igloos

Are there rules against leaving igloos standing in the backcountry? If we can't get a continuous hut system perhaps we could pioneer a cool multiday igloo route thru some range as a fun project.

One could probably critique the idea or etiquette of leaving an igloo standing but I like the idea. If there was a way to post/share locations they could be used like a hut system for overnight shelter...

but how long would they structurally last even in ideal conditions?

We were told to knock ours down. Mainly because it gets hidden under 2 feet of snow some poor sap starts skinning over it and falls in and breaks a leg. It can also have a bit of a treewell effect with enough fresh on top.

We were told to knock ours down. Mainly because it gets hidden under 2 feet of snow some poor sap starts skinning over it and falls in and breaks a leg. It can also have a bit of a treewell effect with enough fresh on top.

That sounds bogus and makes my BS meter go off the scale. My experience with building a dozen or so is that the igloo sets up like ice as it ages. In the spring, it slowly collapses in on itself. Perhaps the back country should be groomed to make it safe?

Who told you to knock it down?

I guess I should state that I'm not a very experienced Igloo maker and have made 5 or so as a teenager in the early 80's and 1 as an adult. I have made "snow trenches" with blocks, but did not sleep in them. Nothing I have ever made would support a person over 150lbs standing on top. I learned in the boy scouts and they told us to knock them down, but we would have knocked them down regardless, just for fun. If you can build a full on "Nanook of the North" Igloo it might work. I have never seen one like that my self, just amateur thin walled igloos.

After an initial hard freeze an igloo or Quinzhee is pretty bullet proof. We've built a few for season long use. The biggest problem being digging them out after a big dump. Trying to build these for multiple people to use/re-use, I see your biggest problem finding the thing. Even knowing where your igloo is, they can be hard to find a week or two later.

By the end of the season you can easily drive snowmobiles on them, and will most likely stand long after the rest of the snowpack.