Show Us Snow On Stamps!

The Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences maintains a Research station up close to the Norwegian border at Abisko, above the polar circle. The main focus of research these days is on the impact of climate change. That striking U-shape in the contours of the mountains is called the "Portal to Lapland".

The observatory and weather station on Lomnicky Stit perches on the moutain top at 2,634 meters. Part of it is now a marvelous hotel - in the winter it is snowed in. Today the mountain belongs to the Slovakian part of the High Tatra.

The radio relay station, stamp of 1979, on the Jungfraujoch is exposed to extremes of weather. But you can take a train! from the valley through tunnels to the observatory (photo) just below. From there the views are spectacular.

and again the artist Yuon, "The End of Winter." Noon "

The willow ptarmigan is a marvel of camouflage, pure white during the winter season and mottled brown the rest of the year. Transition times can be a problem.

(Alexey, That's a pretty painting! K.)

Tanzania issued a souvenir sheet of animals of the circumpolar regions in 1999. One of them is the willow ptarmigan.

The rock ptarmigan is also well camouflaged in winter white and mottled brown in the summer. Sweden 2009, Iceland 1965, charity stamp. The stamp issued by Greenland, 1987, shows the male in winter and the female in summer plumage; note the male's red eyebrows.

northern Ural, plateau Manpupuner ... in this place a group of tourists, led by Diatlov, mysteriously died.

Hello, Chris. Especially for you: the international polar year - 2007, the polar partridge!

In 1998 Switzerland issued a set of six stamps in honor of the artist Jean-Frederic Schnyder, born in 1945. One of them is "Drifting Snow near Neuthal", a small city not far from Zürich.

(Hi Alexey, Your seven Strong Men of Manpupuner is indeed a mysterious and beautiful formation, especially in the winter light - I have seen them in a documentation. Aren't they also called the Seven Brothers? K.)

Small Karely - Museum of Wooden Architecture in the Arkhangelsk Region



(Hello, Chris. Indeed, according to the legend of the Mansi tribe, the stone formations are the seven giant brothers)

Another J.-F. Schnyder painting shows "Deux Cheveau", two horses snowed in on a playground - the colors suggest the last evening light (stamp also 1998).

Hi Alexey, Your wooden home looks warm and pleasant with a beautiful view! K.

Every first Sunday in March the famous ski marathon "Vasaloppet" takes place. Thousands participate in the 90 kilometer race between Sälen and Mora. Gustav Vasa is said to have fled from Mora to Norway in 1521 from the Danes. Anders Pers (1860-1951) initiated the idea of a race in 1922. The shortest time that year was 7 hours and 32 minutes with 119 skiers. Photo shows what it looks like now. Stamp of 1973. Down in the left-hand corner of the stamp C. Slania included himself in the race!

The best time last year was less than 4 hours with 15,800 participants.

A newer stamp featuring Vasaloppet, 2014.

Engelbrektsloppet was begun in 1969 and takes place close to Stockholm in February, much further south than Vasaloppet. It has happened that it had to be called off for lack of snow!

This stamp is one of those that has what I call internal perforations making it almost impossible to salvage from an envelope. What can one do about it?