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Igloo

I have attempted to build igloos in the past and i have found that various building techniques do not work. Building from the ground up is unstable and difficult/impossible to close at the top. Digging  into an existing snow mound is difficult because of ice, large chunks of snow, and general significant variations in snow density. Therefore, for this project, I decided to approach the construction of an igloo from a new angle that combines both strategies and eliminates the failings of both. I decided to build the igloo from the ground up with a self packed pile of snow. I began by first placing down two yard waste trash cans on their sides oriented so that their open sides face away from each other. This would allow for the elimination of one other major issue with igloo building; maintaining a stable entryway of decent size. I oriented the trash cans so that the pile of snow would be centered on the second can and the first would end at the same point as the edge of the snow pile. From this point, my friend and I piled snow from the surrounding area of his backyard to create a mound of decent size. we then packed this mound into firm snow using our body weight. This would ensure that once the inner trash cans were removed and the inside walls were hollowed out, the structure would be stable enough to continue supporting its own weight. We completed the pile and removed the first trash can, creating a successful and stable entryway. The second can proved far more difficult to remove as a result of the necessity to clear snow that was around it in order to slide it out. Overall, the snow fort went well and while it was difficult and precarious to clear the inner walls the fort ended up being a decent size with the important necessary stability to support itself.
The above photo shows the igloo in completed form with the front can removed but replaced for demonstrative purposes. More photos to come soon. The igloo was built at night and it was difficult to get photos of the process, I had my friend send me photo the following day.

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