Step into the world’s most extreme workplace: Yakutsk, Siberia, where temperatures plunge to a mind-boggling −64°C (−83°F). In this gripping video, discover how one brave woman takes on the coldest job on Earth, battling relentless conditions and uncovering the resilience needed to survive. From surviving freezing temperatures to navigating harsh environments, this incredible story will leave you in awe. Watch now to see how she overcomes the impossible!
In this video, you'll learn: What it’s like to work in temperatures colder than Antarctica. The daily challenges of living and working in Siberia's most extreme cold. How the human spirit can adapt and conquer the most unimaginable conditions. This is more than just a job—this is a survival story you won’t forget.
What do you think about this incredible journey? Can you imagine working in the coldest place on Earth?
Leave your thoughts in the comments below and share this story with someone who needs to see true resilience in action!
Don’t forget to hit the like button if you’re amazed by how this woman conquers the coldest job on Earth! Follow for more incredible survival stories from extreme environments. Let’s dive deeper into the world’s toughest jobs!
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00:00Meet Elena, the only woman in the world working on frozen ships, in temperatures so extreme
00:20that most people can't even step outside.
00:24For 15 years, she has spent her winters clearing ice from ships trapped in Yakutsk frozen river.
00:30She has to clear the ice to access the machinery underneath the ships that needs repair.
00:36Her job is crucial, these ships must be repaired during winter so they are ready to bring supplies
00:41as soon as the ice melts.
00:43With no railway and a massive river cutting the city off, ships are the only way to deliver
00:49food, fuel and other essentials.
00:53Since summer is the only time for transporting supplies, ship maintenance has to be done
00:58in the brutal cold of winter.
01:00Elena works from sunrise to sunset in temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees Celsius.
01:05With no weekends, no breaks, in this frozen world her job never stops.
01:11In 2009, I arrived.
01:16In 2010, I came to work on the factory.
01:19And there I started to see how it was in winter, how it was cold.
01:23I went to the manager and asked me if I could try it.
01:27He looked at me and said, you want to try it?
01:31I tried it, it turned out, it liked it.
01:34Once winter locks the vessels in place, there is no time to waste.
01:47When the ice melts in spring, these ships must be ready to haul thousands of tons of cargo
01:52across Yakutia.
01:53Every lost day of shipping means remote villages risk running out of food, fuel and supplies.
02:01Elena knows the urgency.
02:03She works tirelessly to clear ships from thick layers of ice so they can be repaired.
02:09The work is tough and precise.
02:11All the crucial parts that need to be repaired, including the propellers, rudders and other
02:16essential machinery are trapped beneath thick ice under the ship.
02:21To reach them, Elena cuts tunnels beneath the ships.
02:31The process is slow and physically exhausting.
02:34Every movement drains a lot of energy in the extreme cold.
02:38There are no breaks, no warm shelters.
02:40If she stops, she freezes.
02:42If she goes inside, her clothes get wet and stepping back out in this cold could be deadly.
02:50After just 20 minutes outside, my camera team started to feel the cold creeping in.
02:55You could see how quickly the harsh temperature take their toll.
02:59The dark will see them.
03:01And I think that, in a way, it's important to warm weather from Earth.
03:03Another thing is that, naturally, it's a set of warm under the air, which we are ready to eat.
03:05The fireplace is a warmest smell.
03:06So, it's a bigisso.
03:07The cold cup of water are almost a bit more.
03:08The cold cup of water.
03:09The cold cup...
03:10That is an open cup of water.
03:11The cold cup of water is like a cold water.
03:12The cold cup is always offset under the air when you are on the air.
03:13There are all the hot water.
03:14The cold cup of water is packed up.
03:15It's tough.
03:16We all have to take it.
03:17All the hot water is going to drink your blood.
03:19But the warmest hot cup of water is not to drink and take the cold coke.
03:21I don't want to drink tea, because it's starting to get wet, it's just a little cold or cold water.
03:30We need to drink water, because you'll get tired.
03:34But in the middle of the toilet, it's not.
03:37And for men, of course, it's easier.
03:40They're where they're hiding, but it's problematic.
03:44But it's, according to me, a combination.
03:48I don't want to take a shower, it's very cold.
03:52So, when you're in the morning, it's time for the morning and evening,
03:58it's not good and you don't want to go.
04:00Because again, it's all up.
04:03We used to get to it, we were born here,
04:07so it's, I think, already genetic,
04:13but I don't want to get sick.
04:17With the heart, there were problems.
04:19Now, this heart, you see, the cardiac load,
04:23I was able to get sick, but it's good.
04:29Elena's work is not just exhausting, it's dangerous.
04:32She uses heavy, sharp tools to break apart thick layers of ice.
04:37One wrong move and she could injure herself badly.
04:41But the real danger lies beneath.
04:43If she cuts slightly too deep,
04:45deep, pressurized water can burst like a fountain, refreezing the tunnels she spent days clearing.
04:51In an instant all her hard work could be wiped away and worse, the icy water could trap her
04:57inside.
04:58Every cut must be precise, there is no room for mistakes.
05:15There was a lot of blood, so my legs were a little wet, but I felt a lot of pain.
05:25So, we got a little stuck to it.
05:30Well, I had a good friend.
05:32From the wood, the water came out, and I got stuck to it.
05:40If there wasn't a partner next to me, the water is coming for a minute.
05:48Or you'll be able to remove it, but when you're wet, if you have panic, it's not so easy to leave.
05:56Elena earns around $1,000 per ship.
06:00Her full work takes about half a month and in a single winter she manages to repair six ships.
06:06$6,000 for several months of grueling labor in temperatures most people would not last an hour in.
06:13When the ice finally melts and the river comes back to life, Elena's work isn't over.
06:18She switches job becoming a crane operator, loading and unloading the very ships she spent the winter repairing.
06:25The season changes, but the work never stops.
06:29Elena has five children and everything she does, she does for them.
06:36It's a big fish.
06:39It's a big fish.
06:41It's a big fish.
06:43It's a big fish.
06:45When I got caught, yeah...
06:49What's the thing about it?
06:51I don't care.
06:52But I can't do it again...
06:57I wonder why we have to leave out here.
07:01It's a little better than I have to stay here.
07:04But for this too
07:15After a long exhausting day Elena returns home where more work awaits.
07:27Her first priority is warming the house, with no central heating she relies on coal to keep
07:33the cold at bay.
07:35Heating the stove twice a day is essential, once in the morning before she leaves for
07:39work and again in the evening when she returns.
07:43But even with the stove burning steadily the house struggles to retain heat.
07:48During the coldest days when temperatures can dip below minus 50 degrees celsius the
07:52house never quite feels warm enough.
07:55The walls, windows and floors remain chilled and the air always carries a bite of frost.
08:05The task of feeding the stove is a constant one.
08:08Oil is expensive and Elena must carefully ration it to make sure the fire lasts through the
08:13night.
08:19Once the house is warm enough she turns her attention to her animals.
08:24In her small barn Elena cares for her goats and chickens keeping them sheltered from the
08:28harsh winter.
08:31Elena's routine is fixed, shaped by the cold and her responsibilities.
08:35From checking on her animals, to maintaining her car, to ensuring that every corner of her
08:40home is functioning properly despite the freezing conditions.
08:44Time for rest is a luxury she simply can't afford.
08:50Elena grew up in a small village in Yakutia where work wasn't a choice, it was a way of survival.
08:56Her first job was a dairy farm worker milking cows before sunrise.
09:01From there she took on whatever work she could find, farm worker, lab assistant, cleaner and
09:07even a pastry chef.
09:08But life was not easy.
09:10In 2009 Elena made the hardest decision of her life.
09:14She left her village with her children, escaping a broken marriage.
09:18She packed up what little she had and headed to a small town near Yakutsk.
09:23She had no plan, no job waiting, just a desperate need for a fresh start.
09:29She worked wherever she could, slowly rebuilding her life.
09:34As a mother, Elena's daily life is a constant balancing act.
09:38After hours of grueling work in the cold, she returned home to care for her youngest daughter,
09:44just 7 years old.
09:46Her older 4 children are already grown and have families of their own.
09:50And Elena is proud that, through hard work with no weekends or breaks, she raised them
09:55all on her own.
09:57Despite the exhaustion weighed heavily on her, she never shows it.
10:02Her daughter needs her and Elena's love for her family gives her the strength to continue.
10:08Every day she is not just a worker, she is a mother, making sure her daughter is fed,
10:13educated and loved.
10:15Elena dreams for her children.
10:16She dreams of a future where they don't have to fight the cold in the same way she does.
10:21She hopes her daughter will one day have choices, opportunities and a life that is not defined
10:26by the freezing temperatures of Yakutia.
10:28And we buy the fuel, we have the water, we buy the water, we buy the water, we buy the water.
10:35We pay it expensive, we pay it expensive, we will pay the clothes, and all this, and all this.
10:40And I don't have to pay for it as a fee.
10:41And I need to pay for it somewhere else.
10:44And we pay for it to live this winter.
10:49The most important dream is to buy a house.
10:53It's the only and the most famous dream dream to buy a house
10:57and live with a good, with a busy trip.
11:01You come home and rest.
11:03We don't have such a luxury yet.
11:08You come and open the stove,
11:12to help at least reduce the washing.
11:15I always wash my hands.
11:16It's very difficult to come back after such a job.
11:21That's why I have a dream to have a house.
11:26And with the children, to go somewhere and go and rest.
11:30I think this is a dream soon.
11:38Elena's story deeply moved me, a reminder of the quiet heroes who faced the impossible day in and day out.
11:46In every corner of the world, there are people like Elena living lives that are shaped by the extreme challenges and hardships we often don't see.
11:55We all have different paths, different struggles, but it's these everyday heroes who remind us of the strengths of the human spirit.
12:03Elena's story is a powerful testament to resilience and determination, showing that no matter the challenges we face, hard work and persistence can help us push forward and never give up.
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