Y
HOW IT WORKS: IGLOOS
78 March 2019 _ PopularMechanics.comILLUSTRATIONBY^THOMASKUHLENBECKFAMILY
OU’VE MADE SNOW ANGELS and
snowmen. You’ve had plenty of
snowball fights. But have you ever
built an igloo? Originally used by
Inuit, the native people of Canada
and Greenland, igloos are domes
of snow that get warm inside using
body heat. In fact, the inside of an igloo can be
as warm as 60 degrees, even when it’s minus
50 degrees outside!
Inuit have long knives called snow knives
that they use to cut blocks from the snow on the
ground. Each block is about one foot wide, two
feet long, and 18 inches deep. With each new
row, the blocks lean in a little more, eventually
coming together at the top. The most impor tantthing about making an igloo is that the blocks
are built on a continuous ramp. That way, each
block is always supported on at least two sides
while you’re building.
Snow is packed into the gaps between the
blocks to keep out the wind, but once the igloo
is complete and has a top, you want to make sure
to poke some holes for ventilation.
The other important thing to remember
is that your exit should be on the side of the
igloo facing away from the wind. Otherwise
you’ll have cold air blowing in! The floor of the
igloo should be at least a couple inches higher
than the exit, too. Since heat rises, that keeps
it inside your igloo, where it should be, keep-
ing you warm.MAKE YOUR
OWN IGLOO
You don’t need an Inuit
snow knife to make
your own igloo. Just get
a brick maker, like this
one from Airhead ($4).
Pack it full of snow, then
dump out your brick and
start building.