Ghost dance in the night sky.

In winter pilgrimage amateur astronomers north: in green, red and white blaze spectacular northern lights over the night sky. In Canada, the fans gathered in the tent city of Aurora Village - klirrendkaltem when the weather is not entirely harmless.

 

Yellowknife - Miyu the whole evening comes not from the amazement out. It has been many hours in the dark northern Canada, and it is freezing cold in this winter's night - at minus 40 degrees Celsius in the thermometer shows. But the cold discourages the petite woman from Tokyo not. What they see in the sky, is compensation for freezing everything on their journey. Because slowly go straight through the Northwest Territories at the Northern Lights: green veil, which is in good conditions compounded by red stripes. If the air is loaded, the conditions for these lights best - then they dance.

Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights are called, throughout the winter months in the sky can be seen - the best in the middle of the night. "You can never say when they come from and how strong they are lit," says "Buffalo Mike". He is one of the few locals among the Asian Himmelsguckern which are on this evening at the Aurora Village, a tent city outside of Yellowknife, have assembled.

Especially for Japanese have the lights set up by the impact of solar wind of charged particles in the atmosphere at the poles of a special fascination. "We grow up with stories about the northern lights," says Miyu. Therefore it is the dream of almost every Japanese, these lights at once sky experience.

Frostbite within minutes

In the Northwest Territories - a part of Canada, on the edge of the Arctic is - are the natural conditions particularly well. The temperatures but can be quite uncomfortable, to the wind often blows strongly. Chill The values for more then ten degrees - that's enough to keep up with the nose of the camera festzukleben or frostbite within minutes of bare skin to get.

But the Canadians are prepared for their winter, which lasts at least until April. "Good clothing is the most important thing," said Carlos Gonzales, even in the winter is nothing in his house holds. Warm clothes and trousers, heavy Filzstiefel with Kautschukfuß and down coats with hoods fellbesetzten - the clothes, the man on the roads most often sees. And the cold is dry. "This will be immediately re-warm, if you are in a heated house." The downside of the drought: The skin often eingecremt, and creams with fat, because water-freeze immediately.

Carlos' greatest pleasure is to tourists on a snowmobile and to bring with them over the frozen Great Slave Lake to drive. This well 27,000 square-kilometer lake has a depth of up to 614 meters, the deepest in North America. In winter, he is largely frozen. "The ice can be up to two meters thick," says Carlos.

Photo: DDP
Video: JKR

In doing so, the lake is not only the drivers, with the 125 horsepower engine on the snow and ice fly. The ice is also an important lifeline for those who are in the diamond mines operate. In the winter on the lake roads roads, the highways are as wide. The traffic is brisk, especially truck convoys, there are many. "They are bringing supplies for the whole year in the mines," says Carlos. So that the water below the ice is not too many waves and cracks in the icy surface causes, the truck, however, only 10 km / h on the ice creep - so they need for their tour half an eternity.

Diamonds instead of gold

Yellowknife came some 50 years ago to fame and wealth, as adventurers in the mines looking for gold. "Here, there were significantly more gold than the Klondike," said city spokesman Jon Bass. Inventories were soon exhausted - but since there was a geologist who was convinced that there are diamonds in the region must pass. He searched for many years, was finally found - and told no one for three years from its billion dollar fund. Meanwhile, three diamond mines in operation and promote the gemstones.

 

Who in the Northwest Territories is on for hours often takes no people. In the flat pine woods along the roads, however, lurking dangers - at least for tourists from the city. Wild buffalo, moose, caribou, lynx, snow foxes, wolves, bears are for the locals on the other hand, part of everyday life. Moose Burger, caribou meatloaf, soup and bison dried flesh of the arctic fish belong to the diet, because many people here to hunt and process meat and skins.

"Buffalo Mike" has been in matters of life and some of the Indians abgeschaut: He wears a cap with a leather coat and gloves, which are as large as shopping bags. These gloves are in the Northern watching the highlight of the night: All the Japanese want to deal with Mike and his outfit photographed. Even more interesting, but they find what he has to tell. His gloves were from the skin of a wolf, which he had shot himself, and a seamstress had made it soft gloves. "They keep for many years and I have never had cold hands in it."