New in the North

1. What does the wardrobe look like?

In the summer, spring and fall, it’s business as usual in Boden, but in the winter, it’s a good idea to update your wardrobe for the winter climate.

When it’s cold outside, it’s best to dress in layers to give your body adaptable protection from the cold, wet and wind. So it’s good to have a good winter jacket, a base layer, a mid-layer and your regular clothes when you live in Norrbotten. Then you can adjust the number of layers you wear depending on the temperature. In most cases, a good winter jacket and your regular clothes will suffice for going to work, but on some days you may need a base layer and if you’re going to be out for longer periods you may need a mid-layer.

Keep in mind that it is the air that heats. It is therefore important that clothes in winter are large enough. Garments that are too small and pressed together with no air gap between them make you cold. In shoes that are too small, you will also be cold.

The most important thing in cold weather is to have good clothing on your head, hands and feet. Invest in a good pair of winter shoes, you won’t regret it.

2. Do you plan to drive a car?

Local transport in northern Sweden is not as good as in the larger cities, and if you live outside the city, it is difficult to get around without a car at certain times of the day. If you plan to own a car, there are some things to consider.

1. Make sure you have good winter tires with studs, we have good snow removal but in the cold climate ice stays on the road and it can be rutted at times.
2. Engine heaters, there are plenty of engine heater posts in Boden so investing in a car with an engine heater, or installing an engine heater in an existing car, will help you avoid being left stranded if your car won’t start when it’s cold outside. Check with your landlord about renting a parking space with an engine heater pole if you live in rented accommodation.
3. If you have an electric car, keep in mind that charging points are currently limited in Boden, so to be on the safe side, it’s a good idea to install a charging point at home.
4. P-disc, Boden has many free parking lots where you use a so called “p-disc” (parking-disc), so always have one in your car when you plan to go into town. A parking-disc is a paper device where you can log your time of arrival. So if you arrive at 8 am and you can park for 2h, you set det p-disc at 8 am and you have to move the car before 10 pm.
5. A broom (for cars) and an ice scraper are also useful to keep in your car in winter to remove snow and ice from your car and windows.
6. Extra lights are a good investment if you plan to drive outside the city center as there are some animals, such as Santa’s reindeer, and poor road lighting on some stretches.

3. Slippery ground

The weather is a bit up and down these days, it can be minus 20 one day and rain the next, leading to slippery surfaces. Shoe studs are good to have to make days like these easier. Luckily, Boden is immediately graveled and sanded when the slippery weather arrives, so you rarely have to worry for long.

4. snow

It’s no surprise that it snows in the north, and that’s kind of what points 1-3 have been about, but if you live in the north, snow removal is something you should think about. In residential neighborhoods, the municipality plow the roads, but this often creates plow marks on your driveway that you are responsible for removing. And you are responsible for shoveling your own driveway and paths on your property. In rental apartments and condominiums, you are often responsible for shoveling your own parking space.

1. Buy a shovel, it’s good everyday exercise to shovel after all and it only snows about 20-25 times a year (but it sometimes feels like 100 when you stand there with the shovel though).
2. Snowblower! A modernity that many people choose to invest in, it certainly makes shoveling snow easier.
3. A quad bike with a plow also works, many people who have larger areas to clear choose this type of solution.
4. If you feel you want to, you can pay for snow removal, there are many private companies that are happy to shovel your driveway with their tractor.

5. Summer is quite bright

Of course, when we say summer is bright, we mean very bright. In Boden, we have the midnight sun, which means it’s bright around the clock during the summer months. So if you are sensitive to light when you sleep, it is well worth buying blackout curtains for your bedroom.