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Bowen Island, BC
Canada
614 Posts |
Posted - 12/30/2006 : 2:31 PM
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Our group seems to find a day in a forest clearing, building an igloo, to be an enjoyable way of playing together in the snow. But lots of snow has to be moved, so it takes time, and it requires some work. Yesterday my alarm rang at 5:30 AM so that we'd have time to gather our gear and be on the 7:30 AM ferry. There were a few stops enroute to Cypress Bowl, including one to pick up some participants. We planned to build this only a few hundred feet above the snowline, so the site may experience a thaw - but it is convenient. A link to maps of the location is at the end of this report.
Later in the morning, Tuktu showed up and stayed until the igloo was complete. We discovered he has lots of experience with real igloos and has built them on Lake Manitoba.
The first job was to pick the exact site for the igloo, then make it level. The perimeter of the igloo is measured from a little plastic ball that is planted at the position of the centre of the igloo floor. We stamp, and work-harden, the snow that will be under the wall. Then we stamp a circle of snow outside that because that's where the snow-suppliers will be standing to deliver their cargo. It was about 10:30 AM when the site prepared.
We were lucky to have a depression right next to the igloo that would facilitate digging the entryway tunnel.
Since there has been a period of clear weather, the snow was a bit old with a crust. We build an igloo with a tool called the Icebox. It creates a very stable structure that, if it does not experience a thaw or vandalism, should last a long time. A big advantage is that it is not necessary to have wind-hardened arctic slab to cut the blocks. The wall is shaped by blocks that we pack on the igloo with a slip form. Theoretically, we can use any kind of snow. This is good, because around here "any kind" describes what we are likely to find. Learning to use this tool means learning how to work with all varieties of snow.
This snow crust was like soil that a gardener would call, "friable." It could be easily crumbled into excellent igloo wall crystals. In a front-country location like this, we've found that avalanche shovels are too tiny to move the amount of snow required for an igloo. We bring plastic buckets. The act of breaking the crusty bits and generally mixing the snow in pails begins the business of sintering the crystals for making a strong wall.
By noon we were just completing the second level of blocks. Those first two courses are the big ones and take a long time.
The team seems to work best if a number of people are mining the snow and bringing it in buckets. The buckets are handed to someone inside the wall who pours it into the slip form. The other person in the igloo gently packs the new snow in the form and then moves the tool. The trick is learning how to pack snow-to-snow, not snow-to-plastic, then move and reposition the form without disturbing the new and fragile block.
The sun shone for a short time as we began, but the clouds rolled in and soon it was snowing heavily. After there were a couple of inches on the ground, we began harvesting the new fluff. If it was churned a bit before delivery to the packer, it made excellent blocks.
By 2:15 we were well around on the forth level, and were making good progress with the entrance. At this point those working in the igloo will stay inside until the tunnel has been carved. We could not do much with the entrance until a narrow walkway over it had been work-hardened and then had time to set. Even so, no one would work on the wall above the tunnel with someone in it.
The group wanted to build a big igloo, and decided this one would have an inside diameter of 10 feet. That means moving lots of snow. It was nearly 5 o'clock when Tuktu was using his shoulders to support one of the lighter members of the crew to pack the last of the snow on the top.
If any CTers will be in the area, I'd love a condition report or pictures. You are welcome to spend the night up there. Please let me know because there are others planning that too. Call me at 604.947.0815. Or email. The inside diameter is 10 feet. The entrance tunnel uses some of the interior space. The highest part of the roof was 60 inches above the floor, but I expect that to come down a bit as the igloo sags. There is lots of room for 2 people, and comfortable for 3. You'll need to provide ventilation if you wish to cook inside. Maps to the site are here: http://howesound.wordpress.com/2006/12/28/time-to-build-an-igloo/ |
Edited by - howesound on 12/30/2006 4:46 PM
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North Vancouver
262 Posts |
Posted - 12/30/2006 : 3:07 PM
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| Very cool undertaking, not to mention the ingenious construction technique. I work up there and will swing by on occasion and send periodic updates. |
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Penhold, Alberta
Canada
2009 Posts |
Posted - 12/30/2006 : 3:37 PM
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| Awesome effort by all howesound. Looks like that "icebox" tool does a great job. Should be a great place to do an overnighter. |
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vancouver, bc
Canada
186 Posts |
Posted - 12/30/2006 : 4:30 PM
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Great TR Howesound. I really enjoyed working with your "crew" on the igloo. "The Icebox" is a fine tool for building a quality igloo. It was really a nostalgic exercise since it's been many a year since I've built an igloo.
My first igloo was built on Lake Manitoba during a blizzard in approximately 1976. I remember it as a "peak experience" We also slept in it using cariboo skins as underpads. I lived in the Arctic for a number of years after that and had the opportunity to build several more igloos up there. I also prepared some cariboo skins as sleeping pads there too. (Cariboo skins have a strong smell and shed quite badly. So you must be prepared to tolerate that for the sake of warmth.)
I have found that it is almost or completely impossible to build a traditional igloo in the coastal mountains. The snow is simply either too wet or too icy or crystalized.
So if you want an igloo here you have to resort to "The Icebox". And it does result in a "real igloo".
So, go and visit the igloo at Hollyburn, and don't forget to bring a lantern of some sort since it can be dark inside if it isn't sunny outside. If you intend to stay overnight, I would suggest making a small ventilaton hole with a knife or other sharp object) near the top of the igloo since the air will get very humid and stale otherwise. The hole can easily be plugged up with snow later. One or two candles will raise the temp inside quite nicely. Make sure you have a ventilation hole if you burn a candle.
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Herbal tea drinkin, tree huggin, view seeking, tortoise paced, ultralite wannabe
Vancouver, BC
Canada
2847 Posts |
Posted - 12/30/2006 : 5:48 PM
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totally cool! I will certainly try to visit it sometime this winter   |
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Hope, BC
Canada
7094 Posts |
Posted - 12/30/2006 : 6:30 PM
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Nice!!! No pics inside  ? |
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 Buntzen roving stealthy beer mule and artist, aspiring weird image findmaster who loves BC
lower mainland
Canada
1647 Posts |
Posted - 12/30/2006 : 8:27 PM
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| Your pics aren't the point of the thread but I have to say that's a very cool result you have there, unintentional or not. They have sort of a nostalgic look to them, like black and white photos touched with colour. |
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 | Nis
Intermediate Member
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Langley, BC
777 Posts |
Posted - 12/30/2006 : 8:33 PM
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| awesome |
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Langley, B.C.
Canada
265 Posts |
Posted - 12/30/2006 : 9:00 PM
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| Nice job on your igloo.It takes a lot of team effort. |
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Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13445 Posts |
Posted - 12/31/2006 : 1:07 PM
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Wow, you all had fun. What a cool snowhouse, how many bedrooms does come with? Perhaps room for a dining and dance area..
Regards, |
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North Vancouver, BC
Canada
1262 Posts |
Posted - 12/31/2006 : 1:19 PM
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| I too would like to see the interior all lit up. |
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Bowen Island, BC
Canada
614 Posts |
Posted - 12/31/2006 : 6:40 PM
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Many thanks for the comments.
BCer, you mentioned the nostalgic look to the photos. In the interest of disclosure, those images have been processed. First, each was run through Photoshop to reveal the detail of the snow. Igloos on cloudy days tend to photograph as pure white blobs surrounded by black (not green) trees. The second issue was that at the end of the day one of the participants asked that I not use her image on the Internet. There is a pic where I removed her altogether by planting some new trees. (Confession makes me feel better.)
About the tools we use: in the 2nd-to-last pic you can see a yellow trash pail. I bought that because it will fit in my big pack, it was cheap, light, seems to be strong, and can quickly scoop up enough snow to half-fill the Icebox. Its shiny surface releases snow easily. I think that I'd even take it into the backcountry.
I bring a metal avalanche shovel with an extension handle that contains a snow saw. It gets a lot of use digging work-hardened snow, say for the entrance tunnel. I have used it in the backcountry for constructing a nifty outdoor kitchen area. I have another light plastic avy shovel, but it really doesn't cut it when the snow is hard.
When building an igloo, it is useful to know what is really under the snow (trees, logs, boulders, cavities). I always find a use for my avalanche probe to poke around, to punch holes to guide the tunnel digger, and just to measure the snow depth.
Unlike building a snow cave or a quinzee, this is not hard sweaty work. So staying warm is an issue. Extra liners for mitts are a good idea too. I have taped-seam Gortex mitts, but they still leak.
Every igloo we have constructed has been somewhat different because of the quality of the snow. The act of finding good quality snow or modifying what is available is a constant activity of everyone all day. It takes a while to discover that snow that has been worked will increase its bonding strength over an hour or so, and it is not necessary to pack it really hard in the slipform -- just enough. I really like the close-up experience of handling this magical substance that we play with all winter.
AcesHigh – I've taken pics inside igloos, but I've never taken a good interior shot. I don't know how. Anyhow, the light was fading fast as we finished, and someone had mentioned Chinese food.
Skyhawk, you mentioned 'team effort.' I think the real joy of the day is the group effort that produces something beautiful (and even useless). Essentially we are all kids making a snow fort.
KARVITK, I've heard of people making several of these and linking them with tunnels.
Brucew, you are right - these igloo are translucent, and make a great lantern at night when there is a light inside.
Biffybee, thanks for checking the site. I see that the forecast for Tuesday is for 60 mm of rain with the freezing level rising to 1800 meters. If the igloo survives that, the good news is that freezing level should drop to 1000 meters, with more snow, on Wednesday.
Fine print: this igloo was made with the finest materials (Canadian snow) and excellent workmanship. Nevertheless any user enters the site at his/her own risk. Snow changes its characteristics over time and with local conditions. The igloo is very heavy, and the structure will eventually fail. Use your own judgment when approaching or entering it. It is not a kids' play structure. It is, after all, just made of snow. Please repair any damage.
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Bowen Island, BC
Canada
614 Posts |
Posted - 01/01/2007 : 12:49 PM
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I am posting this picture for comparison. Last spring we made an 8-foot inside diameter igloo. The number does not sound much smaller than the new one until you see how tiny it is. It really is quicker to make because there are fewer blocks and so much less snow is needed. An 8-footer is still roomy compared to a 2-person tent. |
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Bowen Island, BC
Canada
614 Posts |
Posted - 12/29/2012 : 9:32 PM
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Today, this same group (all of us a bit older) built another 9-foot inside diameter igloo at that same location.
You may visit it here: http://goo.gl/maps/P07zO
If you decide to visit, since I live on Bowen Island, I'd appreciate any reports about its condition. Our group was more efficient this time. We were at car park at 7:45 am, and the igloo was finished about 1:15 PM. |
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canine loving, machete-toting bushwhacking lake seeker, Indiana Jones hat-wearing off-road 4x4 guru
Surrey Hole, BC
Canada
6773 Posts |
Posted - 12/29/2012 : 10:24 PM
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did the other one melt away?  |
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Bowen Island, BC
Canada
614 Posts |
Posted - 12/30/2012 : 10:39 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Aqua Terra
did the other one melt away?
Aqua Terra, I don't know what became of it. There were rumors of aliens either floating it away to their secret arctic destination using pyramid-relocation technology, or blasting it with a heat ray. Whatever happened, when one of our group returned in the summer, it was gone. Not a trace.
This thread does show the failure of an igloo constructed in May
http://www.clubtread.com/sforum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16031
Warmth is, of course the destroyer of these igloos. At this altitude, 3025 ft., a thaw can happen in any month of the year. We try to pick a spot that is open so there is lots of snow, but shaded to reduce the rays from the sun. It is interesting to see the consequences of dry very cold winds — this article shows the wind/heat erosion of these Grand Shelters Icebox igloos on Denali at 14,200 Feet:
http://www.grandshelters.com/denali-igloos
There is talk of folks spending the night there. If anyone is interested, drop me a note or call me so we don't have too many people trying to share that interior space. (My web site has my contact info.) |
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New Igloo on Hollyburn
