Ice-rich permafrost deposits and their isotopic composition were studied at four sites in the western foreland of the Verkhoyansk Mountains, Central Yakutia. The isotopic composition of ice wedges formed in alluvial and loess-like sediments generally reflects the palaeoclimate of winter conditions. The middle Weichselian Ice Complex developed around 41 ka 14C BP during a period with colder winters than today. Similarly severe conditions are reflected in the late Weichselian Ice Complex from around 20 ka to 13 ka 14C BP. The transition to the Holocene is characterised by increases of 5%o and 35‰ in δ18O and δD, respectively. This warming is documented in wedge ice, which grew between 8.5 and 4.5 ka BP. Towards the late Holocene and sub-recent times, a climatic deterioration is recorded, reflected by lighter isotopic composition of ice wedges, which developed between 1.2 ka and 0.7 ka 14C BP. © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.