Totally Redeems Himself: An Inuit Col Story
Discussion
A week ago today, with our good friend Colin (Deuchars) on point, we attempted to take part in a Scottish Pistonheads meet. Things didn’t quite go according to plan – details in this thread
So, today we gave Colin a chance to redeem himself by putting his engineering prowess to the test as we attempted to build an Igloo - Inuit style.
Using a plastic storage container, Euan and I compacted and crafted high quality snow blocks and Colin took charge of design and placement. As an ex-planning officer I considered the merits of applying for planning permission, but concluded the snow would be gone by the time we get a response some 2 month later
These first picture shows the first two layers and the general shape coming together. Col can also be seen hard at work with his bare hands - that is how committed to the cause he was
Construction continues and we draught Laura in to pack the cracks and make our new home weather tight. You can also see that Colin, in his haste, pushed ahead to layer 5, well before layer 4 was completed.
At this point I would also add that our block failure rate was only running at around 5%, with 19/20 holding there shape.
The light failed us but we pressed on into the night. With reduced visibility and such height to our structure we were pushing the boundaries of a number of Health & Safety Regulations. Col was undeterred; he had taken his high-vis jacket with him (which he didn't wear) and that was good enough!
Col carefully crafts the entrance with the aid of a saw. This is a mix of engineering prowess and pure art.
On the basis we aren't 4-feet high Inuit dudes we adopted a taller than standard Igloo with a larger than normal entrance. You can see in this pic that the entrance is nicely closed up and our new home is coming together.
Almost there now, the roof is just a few layers away from closing and Col assures us he can deliver on his engineering promises that no unnatural solutions will be required. This entire Igloo will be made of snow.
Job done, Col stands proud next to our creation. He f**ked up good and proper last week, but this Sunday is a gigantic win (and no, he's not pee'd himself - he's taken on wet jeans for the team; what a guy)
I demonstrate the full functionality and space inside our creation. In hindsight, we should have made an ensuite, but what you gonna do?
We even had the good sense to leave space for the car on the driveway - it lowers the insurance premium dramatically to have her off the street
So in conclusion, last week we achieved a landslide 15:4 Fail to Win ratio. This week it was just win-win all round. No KFC was going to replenish the calories we burned this week so we stepped up to a 16" pizza with bonus chips.
Rubin215 said:
This is in Pangnirtung, on Baffin Island, Nunavut; real Inuit territory.
They have had high winds this last week which have caused this sort of damage; do you think your puny igloo would have survived?
from the look of that place there wouldn't have been enough snow to build one...They have had high winds this last week which have caused this sort of damage; do you think your puny igloo would have survived?
inkiboo said:
y282 said:
i stayed in the ice hotel in kirunna a few years ago, completely made of snow and ice in the bedrooms. not really any colder than a normal room tbh.
Same here. Not wanting to share too personal details, I slept naked in the rucksack provided with no cold issues.also, if you need a pee in the night you have to be damn careful.
inkiboo said:
y282 said:
i stayed in the ice hotel in kirunna a few years ago, completely made of snow and ice in the bedrooms. not really any colder than a normal room tbh.
Same here. Not wanting to share too personal details, I slept naked in the rucksack provided with no cold issues.I used the sleeping bag, I would think it much more comfortable.
Rubin215 said:
This is in Pangnirtung, on Baffin Island, Nunavut; real Inuit territory.
They have had high winds this last week which have caused this sort of damage; do you think your puny igloo would have survived?
Sure, if they'd made them out of snow like they should have done nunavut would have fallen down. Ahahahaha.They have had high winds this last week which have caused this sort of damage; do you think your puny igloo would have survived?
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