Building An Authentic Igloo Snow Shelter In Alaska

This video shows the process I use to build my authentic Alaskan Igloos. This particular snow shelter took me about 10 hours to build at minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold temperatures are important to the strength of the blocks, so I typically don’t build until the average daily temperatures are below zero. The catenary shape of the igloo is naturally very strong. But to make it even stronger, I build a fire inside the igloo during construction to soften the blocks sightly. I then allow it to refreeze when I am finished building. The result is a very strong dome that will easily support several times my weight. I heat the interior of the shelter to only about 40 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent it from getting damp. This may seem cold, but when the temperature outside is -20F that represents a 60 degree differential, which is quite comfortable by comparison.