Upgraded pad approach

[Banff Martin]

Hello,

We've built an igloo a week ago behind the apartment building, will post pics of the 9'er on it's oversized 2.5' deep pad, 15' across the top after they are edited down to post here.

This year I'm taking a new approach to pad construction: a day after the pad is built I plot where the wall will sit, and add about 40L of water to the ring. I expect the iced snow to be stronger, and resist the wall compressing the igloo pad somewhat. Last year I could see the effect, and I think a squished pad also risks the 1st level tilting in and buckling (dealt with by adding more snow inside to restore a near-vertical angle). A day after the igloo was built I poured another 20L of water inside & outside right at the base of the wall.

Combined with 3' wind walls about 10' away from the base, I'm hoping the reinforced pad makes for a longer lasting igloo.

Thoughts?

[Igloo Ed]

Adding water would make a big difference. The sagging pads do have a very detrimental effect on the igloos and just a bit of help would go a long ways in stabilizing the lower wall. If you could add water and break up that snow again, it would really be solid. I'd be concerned about melting holes through the foundation, like if you used warm water, even cold water might melt voids. But the shafts of ice would be strong. Only doing it will tell what works best.

[Banff Martin]

Indeed, I'll be careful about pouring into existing walls then. It may be reserved for pad reinforcing at least a day before a build.

Have you experimented much with reinforcing the pad, outside of extra efforts in packing?

Thanks!

[Igloo Ed]

I haven't experimented much with reinforcing the pad other than packing it good. Water is not an option in the backcountry.
One customer told me they had access to water and mixed water with the snow for the walls. That was a backcountry igloo though and they didn't return to the igloo to see how long it lasted.