In other thoughts; are there any other northerners who feel cheated with the Winners commercial advertising goods straight from the North Pole heading to stores near you? Firstly, I'd give my eye teeth to have a Winners shop, secondly ...dude...make a few stops on the way down!
Lurkers. You know who you are...well the ones south anyway! You drop by, visit blog, discuss it with friends and family.
Once in a while, an email arrives or perhaps a phone conversation reveals the dedicated following I didn't know I have. A generous surprise each time.
Please feel free to leave your comments, even if it's just; "hey just checkin' things out."
8 comments:
What part of town is that sign in?... Just curious, I'll have to keep my eyes open for it!
This sign is right in front of the post office. I got a laugh because of the snowmobile prohibition ...does this appear anywhere else in Canada?
Hey, just checkin' things out! ;)
My girlfriend and I are moving up to Iqaluit in early January.
We're trying to find parkas and other equipment, but we're not sure how much money we should spend.
What is the average temperature up there? I've seen -15 to -30 mostly. How often does the temperature drop to the dreaded -60?
Do we need to wrap ourselves in seal and polar bear? Or is a Canada Goose Halifax parka enough?
Gah! Questions!
By the way, I've been following your blog for a while--I'm a lurker.
Hey Ryan and gf:
My best advice is to get the Canada Goose Parka. The Halifax looks fine (I think it's the one I have). The wind chills here last winter reached -52. Buy good gloves/mitts made of an animal hide such as moose hide. Synthetics are no good here. I found January quite cold last year. They didn't even post the wind chill last winter until the standing temp was below -40. Minus 25 to minus 40 is typical. Iqaluit is a very windy place so even when the temp is -11 the wind can be howling in at -27.
If you will be walking a balaclava or good scarf is necessary, you won't look silly everyone bundles up when walking! A good pair of lined wind pants too! Get the best boots you can find with a tall shaft on the leg.
A good 3 in 1 coat with hood will cover the other "season(s)".
If you're bringing a vehicle bring an extension to plug in overnight and a small shovel. The drifts blow in pretty fast.
Once you're here you can take your time to suss out the traditional clothing which is well made but very expensive. Kamiik go from $400-$600 a pair at craft sales and not all ppl like them as they feel like slippers and offer no support. A sealskin coat or other fur will cost upwards of $1500-$2500. Fur mittens vary in price but expect to pay around $200.
Happy packing!
ps thanks for coming out of the lurking place!
Oops just checked, I've got the Expedition and the wind did penetrate it last winter. So I wear a fleece too. (The Resolute is v popular here) The Halifax is not 100% down.
S
Thanks Shelley!
Oooooh that sounds cold. Fun stuff!
If the Halifax isn't 100% down, will I have a huge problem, even if I wear some good base layers and mid layers?
(Maybe I'll cover myself in whatever those gigantic ravens are wearing?)
Or does the wind cut through almost anything?
Hey Ryan, If you already have the Halifax, bring it. Layering is good! The folklore speaks of the Raven with his feather cape!
Sometimes their faces get frosted up and you can definitely see their breath!
Nah, I haven't got it yet.
It's a toss up between the Expedition for $599 and the Halifax for $469.
Might be worth the extra $130...
I'm sure I'll survive either way.
I'm really looking forward to learning some arctic folklore...
Thanks for the help, Shelley.
Maybe I'll run into you in town come January.
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