Worldbuilding: Cold Climate
Worldbuilding things to think about for cold climates :D
Not Freezing To Death
One of the main things to think about when worldbuilding a society in cold climates is how exactly people don't freeze to death. Of course we could easily knock out some factors, such as nonhuman creature of ice, but what about everybody else. Even creatures that live in arctic level climates are exposed to the dangers of too much cold.
Extremeness
First things first, decide how extreme the cold is in the climate. Another thing to think about is whether or not it remains this freezing all year long, or if a more stable temperate climate is nearby (usually south).
This will decide how difficult it is to not freeze to death. If we're talking arctic or colder, it will be surprisingly easy to freeze to death, but locals would be wiser.
Architecture
Keeping heat in is going to be the most important function of homes and shelters.
How are homes heated?
How do homes keep heat in?
Think about these two questions of course.
Insulation is a major factor as to why warm housing in cold climates is possible, just look at igloos, which rely entirely on insulation using your own body temperature to heat the indoors.
Next is a heating source. There are so many many different ways to heat a house in such a cold environment. Homes in Siberia use methods such as masonry stoves, central heating, and communal boilers. In many areas the cultural aspect of putting carpets on the walls also aid insulation.
The more facilities and technology a building holds, the more maintenance it needs. Sources like water and electricity are much more difficult to obtain and upkeep. In many arctic circle settlements, they rely on bringing back pure blocks of ice for drinking water. Wells are most often dug, and pipes need to be very closely cared for, due to pipes freezing and exploding.
Snow is heavy too. Roofs need to be sturdy, and allocated so that snow doesn't build too heavily. If temperatures change during warm seasons, most often people will go on their roofs to clear the snow before it melts, because the wet moisture will find its way inside the home and destroy the infrastructure.
Clothing
Warm, windproof, waterproof, and proper fabric. These are four things to consider for clothes that keep people alive. Clothes alone, unless supplemented by magic or technology, cannot guarantee survival in the coldest environments. However a person in winter gear is going to take a lot longer to die of hypothermia compared to someone in casual summer wear.
Fabrics and materials like fleece, wool, leather, and fur are very warm and reliable. Cotton is frowned upon though for not being water or wind proof.
Things like gloves, masks, scarves, hats, boots, and padded armor will be more common, especially to protect against frostbite on extremities like fingers, toes, ears, and nose.
Biology
I'll go further detail into this later down in the post, but biology plays a major role. Many different creatures have different adaptations to help them survive the cold. Humans do too, a good thing to think about for messing around with humanoid populations in cold environments.
People on average tend to have larger builds, and sometimes shorter limbs in colder climates. Larger bodies mean more cells, which means more heat. Limbs help dissipate and disperse heat, so when they're shorter they hold more warmth in. Also generally being more fat or chubby keeps one warmer compared to someone with lower fat and muscle distribution.
It's also important to realize that as humans we adapt through more than just physical ways, we adapt through innovation and culture as well. Take for instance the snow-blindness goggles or ski goggles.
Food Sources
Populations are often aligned towards the coast in cold environments, due to the easiest food source, fish. Fishing is not only much easier for populations, but less dangerous than searching for potentially sparse wildlife in the middle of the arctic.
Hunting is still an option, and so is farming in a way, but it will not be as big of a provider for diets as fishing.
Agricultural animals, such as cows, chickens, etc, need heated shelter and food as well. Low temperature crops are essential too. Of course we all know about potatoes, but also other root vegetables. Leafy green vegetables are also good at surviving.
Everything else would require some form of advanced greenhouse, and of course the labor to take care of everything.
Animal-Life Things
Alright, back to biology. Animals!
Arctic animals often rely on winter coats and/or blubber. Blubber isn't always seen as the outer layer of an aquatic animal like seals, but can also be a layer of skin on a furred animal. Fur is often multilayered too, and of course adapted to seasonal camouflage. Their bodies are their insulators. For feathered creatures we see fluffed up feathers.
Huddling together, digging icy dens for insulation, and sometimes relying on local hot springs are other tactics seen.
Some creatures, on the more cold-blooded side, have a natural antifreeze in their blood.
Of course one of the most important factor is fat reserves. Bulking up in preparation for winter is a must, especially if an animal is planning on hibernating.
Many arctic creatures have dark or black skin, as it helps them absorb as much light as possible as the sunlight is out. As for why humans don't replicate this trend is not fully known. There are many theories, but most of it simply boils down to the magic of diversity.
Travel
Last, but not least, is travel. Traveling around in a snowy environment isn't as easy as it seems. Frequent breaks are needed to maintain one's heat if traveling out in the open, and vehicles need to be specially constructed to overcome the rough terrain.
Water transport is often the main group of transport utilized in such cold environments. Railways are common too. Engineering techniques and lots of resources plus manpower keep things like railways functioning in arctic climates.
Things like sleds, and sleighs, often animal-pulled are seen culturally and historically. This is because other animals simply have an easier time clambering over snow, compared to humans.
