We got back out on Sat to wrap up the roof and get some laps in. Everything worked great and I think this Igloo will last the season.
Its pretty cozy inside, especially if you are sitting on a pad. We’ve stocked it with some candles, chocolate, area map and the latest issue of Starfish for anyone who happens to find it while tromping around in the backcountry.
After we were sure the roof was settled we remove the building jig and dug a trench down the middle so you can sit comfortably with your legs down. All that’s left now is to spend the night in it. Me and my sons, Max and Teig, are planning on spending a night this week. They are up for the adventure only because they have no idea what’s in store.
We made an igloo in the back yard with our Ice box igloo maker last year. But the backcountry turns are a little fickle in the yard so this year we put it in a more turn friendly place. This spot is about 1/4 mile out of bounds and is at the top of a small mound with turns all the way around it. Seemed like a good location.
We packed it down with our snowshoes and leveled out a spot. The first row is the slowest and most important because it sets the angle of the dome.
The second row things get going a little faster cause the packer doesn’t have to be on his knees the whole time.
The snow was pure sugar, which makes a really strong block when you pack it carefully. The downside is it takes almost twice as long to build. With wet snow you can build an igloo in 2-3 hours. After 4 hours we still had the final top to do and the sun was setting so we had to leave it unfinished. I figure it still has about an hour of building time left. Will post a completed pic as soon as I can.
Ps: if you look right above Cole‘s head in the last picture you will se a tower on the hill in back. That is the resort boundary.
The new issue of Starfish has an article by Jeremy Jensen about the Sawtooth trip. Great pics and text so check it out. To go along with the article I uploaded the Sawtooth video to Youtube. Its pretty close to the original I posted right after the trip but with a few additions and some new music courtesy of Audio Swap.
The snow is just barely holding on in the back-country. Still finding untracked stashes and solid snow to build jumps with. My boys built this kicker using our snow-saw.
The triple chair opened for the season today, which gave us access to some pretty great bowls and also the back-country gate at the top. Got up early to get in line and ended up on the fourth chair. Inbounds was great, no complaints but it seemed like a good day to head into the backcountry and check out the snowpack. This is our 3rd season meeting once a week for an out of bounds hike. Within 30 yards of the gate we knew it was gonna be fun.
Conditions couldn’t have been better and the pit we dug made the snowpack look bomber, at least where we were. Can’t wait for the next week.
