It may seem like we’ve all been living in an igloo the past few weeks, as temperatures have plunged and snow totals have skyrocketed, but Nick Gordon does have an igloo in the front yard of his White Caps home.
Gordon built the snow structure a few weeks ago, using “very heavy snow that contains a lot of water,” he said.
In other words: No ideal igloo snow.
Because of all the water in that snow, the igloo “starts to compact and push down,” Gordon explained. “A week ago you could stand in there, but now it’s compacting. “
The best snow for igloo construction, he said, “is older snow, containing a lot of ice crystals. This snow will not settle as much. You want dry snow to build igloo blocks.
This is one of the keys to safely building an igloo that will not collapse.
Gordon – who said he tries to build an igloo at least once a winter – uses an “Igloo Ed” igloo kit called The Icebox.
“I have to watch a video every time I try to use the kit,” Gordon said. “It works with an adjustable pole and a sliding block maker. It’s very effective once you start.
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“Igloo Ed” is Ed Huesers, a Colorado winter camping enthusiast who developed a system for building igloos.
As the owner of a plastic mold maker, Huesers began using various plastic shapes to build different types of snow walls, eventually inventing his Icebox Igloo Maker, which he said “is capable of creating a shelter. winter for the night “in just a few hours.
To build an igloo using Icebox, you put snow in the Icebox mold to make bricks. The kit also includes a post around which the igloo is built, ensuring that “your igloo is perfectly circular”. There is also a mold to build a ramp on the first blocks for a solid foundation and arch. For more details, visit https://grandshelters.com/how-to-build-an-igloo/.
Gordon cautions against the occasional construction of igloos. “You have to know what you are doing so that you don’t get run over,” he said. “This igloo kit is designed to make the perfect arch so it doesn’t collapse on you.”
A neighborhood move
The igloo is a hit with the children of Gordon, Emily, 6, and George, 4 (Theodore, 1 has not commented), although “they prefer to toboggan on the huge mounds of snow”.
More importantly, the White Caps igloo attracts “neighborhood dads, who come to see it,” Gordon said. “The inner 10 year old loves it.”
The entrance to the igloo is a small tunnel opening, which appears to be sized for a large dog or small human, but Gordon insists it’s friendly for all ages.
“I’m 6 feet 4 inches tall and I adapt easily to it,” he said.
When not building – or relaxing indoors – his igloo, Gordon teaches winter survival lessons and runs year-round outdoor workshops and expeditions as part of his business, NOW Outdoors. Check out her upcoming classes and trips at https://nowoutdoors.org/.
IN PHOTOS: Scenes from the snowstorm February 15-16
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Paul Warda is shoveling his sidewalk in the Harvey district on Tuesday, February 16, 2021.
KENOSHA NEWS PHOTO BY SEAN KRAJACIC
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Paul Warda shovels his sidewalk in the Harvey neighborhood on Tuesday. Nine to 15 inches were reported in Kenosha County east of I-94 from Monday evening to Tuesday morning.
SEAN KRAJACIC, NEWS FROM KENOSHA
WEATHER FEATURE
Sandra Froemming is shoveling her sidewalk in the 4200 block of 32nd Avenue on Tuesday, February 16, 2021.
KENOSHA NEWS PHOTO BY SEAN KRAJACIC
WEATHER FEATURE
Sandra Froemming is shoveling her sidewalk in the 4200 block of 32nd Avenue on Tuesday, February 16, 2021.
KENOSHA NEWS PHOTO BY SEAN KRAJACIC
WEATHER FEATURE
Sandra Froemming is shoveling her sidewalk in the 4200 block of 32nd Avenue on Tuesday. Nine to 15 inches were reported in Kenosha County east of I-94 from Monday evening to Tuesday morning.
KENOSHA NEWS PHOTO BY SEAN KRAJACIC
WEATHER FEATURE
Bill Steward breaks through the pile of snow at the end of his driveway in the 7900 block of 26th Avenue on Tuesday, February 16, 2021.
KENOSHA NEWS PHOTO BY SEAN KRAJACIC
WEATHER FEATURE
Bill Steward breaks through the pile of snow at the end of his driveway in the 7900 block of 26th Avenue on Tuesday, February 16, 2021.
KENOSHA NEWS PHOTO BY SEAN KRAJACIC
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A woman from southern Kenosha clears the driveway of her house on Tuesday, February 16, 2021.
KENOSHA NEWS PHOTO BY SEAN KRAJACIC
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A woman from southern Kenosha clears the driveway of her house on Tuesday, February 16, 2021.
KENOSHA NEWS PHOTO BY SEAN KRAJACIC
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Jennifer Wagner, owner of Duck Duck Goose, digs a walkway across the street in front of her downtown business on Wednesday, February 17, 2021.
KENOSHA NEWS PHOTO BY SEAN KRAJACIC
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Jennifer Wagner, owner of Duck Duck Goose, digs a walkway across the street in front of her downtown business on Wednesday, February 17, 2021.
KENOSHA NEWS PHOTO BY SEAN KRAJACIC
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The snow pile reached the top of the downtown hospital parking lot on Wednesday, February 17, 2021.
KENOSHA NEWS PHOTO BY SEAN KRAJACIC
Walk in a winter wonderland
Walk in a winter wonderland Bud Clarke, left, and Jean Rauen drive through the city center as light snow falls Wednesday afternoon. Temperatures will become milder over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service, with highs in the low 20s on Saturday and the 30 low on Sunday. The forecast also called for a 50 percent chance of snow on Thursday.
SEAN KRAJACIC, NEWS FROM KENOSHA
WEATHER FEATURE
Snow fell in downtown Kenosha on Wednesday. After cold weather today, gradual warming is expected for the region this weekend. See more on page B4 or at kenoshanews.com.
SEAN KRAJACIC, NEWS FROM KENOSHA