7 Feb
2003
7 Feb
'03
1:23 a.m.
--- chris <cb(a)mythtech.net> wrote:
Having made an igloo as part of a survival course, I can say that
the real problem with making an igloo as a kid is that standard
midwestern snow is *not* the right stuff to use. Arctic/Antarctic
snow has a different grain and has different adhesion properties.
We saw-cut our snow blocks from wind-packed snow called "firn". It's
like handling styrofoam. Very light with lots of friction between
the blocks. Yes, there's still the instability problem of a half-
finished igloo, but it's not as much of an impediment.
-ethan
When I was a
kid, I tried and tried to make an igloo of packed cubes of
snow....
In boy scouts, we cheated. We used a plastic box to make the packed
cubes, and a spray bottle of water to make the blocks stick together....