Complete darkness for four months, freezing temperatures all year round and no trees; welcome to North America’s northernmost community.
Grise Fiord in Canada is located just 960 miles from the North Pole and while it sounds inhospitable, it has maintained a constant population since it was formed in 1953 and currently there are just over 140 residents.
The hamlet was created by the Canadian government in a bid to assert sovereignty in the north during the Cold War and several Inuit families were forcibly relocated as a result.
Over time, the community has flourished and now some locals have been offering glimpses of their lives and the punishing conditions they endure via social media.
Grise Fiord in Canada is located just 960 miles from the North Pole
It has maintained a constant population since it was formed in 1953 and currently there are just over 140 residents
The hamlet was created by the Canadian government in a bid to assert sovereignty in the north during the Cold War and several Inuit families were forcibly relocated as a result
Over time, the community has flourished and now some locals have been offering glimpses of their lives and the punishing conditions they endure via social media
Despite the cold climate, resident Ooleesee Akeeagok explains in one of her TikToks that her young daughter ‘loves being outside even below -25C (-13F)’
In a YouTube video Klaus Dohring and Michael Schneider, who serve as the president and director of sales for solar energy company Green Sun Rising, reveal how they landed in Grise Fiord to install some solar panels on the community office building and they were struck by what they found.
They explain that during the day, the temperature is ‘single digit minus,’ while during the night it drops further to ‘dual digit minus.’
Klaus says, as drone footage showcases the otherworldly landscape: ‘Fascinating place, incredible vistas, mountains around us, glaciers, lots of icebergs, lots of ice and once in a while, the odd polar bear.’
At the end of the film, the men explain that they wound up stuck in Grise Fiord for several days as a ‘snow storm and strong winds’ at the closest airport prevented a plane from getting to them.
There are no roads connecting Grise Fiord to the mainland and it is only accessible via a single airstrip or by boat in the summer months.
The closest airport is located in Resolute Bay and the flight time is about one hour and 30 minutes.
Return flights from Grise Fiord to Resolute with the Inuit-owned airline Canadian North are infrequent and very expensive, with tickets costing more than $1,300.
In a YouTube video, Klaus Dohring and Michael Schneider from solar energy company Green Sun Rising reveal how they landed in Grise Fiord to install some solar panels
Klaus says, as drone footage showcases the otherworldly landscape: ‘Fascinating place, incredible vistas, mountains around us, glaciers, lots of icebergs, lots of ice’
There are no roads connecting Grise Fiord to the mainland and it is only accessible via a single airstrip or by boat in the summer months
The closest airport is located in Resolute Bay and the fight time is about one hour and 30 minutes
Return flights from Grise Fiord to Resolute with Canadian North are infrequent and very expensive, with tickets costing more than $1,300
As it is difficult to get supplies to the community, grocery store products are also very pricey.
In a TikTok, resident Jenn Ningiuk gives viewers a glimpse of some of the products on sale at Grise Fiord’s only store.
In the clip she shows how a 12-pack of toilet roll costs $18.33 (CA$24.69), a 64 pack of baby wipes costs $13.36 (CA$17.99), and a 32 pack of Nature Valley granola bars cost $37.12 (CA$49.99).
Other residents from Grise Fiord have shared videos of some of their daily activities, which includes hunting for seals, cooking and hiking.
In most of the clips, the conditions appear to by icy and high winds – sometimes over 70mph – are another common feature.
Despite the cold climate, resident Ooleesee Akeeagok explains in one of her TikToks that her young daughter ‘loves being outside even below -25C (-13F)!’
In Grise Fiord, the average annual temperature comes in at -2.3F (-16.5C), and it gets as low as -50F (-45C) during the winter months.
As a result, residents spend a lot of time indoors, and Katak Silas shows in his TikTok channel how having lots of time on his hands has allowed him to perfect the art of body popping.
In his videos, he performs various dance moves to music tracks with viewers applauding his skill.
In one clip, he can be seen dancing in the community hall to Daft Punk’s One More Time, with each movement perfectly timed.
Katak Silas shows in his TikTok channel how having lots of time on his hands has allowed him to perfect the art of body popping
In a TikTok, resident Jenn Ningiuk gives viewers a glimpse of some of the products on sale at Grise Fiord’s only store
The name Grise Fiord actually means ‘Pig Inlet’ in Norwegian, which is a reference to the grunting walruses that the Norwegian explorer Otto Sverdrup heard when he sailed to the shore in 1899 on board the Fram
In terms of the amenities in Grise Fiord, along with a grocery store and community hall, some of the other noteworthy attractions include a health center, a school, and a church.
On the Travel Nunavut tourism website, the hamlet is described as ‘warmly hospitable’ and a place where visitors are ‘always welcomed with big smiles.’
Along with English, the residents speak Inuktitut, which is one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada.
Grise Fiord’s Inuktitut name is Aujuittuq, which translates to ‘the place that never thaws.’
The website notes that the main draws for adventurous tourists include the scenery and wildlife.
Along with seals, narwhal, beluga whales and walruses are commonly sighted, while polar bears are also regularly spotted prowling around.
The name Grise Fiord actually means ‘Pig Inlet’ in Norwegian, which is a reference to the grunting walruses that the Norwegian explorer Otto Sverdrup heard when he sailed there in 1899 aboard the Fram.
In the Grise Fiord Community Guidelines, the modern-day residents ask visitors to respect their home.
They note that while ‘we retain aspects of our traditional diet and lifestyle, we’re just as modern as you are,’ with satellite TV, internet and iPhones.
Visitors are also advised to avoid asking sensitive and personal questions, and to instead, ‘ask us about our passions and our hobbies and about how we like to spend our time.’
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