How to Make a Good Snow Igloo
Igloos--the traditional dwelling of the Inuit people--are domed structures made from bricks of snow. The Inuit made both small temporary igloos, and larger permanent igloos that housed a family. Because snow is a good insulator, the temperature inside an igloo can reach 50 to 60 degrees F without melting--the Inuit even used cooking fires inside. In cold, snowy areas, igloos are much warmer, and provide much better protection from the elements than tents.
Instructions
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Hold a ski 30 inches from your body, with the tip on the ground. Turn in a circle to scribe a rough, 60-inch-diameter circle around you for a two-person igloo.
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2
Excavate the area within the circle to about 30 inches deep. The area where you build the igloo should have at least 40 inches of snow, so that there is an insulating layer on the bottom after excavation. Make sure you have the waterproof gloves on throughout the building process, to avoid swelling and soreness from the cold.
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3
Excavate the entrance, 30 inches deep, 20 inches wide and around 25 inches long on one side of the circle.
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4
Cut the bricks out of compacted snow, around 25 inches long, 10 inches thick and 15 inches high. All the bricks need to have a slightly arched bottom, so that only the corners touch the ground, or the bricks they sit on top of--this helps them to bond and compact with the snow, or snow bricks underneath.
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Shave the bricks with the snow saw to adjust their shape. The bottom bricks have a top with an inwards angle of 10 degrees off 90, and are slightly concave. The degree of the angle and the curve gets more extreme as the dome gets higher, so each brick should be shaped to fit where it will be laid--expect there to be lots of cracks between the bricks.
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Lay the bricks around the edge of the circle, with two upright bricks on either side of the entrance. Continue laying bricks in an upwards spiral.
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Scrape the tops of the bricks with each new layer using the ski to keep the angle uniform. Shovel out snow that falls into the igloo floor.
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Form the top of the dome from inside the igloo. The last layer of bricks will be nearly horizontal, but the friction of the snow prevents them from falling through. The bricks will be almost triangular in shape at this stage. Leave a 3-inch hole near the top for ventilation.
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9
Build an arch over the entrance with snow bricks, around 30 inches long.
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Pile loose snow over the igloo, rubbing it into the cracks to fill them up. Any larger cracks, fill with a wedge of snow brick. Do the same on the inside of the igloo, and on the entrance archway.
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Tips & Warnings
An igloo is very sturdy, but always be aware of the possibility of collapse during construction.
References
- Photo Credit iglu image by Ewe Degiampietro from Fotolia.com
