Author Topic: Igloo = Badassity?  (Read 2405 times)

GreenToTheCore

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Igloo = Badassity?
« on: March 22, 2019, 06:43:07 PM »
When life gives you snow... find 5 friends/neighbors and build an igloo!

- Inside dimensions: 11.5ft x 8ft x 5ft (LxWxH)
- Took 6 hours over two days
- Little square trashcans make great molds
- Fit 7 people comfortably
- Great excuse for a warm-drink happy hour: hot buttered rum, mulled wine, etc.
- Yes, we did sleep in it that night! We made a snow ball door, it stayed toasty warm and it pleasantly drowned out all traffic noise.

BicycleB

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Re: Igloo = Badassity?
« Reply #1 on: March 22, 2019, 07:52:40 PM »
It worked? Impressive!

Freedomin5

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Re: Igloo = Badassity?
« Reply #2 on: March 23, 2019, 12:02:48 AM »
That’s awesome! :D

soccerluvof4

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Re: Igloo = Badassity?
« Reply #3 on: March 23, 2019, 06:55:01 AM »
Reminds me of when I was a kid the big forts we would make in massive drifts. Very cool!

misshathaway

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Re: Igloo = Badassity?
« Reply #4 on: March 23, 2019, 08:46:46 AM »
That looks like so much fun!

HipGnosis

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Re: Igloo = Badassity?
« Reply #5 on: March 23, 2019, 11:18:13 AM »
How did you support the top 'blocks' until you put the last one in place, and how did you put the last one in place?!?

aceyou

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Re: Igloo = Badassity?
« Reply #6 on: March 23, 2019, 08:47:29 PM »
Incredible job!

GreenToTheCore

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Re: Igloo = Badassity?
« Reply #7 on: March 23, 2019, 11:57:24 PM »
Glad you guys enjoyed this little adventure. I feel like you all would actually understand the work and satisfaction that comes from something like this. Some people were excited when we told 'em about our weekend but others were, let's say, a bit bewildered why we'd be outside when there was a warm house. To each their own, however it's a bit of a buzz kill when someone asks, "But why?".

We've been trying to finish an igloo for 7 years. Back in 2012 we were able to make one by carving out a compressed pile but it only fit 2 people laying down. Since then we've been trying the brick method, but either there wasn't enough snow or friends got distracted. This season the stars aligned and we got 4ft in one day as well as a motivated workforce. It was glorious.
« Last Edit: March 24, 2019, 12:19:34 AM by GreenToTheCore »

GreenToTheCore

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Re: Igloo = Badassity?
« Reply #8 on: March 24, 2019, 12:08:31 AM »
How did you support the top 'blocks' until you put the last one in place, and how did you put the last one in place?!?

Right?!
Short answer: You get a tall friend to place the keystone brick while two other people hold up bricks on either side of an arch.

Long answer: We were worried there for a minute. The snow was losing its stickiness (we learned the prime packing-snow texture was achieved ~2pm) and the angle was getting pretty steep. Luckily we pre-made some bricks and were able to get the initial arch in place and pretty solid. Then we continued to connect half arches to the middle until the gaps were smaller than a brick. Just finish it off with loose packing-snow for the gaps & seams and you're ready to go :)
When in doubt, press in more snow on the inside. 

It was crazy to sit inside, look around, and think "It's all just water..." 


ETA: picture of arch
« Last Edit: March 25, 2019, 10:41:18 PM by GreenToTheCore »

marty998

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Re: Igloo = Badassity?
« Reply #9 on: March 24, 2019, 05:59:41 AM »
I won't ask why but I will ask when you put the snowball door in front and stayed in there for the night... were you worried about the air supply?

That's something I would be genuinely concerned about.....

Alternatepriorities

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Re: Igloo = Badassity?
« Reply #10 on: March 24, 2019, 08:57:24 AM »
Nicely done! Definitely a badass weekend. I’ve built and slept in lots of the dug out version but never had both the snow and the people to do one with blocks. We did make a dugout that slept 5 once. It snowed several more feet that night and blocked off the air supply fortunately I woke up and realized what had happened before it got bad inside.


BicycleB

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Re: Igloo = Badassity?
« Reply #11 on: March 24, 2019, 09:01:57 AM »

ETA: I'm trying to add a picture but it's saying that it's too big. The file is only 2400KB. Any suggestions?

On my phone, when I email a photo, I am offered sizing options. Could you email yourself the photo from your phone, using a smaller file size, then upload the result?


Linea_Norway

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Re: Igloo = Badassity?
« Reply #12 on: March 24, 2019, 09:26:22 AM »
Nicely done.
My DH also built an iglo once and slept in it. It is not always easy to get the right type of snow for it.

We have a DVD of an old eskimo documentary, Nanook of the North. The documentary showed people who really lived the traditional way. When they arrived at the camp place, the built the iglo. At the end, one person cut a large piece out of the (sea?) ice and put that into the iglo as a roof window. The pet dog also got a small iglo, just for fun.  The documentary is interesting in many ways.

GreenToTheCore

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Re: Igloo = Badassity?
« Reply #13 on: March 25, 2019, 10:24:59 PM »
I won't ask why but I will ask when you put the snowball door in front and stayed in there for the night... were you worried about the air supply?

That's something I would be genuinely concerned about.....

Good point. The first igloo we had an entrance tunnel so there was still good cold air interchange. For this recent one, the door wasn't completely sealed (more like a deterrent for furry visitors) and we had poked holes in the top to measure the roof thickness so I figured that would do it.

GreenToTheCore

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Re: Igloo = Badassity?
« Reply #14 on: March 25, 2019, 10:26:47 PM »
Nicely done.
My DH also built an iglo once and slept in it. It is not always easy to get the right type of snow for it.

We have a DVD of an old eskimo documentary, Nanook of the North. The documentary showed people who really lived the traditional way. When they arrived at the camp place, the built the iglo. At the end, one person cut a large piece out of the (sea?) ice and put that into the iglo as a roof window. The pet dog also got a small iglo, just for fun.  The documentary is interesting in many ways.

That sounds like a perfect feature for next week's movie night, thanks!

draco44

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Re: Igloo = Badassity?
« Reply #15 on: March 26, 2019, 09:55:32 AM »
Re. Nanook of the North, it is indeed a moving, and fascinating film. Just be aware that many elements of the film are much more staged than we might consider appropriate for a documentary made today. For a start, Nanook's real name was actually Allakariallak, and the two women described as his wives in the movie were actually not his real wives, but common law wives/mistresses of the filmmaker, Robert J. Flaherty, whom he cast into the roles. More generally, Flaherty encouraged Nanook/Allakariallak to demonstrate authentic but old-fashioned even for the time elements of his culture for filming purposes, such as hunting with a spear/harpoon even though he normally used a gun.
« Last Edit: March 26, 2019, 10:01:18 AM by draco44 »

Loren Ver

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Re: Igloo = Badassity?
« Reply #16 on: March 26, 2019, 12:21:05 PM »
This is fantastic!  I love it.  Yah!  We don't get enough snow around here for something like that, but i have family in places that do!  Gonna need to think on this.

I too, also dislike the why question.  Why not?  Fun for fun's sake and whimsy for whimsy's!

Good job!