.
• Do not spill gasoline on exposed skin.

Trench foot

Symptoms Prolonged exposure to cold and damp conditions can cause the feet to become numb, cold, white, and stiff. They will begin to swell and ache when
walking. If you do not take action, the situation will be serious, so dry your feet and shoes as soon as possible.

Treatment. Do not rub or massage your feet. Wash them with soap and water, pat dry and keep them in an elevated position. If your legs hurt, don't walk. Put on dry socks; make sure you always have a spare pair of dry socks.

Preventive action. Keep your shoes dry and change socks frequently.

Snow blindness

It is caused by bright sunlight reflected by snow or enhanced by cloud ice crystals.

Symptoms Hypersensitivity to bright light. Red and watery eyes. Increased redness of the eyes and feels like there is sand in them. Loss of vision, sharp pain in the eyes and a red veil before the eyes.

Treatment. Apply a blindfold to the eyes as soon as possible and place the victim in a dark room. A cool, damp bandage can help relieve pain. It will take time for the eyes to return to normal.

Preventive action. Wear sunglasses. If not, make yourself safety goggles out of the bark of the tree by carving gaps in it. Rubbing charcoal into the skin around your eyes will help reduce your eyes' exposure to bright sunlight.

Carbon monoxide poisoning

This is especially dangerous in very cold climates because shelters are usually small, with well-sealed gaps and inadequate ventilation. Carbon monoxide, which has neither color nor smell, is emitted by any fuel from any stove.

Symptoms They are difficult to identify, especially when it happens to you, and include headache, dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, and sometimes vomiting; the victim may also suddenly faint.

Treatment

• Move the victim to fresh air or a well-ventilated area and make sure they breathe deeply.
• If he is unconscious, apply artificial respiration; the place should be well ventilated.
• Give him oxygen if possible.
• When the victim comes to his senses, he needs to be given rest and given warm drinks.
• The victim should not do hard work until he has fully recovered.

Preventive action. Make sure that the shelters are well ventilated - there should be at least two ventilation holes in them. Remember that the flame should not be too high. Turn off all stoves and lamps before going to bed.

Search for water

There is no shortage of water in the polar regions, but the amount of water obtained from snow and ice will depend on the amount of fuel needed to melt them. It is better to melt ice than snow because the volume of water will be greater. You shouldn't sacrifice water consumption for fuel economy as this will lead to serious side effects. Limit the amount of water lost through perspiration by wearing lighter clothing when working out.

In summer, water can be taken from streams, lakes and ponds. In the tundra, the water may be brown due to the plants, but it is drinkable. Despite the fact that the water is comparatively in the polar regions than in other regions of the world, you must purify the water for drinking and, if necessary, filter it.

In winter, water can be obtained more easily - from lakes, from under the snow and ice. Since the bottom surface of the ice follows the contours of the snow above it, you must dig where the snow is deepest and cut through the ice to find the least cold water.
When you heat the snow, melt it a little and wait until it completely turns into water, and only then add the next batch of snow. Otherwise, the snow that has not melted will absorb all the water, and the pot will burn.

Old sea ice produces better quality water than young sea ice, which still has a sense of salt. Old sea ice is rounder and bluish in color.

Do not fill your flask completely with water - so that the water does not freeze again, it must overflow in the flask. Also, keep it close to your body.

Finding food

In very cold weather, you should eat hot food at least twice a day and drink hot drinks several times. In the polar regions, you will not find an abundance of food, although in the summer months it is not difficult to catch fish and other inhabitants of the water element in coastal waters, streams, rivers and lakes. In many places along the Arctic coast, you can easily spot edible clams, bivalve shells, snails, saucers, chitons, sea urchins and king crabs. Don't eat dead shellfish. Avoid the small black and red clams found in the North Pacific Ocean - they are poisonous.

Do not eat fish that have sunken eyes, mucus-covered gills, decrepit skin and body, or an unpleasant odor. Don't eat any jellyfish. Brown algae and other types of small algae are edible, although algae with long fibers and tendrils should be avoided.

Ice fishing

The ice can be up to 4 m thick, so you need to look for a suitable place to drill a hole, where the ice is not so thick that you cannot drill a hole, but thick enough to support your weight. You can hang a line from the end of a small stick with a signal attached to it, such as a handkerchief or a piece of card. Attach this stick to the other one across the hole. When the fish grabs the hook, the flag will jump. (For more information on fishing techniques, see the chapter Setting traps, catching fish and edible wild plants.)

Personal clothing

You should have a top layer that does not allow wind and moisture to pass through - so that melting snow does not absorb. An airtight fabric is considered ideal. Your clothing should also have an inner insulating layer.

Before traveling to places with extremely cold climates, you need to consult a specialist about clothing. Fortunately, there is now a large selection of new fabrics, including polypropylene for underwear and gortex for outerwear. Your jacket should have a thin hood that stretches over your head and a second hood with a fur lining to keep your face from freezing due to breathing.

If you do not have new designs, use wool as the inner layers, as it does not absorb moisture well. Do not wear tight or restrictive clothing and keep it clean and dry. It is better to untie your hat or take off your gloves, but do not allow you to sweat. If you sweat, clothes become damp, insulation breaks down, and your body loses heat.

If your socks and gloves get damp, you can dry them by tying them around your belly. Try to bring as many spare socks with you as possible. If possible, dry them over a fire in a shelter.

The ideal footwear is the waterproof canvas boots known as "Maklax"... Down you need to put on three pairs of socks, which should fit each other in size. If the clothes are caked or caked, shake them, because the air between the layers of fabric serves as an insulator.

Before entering a shelter or other warm place, be sure to shake off the snow from your clothes. Do not climb into a sleeping bag with wet clothes. Leave a minimum of clothes on, and hang the rest to ventilate and dry. Shake and dry your sleeping bag before folding it.

Clothing rules:

• clothes must be clean;
• avoid overheating - ventilate the body;
• wear loose clothing to maintain air circulation;
• clothing must be dry both inside and out.

Weather harshness coefficient at air temperature 0 ° С

Shelter

First of all, you need to find a windy place. You can't be outdoors in winter and survive if you don't move.

Shelter area

• In winter, do not build shelters at the foot of slopes and rocks from which snow can slide and you will find yourself buried in shelter.
• In summer, do not camp in the lowlands as it may be damp or in areas that may be flooded.
• Choose an area with a cool breeze to keep insects away.
• If you are on sea ice, select the area with the thickest ice and build a shelter on the largest floe of ice. Beware of thin ice.
• Do not use an airplane or car as a shelter if there is no good insulation, as the metal absorbs heat.
• The shelter must be well ventilated to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, especially if the fire is being built inside the shelter.
• The hideout should be large enough to accommodate you, your comrades, and your gear, but not large enough to absorb heat from your bodies.
• The shelter should be compact and comfortable.

Natural shelters

Caves and overhanging rock ledges can serve as dry shelters. They should have good insulation in the winter and be insect free in the summer.

The natural cover in deep snow if you dig a hole around the base of the tree can be a spruce tree, with the lower branches forming a canopy. Depending on how long you intend to stay in cover or how well the lower branches serve as a cover, you can build a roof with cut branches and twigs, taking care not to touch the snow on the tree under which you are making cover. Insulate the pit from the branches.

Fallen tree shelter

Remove snow from under the tree. If necessary, chop branches under the tree to cover the floor.

Shelter from the snow

Hard snow, on which shallow human footprints remain, can be considered an ideal material for construction. The size of the blocks cut from the snow should be as follows: 45 cm wide, 50 cm long and 8-10 cm thick. This will provide insulation and light in the hiding place.

Trench in the snow

In a trench, you can hide from the wind and snow. You can use snow blocks for the roof and door.

Draw a rectangle in the snow. When cutting blocks out of the snow, dig a trench more than 1 m deep. Cut out L-shaped steps, 15 cm deep and 15 cm wide, starting at the top and sides of the trench. With the blocks leaning against each other, build the roof, starting at the edge of the trench opposite the entrance. Make one end of the block go over the other so that the next block slides into place and is supported. Close each end with a block and dig a hole on one side, like in a hole. You can also build a roof in another way - by placing blocks vertically along the edges of the trench and covering them horizontally across, with blocks for the roof.

Igloo, or the house of snow slabs

Building an igloo requires a certain amount of skill and experience. In addition, you will need a special knife for dense snow. Draw a circle in the snow with a diameter of 2.5-3 m, indicating the inside of the house. Cut about 12 slabs out of the snow.

Lay the slabs in a circle, with the sides of each slab at an angle to the center of the igloo, and the top of the slabs sloping towards the inside of the house. Sew the top of the slabs in this row so that it slopes to form the first ring of the spiral. Construct the next row of slabs, sawing them so that the rows of the spiral twist inward. When installing the last plate, make sure that the hole is not wide, but deep, so that the block goes through the hole and can be closed with it. When the house is ready, sprinkle it with fine snow so that it clogs up any small cracks. Eskimos sometimes insert transparent pieces of ice instead of windows.

Cut out the underground entrance inside the igloo, two levels - for sleeping and cooking. At the sleeping level, you will need insulation. Arrange sleeping bags so that your head is closer to the entrance. Use a slab made of snow as a door; during the day, the door should
be open. Don't forget to make ventilation holes.

Eskimo igloo

Place a clear piece of ice or a piece of seal intestine instead of glass. Near the entrance, make a hinged seal skin door to keep the wind out. Use a willow tree frame as a place to sleep and cover it with fur skins.

Shelter with a pitched roof

You can reinforce a crossbar between two trees or uprights and bend tree branches and limbs downward, leaving enough room inside for equipment to lie and store. The roof can be covered with pieces of turf, which must be laid obliquely like shingles. Build snow walls on the sides for extra insulation. Spread out a space near the shelter, behind which install something like a screen from logs or something else, so that the heat goes into the shelter.

Shelter with willow branches

Such a shelter is built either from straight or curved branches. Then the frame can be covered with parachute material or branches, laying sod or snow on top.

Shelter with a molded domed roof

The construction of this type of shelter does not require a lot of time or great skill, as for the construction of an igloo. Fold up a large pile of twigs, twigs and bark and cover with a poncho or other material and sketch on top of the snow, leaving a gap. When the snow has hardened, remove the material and all branches. You will have a domed shelter. Cover the floor with freshly cut branches and make a shelter door in the same way, using small branches, etc.

There should always be more than one ventilation hole in the shelter.
Mark well the entrance to the shelter.
The thickness of the roof of the shelter must be at least 30 cm.
Before building a shelter, level the snow on the site well.
Keep shovels and others inside the shelter in case you have to dig an exit.

Making a fire

To start a fire, use whatever tools you have in your emergency kit or a stove that you may be carrying with you. To start a fire, you will need to clear the area, find kindling and fuel.

Do not make a fire under a tree covered with snow, otherwise the fire may go out. The fire should be built on a solid area made from freshly cut tree branches or stones. If this is not the case, you can dig a hole, at the bottom of which there will be solid earth. If you need to cook over a fire, make a structure to hang the pot on. If you need to heat the shelter, make a screen.

Fuel

Collect whatever you find for a fire during the day. Dry wood is the best combustible material, although birch logs and green branches also burn well. When there are no other trees, Eskimos use evergreen heather as fuel. In addition, peat, manure and bunches of dry grass can be used as fuel.

Lighting a fire

Before you start lighting the fire, prepare everything for this in advance. If you have a match, take one to light a candle or a bunch of twigs to light the fire. When you manage to light the kindling, gradually add fuel, but do not put it too tightly. Fan the fire if necessary. For more information on how to start a fire, see the chapter "Making a Fire, Making Tools and Weapons".

Literature: Survival technique in extreme conditions

"Tundra Grade 4" - Musk ox. Tundra. Merlin. Map of Russia. Wolf. Plants living in the water column A species of fish that lives in the northern seas. Tundra and man. The hare is a white hare. Snow hare. Plants of the Tundra. Reindeer. Aral and Caspian Ladoga and Onega. Polar owl. Swans. The short name for the ice zone. Animals of the Tundra (Photos).

"Tundra and forest-tundra" - Voronika (black shiksha, crowberry). What is the difference from the location of the Arctic desert zone (1)? Dwarf birch. Valleys of the Pur and Taz rivers. What are the main types of human economic activity in the tundra? Tundra. Forest tundra. What is the difference between tundra and forest-tundra landscapes? Describe the HZ of the tundra (2) and forest-tundra (3) zones.

"Tundra Grade 8" - Tundra Zone. The soils are widespread in the northern part of the Arctic zone on the leveled areas of the islands, composed of fine-earth or gravelly-fine-earth deposits, with very sparse vegetation. Ecological problems. "The Race for Oil". Frost cracks are characteristic Thawing of desert-arctic soils in the summer period (about 1.5 months) is insignificant and rarely exceeds 40 cm.

"Tundra Lesson" - Find the island of Novaya Zemlya. The symbol of Russia is Russian birch. Ecological pyramid. The fauna of the tundra. Tundra. Crossword. The flora of the tundra. Algae fish polar bear. Plan. Working with the map. Power chain.

"Zone of the tundra" - In the tundra grow: moss lichen, cloudberries, blueberries, lingonberries, dwarf birch. Winter in the tundra is very long (7-8) and very harsh (frost down to -50). In winter, a blizzard rages for many days. They have short roots and small leaves. Climate. The main occupation of the local population is reindeer herding. For thousands of kilometers from west to east - a cold, treeless plain ...

"Tundra Geography" - Title. Average, or typical, tundra is predominantly mossy. Animal world. Content. Vegetable world. Summer and autumn tundra is rich in mushrooms and berries. Above, there are moss-lichen with pillow-like dwarf shrubs and some grasses. What is tundra. Winter is long (5-6 months) and cold (up to -50 ° C).

A person can survive in any conditions, even in the harsh tundra. An equipped traveler is able to spend the winter in the north, it is more difficult for those who find themselves in extreme conditions unexpectedly, for example, after a plane crash. But even without special training, it is possible to survive in the tundra.

You will need

• - knife;
• - matches;
• - warm clothes and shoes;
• - parachute;
• - ropes;
• - skis;
• - compass;
• - a flask for water.

Instructions

If your plane crashed in tundra, stay near the wreckage. Build a shelter from parts of the fuselage that will protect you from the wind. If you decide to look for a settlement to report the disaster, take with you everything you need: a supply of clothing, parachutes, fresh water, a knife, matches.

Choose the direction of travel. Siberian rivers flow north, and people live mainly in the south, so go against the current. In winter, be guided by the stars, the North Star will point you to the north, or make a compass from a magnetized needle.

Walk in the winter in boots made of parachute lines so as not to fall into the snow when walking. Do not go out on the river ice in spring and autumn, walk along the shore. In summer, use a pole to check the soil for fragility: the soil of the tundra is swampy.

Change clothes regularly to dry, if possible dry wet. The jacket and trousers should be protected from wind and cold, under them wear clothes that retain heat, and on the body underwear that absorbs moisture. Preventing colds will allow you to survive in tundra.

In summer, take fresh water from ponds and rivers, but be sure to boil it. Use an empty tin can as a container. In winter, melt ice or snowballs. To save fuel, place a piece of ice on a dark tarp and wait for the sun to melt it, collect the water in a prepared container.

Take shelter at night or find shelter among the rocks. Stick sticks into the ground or snow, pull the parachute canopy on top. Do not make the hut large, because you have to keep warm in it with the help of breath and body heat. Build a couch out of branches and moss. In winter, make a more reliable and stable shelter from snow blocks and ice; you will need a knife to make parts. In the summer, if you don't have a parachute, build a canopy with a wall to protect you from the wind.

Make a fire out of the wind. To do this, line the fireplace with stones or dig a hole in the snow. If a fire will be made in an ice hut, then make a hole in the upper part of the roof for smoke to escape. Heat the fire with dry twigs and moss. If you are lucky enough to come across coal seams, stock them up and use them to keep the fire going.

In the famous song, the tundra was glorified as an endless snowy wasteland on which people move on deer. However, the nature of the tundra is incredibly diverse, its views are simply stunning, and with the help of watercolors you can convey its unique beauty.

You will need

• A sheet of paper, a simple pencil, watercolor paints, brushes.

Instructions

Consider the landscapes of the tundra - they can be incredibly diverse. Mountain tundra in another way is called alpine meadows. The arctic tundra is very poor in vegetation - there are not even bushes, only mosses and lichens. In the middle (typical) tundra, mosses mainly grow, but dwarf birches and creeping willows also appear. Among the animals in the tundra are reindeer, foxes, wolves, and bighorn sheep. In addition, there are many bodies of water in the tundra.

After studying the features of the tundra, come up with a landscape that you would like to depict. For example, it can be an autumn tundra - an incredibly colorful picture. First sketch out the horizon line - depict the mountainous area in the background. Mark the mountains with a few strokes. Now you can either draw the landscape with a simple pencil or work with paints right away. It is very convenient to depict the tundra in watercolor. Paint the sky with light blue watercolors, brushing more water. Leave the white areas - clouds.

Draw a dark gray paint on a thin brush and mark the lines of the mountains with it. Paint the rest of the mountains with a pale gray. Then, with bright colored spots, begin to paint over the flowers and yellowed leaves of the shrubs. Paint the moss and grass with green. Use dark paint to mark the lines of the cobblestones.

Another beautiful landscape of the tundra is a meadow with a reindeer grazing on it. Paint over the meadow with bright spots - here there are greens, and blood-red flowers, and yellowed grass, and gray lichens. Divide the meadow into two parts - upper and lower. Wash the top slightly with water. When the background is dry, draw a deer - with powerful croup and large, thick, branchy antlers. The tail of a reindeer is white, as is the throat area. The body and legs are much more powerful than that of an ordinary forest deer. Reindeer can also be depicted on a white, snowy background, which is traditionally represented by the word "tundra".

Related article

Actually, the tundra, like the forest zone, is very diverse. There are large rocky areas, and there may be extensive swampy lowlands. However, there are very few swamps as such. It is impossible to get bogged down and perish in them, as in the classic quagmire of the middle zone. Under a layer of ordinary marsh vegetation at a depth of no more than one and a half meters is permafrost. True, you can run into deep enough depressions called "lenses". Therefore, without extreme need, you should not be in vain to rummage through the swamps. Usually, all the moisture in the tundra accumulates on the surface in the form of numerous lakes and puddles of all sizes.

In the summer, you can often find areas that are absolutely inaccessible. The fact is that vegetation, in the form of shrubs, sometimes reaching significant, by tundra standards, sizes, hides in the folds of the terrain. Their height is regulated by the depth of these very folds and ranges from several tens of centimeters to two or more meters. The reason is that the fierce winter winds literally "shear" all plants in their path.
If you look at the tundra from the side, then its surface seems almost flat. But, one has only to go on foot, then the traveler inevitably gets stuck in such dense thickets, through which sometimes it is impossible to pass without an ax. The jungle with its impenetrable vines is resting ...

Often, a day's trek through such an unfamiliar area does not exceed 4-5 kilometers. Let me emphasize that we are talking about unfamiliar places, because local residents have their own paths along which they move from year to year .. In some places, all-terrain vehicles of geologists have paved whole "highways" with caterpillars, crumbling fragile tundra vegetation in crumbly, to restore which will take more than one hundred years. True, these roads, called by the peculiar tundra term "all-terrain vehicles", do not always go in the right direction.

Another insurmountable obstacle is the most intricate lakes. Not knowing their location and configuration, the traveler, often completely unable to move in the right direction and actually marking time, falling into traps from the chain of lakes.
Imagine the disappointment of an unlucky traveler who walked around the lake for an hour, nagging through the bushes, and found that it merges with another, even larger body of water. Here it is necessary to warn against attempts to overcome water obstacles by swimming. The swampy snaggy bottom and icy water, the temperature of which even on summer days does not exceed four degrees, can be deadly. But in winter, when the winds bring snow to all the hollows along with shrubs and lakes are frozen in ice, it is a pleasure to slide on the ice on the ice, and a normal day's crossing can reach 30, or even more kilometers!

However, there are no rules without exceptions - the rocky areas of the tundra and those adjacent to the mountain ranges are easily passable at any time of the year. Therefore, further we will talk about such areas as the Polar Urals, the Putorana plateau and the Byrranga mountains on Taimyr, the coast of the northern seas.

A suit made of dense, windproof fabric and rubber boots are very suitable for hiking in the summer. Changing shoes in the form of trekking boots will not be superfluous. Clothing should dry easily and not absorb much moisture. You understand yourself: it can be problematic to dry your belongings in the tundra and, sometimes, you have to be content with only the warmth of your body. A thick, windproof headgear is a must. Geologists and local residents often wear fur shanks with earflaps even in summer. I must say, when the north wind blows, then such an outfit, complete with a solid quilted jacket, looks very good.

Contrary to popular belief, there are not very many mosquitoes and other midges in the tundra. More precisely, there is enough of him there, but he does not reach as much as in the forest. One has only to climb a small mound or hill, then the wind, which blows in the tundra almost always, carries away all the blood-sucking abomination. However, it still depends not only on the area, but also on which year is wet or dry. Sometimes you can't do without repellents or a mosquito net.
Another important plus is that there are no encephalitis ticks in the Arctic, which have recently become a scourge not only in taiga, but also in more southern and western regions. This makes me happy.

In the summer it is quite possible to do without stoves or gas burners. Locals have lived without them for centuries, so I am boldly ready to advise travelers on the tundra to do without artificial fuel. Well, maybe you should take some dry alcohol or plexiglass with you for kindling. There are severe tundra people who consider all this a whim, and I take off my hat to them. However, I always have something in my backpack pocket for kindling.

Dry branches of polar willow or birch can be found along the coastline of lakes and streams. Sometimes you come across specimens as thick as an arm, so the fire is not a problem here.

In areas completely devoid of vegetation, such as high-mountain tundra, it is more difficult to get fuel, but not critical. As a rule, civilization has stepped here as well. Often along the way, you can find fragments of boards, old boxes and even logs, it is not known how they got into the treeless tundra. Riddles, however ... Such artifacts should always be taken with you, having previously cut them up to a portable size. When it's time to cook, they'll come in very handy.

It's not bad at all, having met thickets of dwarf birch trees 20-30 centimeters high, wander around them. Dry twigs the size of a pencil will definitely be there. Collect them in a bag.

Well, here is finally the long-awaited lunch break. The place for the hearth (precisely the hearth, because this structure cannot be called a fire) must be chosen at the top of a rocky hill. Having determined the direction of the wind, we spread out of stones, parallel to its direction, two tiny walls about 10 centimeters high. To achieve a greater effect, you can do less, but this requires experience. The distance between the walls depends on the width of the bottom of the pan in which we are going to cook.

A few words about what to cook in. Pots should be flat-bottomed, low and always with a lid. For hot drinks, a conventional cone-shaped teapot is ideal.

Earlier, when civilization touched these places a little, and the aborigines had not yet drunk themselves completely, in the tundra it was often possible to meet a smiling flat-faced man who, a hundred kilometers away, went to visit a neighbor. From his equipment he had only an enamel teapot suspended from his belt and a tiny bundle of firewood. Everything else he kept in his pockets or just in his bosom. Distances were measured in the number of stops to drink tea. Before the neighbor was "five times to drink tea and one circle of the sun." ("One circle of the sun" - one day on a polar day.).

Now, unfortunately, the time is not right. Local residents began to neglect national clothes and crafts. Mostly settled in villages, where they are rapidly dying out from alcohol, idleness and an unhealthy lifestyle. The tundra has become a stranger for many…. However, this is a completely different, rather complex ethnic and social issue that has nothing to do with this story ...

Let's return to our hearth.

So, the saucepan and kettle are filled with water (by the way, water in the tundra can be drunk everywhere, without fear of catching intestinal diseases) and we proceed directly to cooking. It looks like a kind of meditation. It is necessary to sit down or lie down more comfortably near the fire. With a sharp knife we ​​cut the fuel into tiny shavings and slip it under the bottom of the pot. Covering it from the wind with the material at hand (with a flat stone, or perhaps with your own body), carefully light it up. After waiting for the light to gain the necessary strength, we gradually open up the wind. Things went well. It is already possible to feed the fire with larger fuel (the size of a pencil). The process of shaving off and placing "firewood" is continuous. We try to place the fire directly under the center and so that it is evenly distributed over the entire bottom. The tongues of flame should not burst out too much - with them, precious calories of heat fly into the atmosphere.

The pots must be under tight lids, without them the water may not boil - the side surfaces are cooled too much.

Sometimes it is necessary to blow on the fire, or, conversely, reduce the thrust by covering the reverse side of the hearth with a flat stone. In very strong winds, a protective stone in front will not interfere. This is all according to the circumstances.

When the hearth began to work and reached a sufficient temperature, then, if necessary, you can use raw branches of a dwarf birch. Due to the high content of essential oils, they also burn well.

After 30-40 minutes of this meditation, a hot lunch is ready. For a group of 5-6 people, 2-3 kilograms of firewood will be enough. Experienced campfires can significantly reduce the cooking time and the amount of fuel - in the tundra this is a creative process and depends on many variables: the quality of the folded hearth, the strength of the wind, the moisture content of the fuel, the shape of the dishes and, most importantly, the skill of the “hearth keeper”.

Once, in front of my eyes, an elderly Nenets boiled a kettle in a few minutes, using only a piece of board the size of a bar of chocolate. Faster than gas at home! Skill, as they say, you can't spend on drink ...

At one time, after wandering around the tundra enough, we learned to value and conserve fuel.

The useful skill of cooking on miniature hearth fires can come in handy in any latitude and will help save energy on preparing firewood and will partly save the already pretty dead nature. It will not be superfluous to practice boiling a mug of tea for yourself on a minimum of fuel and in urban conditions. Such skill may always be needed….

Good luck, friends!

Sincerely,