How to build an igloo
Hey, sometimes you just need to be prepared.
Thu, Jan 01 2009 at 11:14 AM EST
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Illustration: Jameson Simpson If global warming continues at its current rate, Frosty the Snowman won't be the only cultural-icon casualty. Consider the igloo — this Inuit ice hut can only be built where thick layers of hardpack snow form, and that snow will be difficult to come by as temperatures rise.
The weather outside may be frightful, but your cozy igloo will be a delightful 20–60˚F inside. It will also reinforce itself naturally, through constant melting and freezing, until it's strong enough to withstand natural disasters ranging from hurricane-force winds to (legend has it) over-curious polar bears. Here's how to build one.
1. You'll need a sturdy stick. Find a clearing in hardpack snow. Make a circle where the base of the igloo will be. Tramp down the area inside for 15–30 minutes, then let rest for half an hour.
2. Grab a snow saw up to 20 inches long. In a nearby work area, cut blocks of hardpack snow 2.5 feet wide by 1.5 feet high by 0.5 feet deep.
3. Create base layer of igloo with blocks. One person works outside, one inside, to smooth blocks together and fill cracks.
4. Cut second row of blocks beveled at bottom so that the wall begins to climb and slant inward.
5. Fill final top hole with single block.
6. After igloo is complete, dig out floor with a snow spade to increase area of inner chamber. Then, dig entrance and cut one or two vents for air circulation.
Still have questions? This classic short film from 1949 shows how to make an igloo using only snow and a knife.
Story by Tobin Hack. This article originally appeared in Plenty in January 2008. The story was added to MNN.com in December 2009.
Copyright Environ Press 2008
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Comments
Scout Leader
01/15/2011 19:39 PM
I learned to build igloos in Boy Scouting on Mount Rainier at Paradise. I spent one night in a raging blizzard that dropped 40 inches of snow. Stayed very comfortable and didn't know how bad the storm was because of the sound deadening quality of packed frozen snow. The only time you might need to vent an igloo is during cooking a meal. We make a circle, pack the snow for igloo and entrance way, then wait for snow to set. Cut snow blocks in igloo circle and remove so form sleeping shelf about.... More
Minnesota Guy
01/15/2011 13:00 PM
I've tried building an igloo several times. You need really dense snow, the wind-blown kind found in the arctic. When I tried to build one I ended up with a cylinder instead of a dome.A far better idea is to copy the woodland Indians and build a quinzee. This is just a mound of snow about 6 or 7 feet high. You pile it up, and then dig it out, leaving the walls about 6 inches thick. You don't need to pack the snow, just piling it up works. After sleeping in it for one day it will be strong.... More
TahoeSteven
01/15/2011 13:48 PM
I agree that building a quinzee is much easier than building an igloo. I have found through experience, however, that it is a very good idea to pack the snow while building your mound. This will increase the snow's density and increase the strength of the roof and walls once you are done digging out the main chamber, and does not add substantially to the build time.
Johnny John
01/15/2011 12:59 PM
You don't need the stick if you have extra long arms.
IF
01/14/2011 19:38 PM
I've spent a few nights in igloos build with help of a tool that was developed by Ed Huesers in Colorado. It still needs two people work several hours to construct one, but it is nice, warm and sturdy even in a snowstorm high in the Rocky Mountains National Park. The igloo will last a few days before either the sun melts through it, or fresh snow covers it. There is a lot of material as well on .... More
Anonymous
01/14/2011 17:01 PM
What is the stick for? It's never mentioned beyond the fact that you need one. Cut and paste journalism.
Dan Wright
01/17/2011 08:32 AM
The stick is used to poke the vent holes through the six inch thick hard packed snow walls.
jenjen
01/14/2011 19:34 PM
its to draw the circle in the snow for the base
guy
01/14/2011 19:00 PM
make the circle foo !!!!
guy
01/14/2011 18:59 PM
make the circle foo !!!!
FatDawg
01/14/2011 18:38 PM
.... to draw the circle
Robert Slaven
01/14/2011 15:39 PM
...when he became a judge in the Northwest Territories in 1976. The judges travel all over the Arctic to bring court to the people, and he logged a lot of flight time (we estimated about 500,000 miles over 13 years on the bench). He took a survival course in case he ever had a plane crash. He not only had to build an igloo, but build it well enough that he could stand on top of it when it was done without collapsing it. He was a big guy, so he must have built a pretty good igloo.
Sam
01/11/2011 11:43 AM
Surprisingly, snow makes good insulation. In physics, an insulator is a material that does not conduct heat very well, like an oven mitt. As an insulator, snow traps your body heat inside the igloo, eventually warming the space up. The snow also shelters you from the cold wind; in fact, an igloo is so airtight that you must poke air holes in it or you could suffocate.
ScoutMaster
12/18/2009 18:07 PM
and one thing to remember - It is vital to make at least one airhole in the roof to avoid suffocation. The igloo will get very warm inside with heat from your body, even if it is cold and windy outside. Without ventilation, lethal carbon dioxide will build up. Also, the use of stoves in an enclosed shelter is not recommended due to dangerous build-up of carbon monoxide.
Guest
12/18/2009 13:29 PM
it's not a bad backyard undertaking...but an igloo can also save the lives of people caught in a snowy wilderness. It can take the place of a tent for people who choose to camp in that same wilderness. It can also simply be a fun project for people who enjoy both snow and building.
it's not that easy...but when there's no alternative, it gets easier.
