INSTC Norway Trip March 2012

[Andy]

The ski club went for another visit to Brandseth in the Hordaland region for the club overseas holiday. This year I advised members that there would be an opprotunity to camp overnight in an Igloo. Chris Townsnd had gib=ven the club a talk on his adventures with Igloo Ed in Yellowstone and the Wind River Mountains so there was an interest created and several members decided to take sleeping bags and mats.
The trip included 12 club members and seven came on the Igloo building trip. With just one Ice Box there was probably too many helpers to ensure quality control! We settled on a site with a slope to give a good walk in door but this did mean a considerable amount of packing on the down slope. 9 foot Igloo was built to give accomodation for three people.

Many helpers for the Igloo in Brandseth dalen

The temperature was about 5 Celcious (about 42F) so it was quite wet work and luckly the snow was well crystallised and packing was easy. Some surface sludgy powder created some problems and later led to some holes when it rained in the night!

Yet another completed Igloo in Norway

Real enthusiasm and team work had the 9ft Igloo completed in abou 4 hours including instruction of 4 new Igloo builders.

Easy entrance to Igloo by building on a slope.

I was left to do final adjustment to door entrance while the others returned to Brandseth for dinner. Howard and Dave then joined me at about 10:00pm skiing up the hill with head torches to sleep the night delivering a welcome glass of Port.

Port to finish supper and aid sleep!

Next morning Howard and Dave skied back for Breakfast at Brandseth while I enjoyed a relaxed breakfast in the Igloo before fixing the holes!

[Igloo Ed]

With just one Ice Box there was probably too many helpers to ensure quality control!

Heh, hopefully some of the ones with experience now will join and help teach on future trips.
A glass of port for a night cap... nice.

[Andy]

Hi Ed
Yes I think there will be some more members wanting to camp next season after the Norway trip. The owner of the Hotel we stayed at, Erling (Brandseth Fjellstove), is also interested in getting an Ice Box as he has School visits in winter from Bergen and the very young kids 8-9yr were not able to go high in to the mountains for snow holing. I showed him our pictures and he thought the Igloo Tool would be a great activity that can be used next to the hotel. Hopefully you get an enquiry. The kids were making snow holes in a snow bank and getting very wet!

The holes in the Igloo were fairly easy to repair. I used the form as shown in photo and packed in snow from outside. The weather was very warm for the week but it lasted well and only the middle fell through after 5 days.

Inner form panel used to block melt hole

We were able to ski high in to the mountains later in the week but the conditions were challenging with very rutted snow fields en route to and from summit. Probably caused by the rain and sun.

Ridged snow field makes skiing difficult

[Igloo Ed]

People tend to shy away from snow shelter trips when the snow conditions are low because they don't know how little snow the ICEBOX uses.
We did get some orders from Norway this season but no one mentioned seeing the ICEBOX or you guys.
We ended up patching a few holes the weekend before last when building igloos but it was from a person falling into/through the igloo.
Those little grooves in the snow are what we get here in spring from the melt water running down. Any rain would carve them much deeper like the ones in your picture.