A Grand Shelter in Mayflower Gulch

Matt, Glenn, and I headed out to Mayflower Gulch with plans to contruct the largest igloo possible with the Icebox tool--11 feet in diameter. After our successful igloo at 7 feet in diameter, we were feeling pretty good about our chances for success. We have ironed out all of the mistakes we have made so far, so this igloo was set to be the best.

We hiked up the well-used trail into the basin. We located a nice flat area with snow well over four feet deep. This is the area we chose. Orginally, we had hoped to climb up near the west ridge of Atlantic Peak, but in looking back we are glad we did not. The igloo took us over 6 hours to build from stomping out the platform to digging out the door and kitchen area.


The weather turned snowy and visibility dropped significantly, so Matt and I passed on our bid for a climb of Atlantic until another day. Mayflower Gulch is quite popular; consequently, many snowshoers and skiers stopped to chat with us about our palatial igloo. Check it out if you plan to visit the area. It should last several months.

Check out more photos and info at The Summit Ridge.

Did you sleep in an Igloo Last Night?

We finally completed our first igloo with the ICEBOX igloo tool! It took us many hours and a lot of work, but in the end it was well worth the effort.



















Glenn and I hiked up to the Stevens Gulch trailhead looking for deep snow. We found it just above the parking area. Nearly three feet of snow, and some flat ground provided the perfect place to build the igloo. The warm sun and the calm winds made working on the igloo pleasant. We know we cannot expect these conditions on Denali, but it was great weather to practice.





We completed the igloo in twilight, and then attached my new Black Diamond Megamid Light to the outside to provide a nice place to work.













The temperature in the igloo stayed at 33 degrees throughout the night--quite comfortable. The solitude of an igloo cannot be overstated. It was warm and quiet and windproof. All of these will be important for a successful Denali trip. We are looking forward to building many more of these and improving our construction time.