A Swedish native living near the North Pole has detailed how she and her boyfriend prepare for the long harsh winter in one of the northernmost inhabited areas in the world.
Six years ago, Cecilia Blomdahl, 31, moved to Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago just south of the North Pole. The location is so far north it experiences round-the-clock darkness from late October to early March, a phenomenon known as the polar night.
‘We only have a few more days until the polar night and that feels crazy, but it’s the truth,’ she said in the latest video on her YouTube channel, noting it was a bitter 10 degrees Fahrenheit outside that morning.
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Candid: Swedish native Cecilia Blomdahl, 31, lives in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago just south of the North Pole, and documents her life in the Arctic
Say goodbye to sunsets: The location is so far north it experiences round-the-clock darkness from late October to early March, a phenomenon known as the polar night
‘It’s a bit cold, but, of course, I’m going to say it’s so beautiful,’ she added while outside with her dog, a Finnish Lapphund named Grim.
Blomdahl shares a cabin with her boyfriend in Svalbard, but they spent the summer enjoying the scenic views on their boat.
The couple visited Pyramiden, the abandoned Soviet ghost town, and she took a few ‘refreshing’ dips in the Arctic Ocean — which was a chilly 36 degrees Fahrenheit at the time.
‘We spent many nights anchored in front of huge glacier fronts and got to share the space with some of the Arctic’s many inhabitants,’ she said. ‘And many, many, many cups of coffee were shared with breathtaking views in the background.
‘But I don’t feel sad that this time of year is over. I feel content. I am ready for the darkness of polar night and all the beauty that it brings,’ she added. ‘I’m ready to give my mind a well-needed rest from the endless incredible scenery we witness here.
Behind the scenes: In her latest YouTube video, the social media star showed how she and her boyfriend prepare for the winter
Travels: The couple spent the summer on their boat and visited Pyramiden, the abandoned Soviet ghost town
Summer fun: Blomdahl also took a few ‘refreshing’ dips in the Arctic Ocean, which was a chilly 36 degrees Fahrenheit at the time
‘It just puts my creative scenes on overload. But the end is the start of something new, and I’m very excited.’
As part of their winter preparations, Blomdahl and her boyfriend had to take their boat out of the water and park it on land at the marina.
‘One thing that I really love about Svalbard is that all the seasons are so different,’ she said. ‘After four long months of midnight sun and incredible boating experiences, we dock our boat for the winter and get ready to start a new exciting season full of activities.’
The video included stunning views of Svalbard as Blomdahl and her boyfriend drove down to the marina where their boat was docked
‘This is where everybody puts their boats outside on their trailers like this, and they will be here all winter,’ she explained, pointing to the row of boats on land.
Lineup: As part of their winter preparations, Blomdahl and her boyfriend had to take their boat out of the water and park it on land at the marina
Getting ready: Blomdahl filmed her boyfriend using a ladder to climb onto their boat to remove their duvet covers, towels, and other items they used over the summer
‘So now we need to take everything out of our boats, like the duvets. We have food in there and a lot of other things that we had during the season.’
Blomdahl filmed her boyfriend using a ladder to climb onto their boat, admitting that she wasn’t going to go up there.
Her boyfriend pulled out their duvet covers, towels, and anything else that needed to be taken off the boat for the season, and she packed them into the back of their vehicle.
They pay about $500 U.S. dollars to have their boat at the marina each year, and it’s free to park it on land. The only heated garage in the area is for boats that are being fixed, and it only fits about four to eight vessels.
‘This is not the most ideal place to have a boat during the winter, but we have no options up here,’ she explained.
Teamwork: The YouTuber’s boyfriend handed her the items that needed to be removed, and she carried them to their vehicle
Chores: Blomdahl said they planned on washing everything that day to get it over with
More steps: Her boyfriend also explained that they had to flush out the boat’s engine with ethylene glycol to prevent it from freezing
The couple also had to winterize the boat’s water systems and engine by flushing them with ethylene glycol, a synthetic liquid substance that absorbs water and is used to make antifreeze.
‘If you don’t do it then the pipes are going to freeze…it’s not going to be good,’ her boyfriend told her. ‘Then you have to take care of the toilet, of course. Take some glycol in that one. And empty all the water.’
At the end of the video, they went to go wash their duvet covers and towels from the boat, so they would have that done.
The day before Blomdahl uploaded the YouTube video, she documented Svalbard’s last sunset of the year on TikTok, where she has 1.3 million followers.
‘It’s official guys! This right here is the last sunset of the year,’ she said while filming the pink sky. ‘Today the sun rose at 12:26 p.m. and then it set at 12:54 p.m. So the polar night has officially begun.
Stunning: The day before Blomdahl uploaded the YouTube video, she documented Svalbard’s last sunset of the year on TikTok, where she has 1.3 million followers
Wow: ‘The next time we will see the sun is in March,’ she shared. ‘Towards the middle of November, every day will be pitch black 24/7’
Thrilled: Blomdahl said she is looking forward to the nonstop darkness while sharing her appreciation for the winter season
‘The next time we will see the sun is in March,’ she added. ‘Towards the middle of November, every day will be pitch black 24/7.’
While nonstop darkness would be a nightmare for most people, Blomdahl said she is looking forward to wearing her winter gear, seeing the aurora borealis, and spending cozy days in her cabin.
‘Whose excited? Me!’ she said.
The TikTok has become one of her most popular videos with more than 6.1 million views in just a few days.
Blomdahl has become a bonafide TikTok star thanks to the popularity of her educational videos about her life in Svalbard.
In 2020, footage of her walking around in the dark in the middle of the afternoon went viral and has been viewed a whopping 8.9 million times.