On The Road To Tromsø

UP HERE IN THE NORTH

Currently sitting in the Calgary airport on hour 10 of my 31-hour trip from Yellowknife to Tromsø, Norway for the Arctic Frontiers conference. You can follow along on Twitter with the #ArcticFrontiers hashtag, or look for my report in the next issue of Up Here. Until then, let's get to the news...

Thanks for reading,
Jacob Boon
Editor

COLD SNAPS

Residents of Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto will soon be able to take a virtual reality trip through Virginia Falls on the Nahanni River. Northwest Territories Tourism will be touring all three cities, inviting residents to take a ride in a special car equipped with 360-degree headsets to try and boost intra-Canada travel to the North. (Cabin Radio)

The Jerry Cans have a new album and tour coming this spring, but you can listen to the first track, “Atauttikkut,” right now. (Nunavut News)

There’s a push underway to officially rename Inuit dogs to Inuit dogs. Specifically, the Canadian Eskimo Dog Club is asking the Canadian Kennel Club to change the official name of the “Canadian Eskimo” breed to “Inuit Qimmiq.” But it’s not as simple as removing an outdated pejorative. “Qimmiq” already means dog in Inuktitut—any dog, not just purebreds. Adding “Inuit” throws in another complication, as the breed’s name would then directly translate to “Human Dog.” (Nunatsiaq)

Best of luck this weekend to Dave England as he flips and flies his snowmobile over the skies of Aspen, Colorado. It’s the first time the Yellowknifer has been invited to compete in the winter X-Games. Here’s our Q&A with Dave from the January/February issue: (Up Here)

ELSEWHERE IN THE ARCTIC

Just before Christmas, the first shipment of Norway's famous canned fish balls were shipped from Sortland to Shanghai. Read more on how this Norwegian “national dish” is being sold to the Chinese market. (High North News)

Speaking of Norway, the country has redrawn its map. The Norwegian parliament has reduced its counties from 19 down to 11—the most comprehensive administrative reform in the area since 1662. Tromsø, formally in Troms county, now rests in Troms og Finnmark (also known as Romsa ja Finnmárku, in the Sami language). (Life in Norway)

The state of Alaska sued itself. Was it worth it? (KTOO)

Oulu is well connected. Bodø is online. How fares Anchorage? How “smart cities” can attract people to the Arctic, and why Alaska is falling behind the rest of the circumpolar world. (High North News)

Alaska’s fleet of public ferries—the only way to move throughout the state’s southeast islands and coastlines—may shut down soon due to a governor who favours privatization. (The Atlantic)

Vladimir Putin will head to the North Pole in April to play in the most northern celebrity hockey game ever. (Barents Observer)