どうすか？かるかた雪ってのは軽いからこんなに大きくても持ち上がるのです。固くて丈夫だからこんな無茶な積み方でもOKです。What is karukata snow?Because it’s light, you can lift large blocks like this.Because it’s firm and sturdy, you can stack them in seemingly impossible ways.
かるかた雪の長細ブロックなら、わずか数段で、見かけ上、背の低いイグルーができます。With long, narrow blocks of karukata snow, you can quickly build what appears to be a short igloo in just a few layers.
いちばんやりたいこと・イグルーの窓から飽かず絶景を見ることThe Ultimate Goals: Enjoying the stunning view through the igloo window
いちばんやりたいこと：イグルーの中でおいしいもん作って仲間とたべること これはですね、ベトナム屋台料理のエビバナナフライナンプラー浸しです。The Ultimate Goals:Cooking delicious food inside the igloo and sharing it with friends.This time, she made Vietnamese-style shrimp & banana fries soaked in fish sauce.
参加者29人、ひとり風邪で来られず。みな楽しそうで、うれしかったです。We had 29 participants, though one couldn’t attend due to illness. Everyone seemed to have a great time, which made me really happy!
Igloo Workshop @ Gakuto Matsumoto Mountain Forum in February
Thank you always for your inquiries about the igloo workshop! This past weekend, we held the first of two sessions as part of the “Gakuto Matsumoto Mountain Forum,” a mountaineering training series sponsored by Matsumoto City. This time, we conducted the workshop near Jizo-no-Kashira on the Tōmi Ridge in Hakuba Village.
The weather was perfect?clear skies with no wind?and we had a breathtaking view spanning from the Southern Alps to Kubiki and Mt. Naeba. The snow depth was about 2 meters, with the top 50 cm being soft, but underneath, we found the ideal “karukata snow” (light yet firm snow). I believe all participants experienced the joy of working with this type of snow. We were able to cut long blocks just as we wanted!
Key Learnings from This Session
Trench depth matters ? If it’s too shallow (e.g., 20 cm), building becomes difficult. Cut to the full length of the saw (30?40 cm) for better results.
Preventing broken blocks ? Make sure to cut all the way through with the saw before using a shovel to lift them out.
Starting size mistakes ? Some people made their initial igloo area too large, others too small. Giving early guidance could have helped, as both cases were doable but took extra time.
Dealing with soft snow layers ? The top 50 cm of soft snow tends to form potato-shaped blocks, so I had participants discard them liberally.
Stacking technique for second layers and beyond ? Blocks tend to be stacked vertically, but if you take a moment to reposition them slightly closer inward, you can quickly form a roof with a significant difference in structure stability.
竪穴の底は四角形。側面壁から三角柱を取り出したその下の部分の背面へのノコの入れ方を説明しています。The pit bottom is square, and after removing triangular prisms from the side walls, this video clearly explains how to saw the lower back section.
Igloo Workshop Video by Gaku-To Matsumoto Alpine Forum
You can find it on the website of the Gaku-To Matsumoto Alpine Forum.
Every year in February and March, the “Gaku-To Matsumoto Alpine Forum” (organized by an executive committee including Matsumoto City) holds igloo workshops for individuals.
The English subtitles for the video could not be added. Please understand the content from the visuals. Sorry about that.
This year, the workshops are scheduled for February 15 and March 8. However, registration, which opened in mid-December, quickly filled up. I apologize for that.
For those who can attend, this video will serve as a good preview. For those who couldn’t join this year, watching this will give you a clear understanding of the process, almost as if you participated. The video is approximately 40 minutes long?about the same duration as the explanation given by Igloosky while actually constructing an igloo.
Nearly Unedited Footage with Helpful Visual Aids
The video is mostly uncut, but additional explanations and red lines have been added to clarify difficult-to-understand aspects, such as the direction of the saw when making cuts angled outward. You can grasp the key techniques just by watching.
New Features in This Video
1. Square Bath-Like Pit
Filmed in March 2024, this latest version features improved construction methods. One notable change is shaping the pit as a square (approximately 1.5m × 1.5m) instead of a circular one.
Although igloos appear round, blocks are rectangular, and human living spaces are more efficiently used when square. Imagine an oversized bathtub.
If the pit is too small, it becomes difficult to extract blocks.
If it’s too large, construction takes too long.
The ideal size is around 1.5m per side?or maybe 1.3m?
2. Emphasis on Trenches
Trenches are crucial for cutting clean, stable blocks, much like cutting tofu precisely.
Square blocks with flat surfaces stack more stably.
Cutting long blocks is a key skill in igloo construction.
Though digging a trench may seem like extra work, it is essential for preparing good blocks.
Additionally, this time we emphasized:
Cleaning loose snow from the bottom before sawing.
Keeping the saw horizontal and ensuring cuts connect properly.
3. Cutting Blocks from the Side
A key improvement in this version is demonstrating how to cut blocks from the lower section after extracting triangular prisms.
The rear-side sawing technique is now explained in more detail.
Hold the saw handle with both hands and rotate it to cut efficiently.
This method addresses a frequent question from workshop participants.
Other Covered Techniques
This video also includes nearly all the workshop content:
Smoothing the ceiling edges.
Expanding the side walls from the inside.
Using loose snow as flooring.
Sealing gaps from the outside.
One part we forgot to film was how to seal the entrance. However, if you stack blocks to close the entrance after entering, it will stay warm while you sleep.
Even if you can’t attend the workshop, watching this video will give you tips to reduce your igloo construction time.
信大山岳会は、アロハが制服とのことで、イグルスキーも一着、賜りました。ポリエステル製が良いとのこと。The Shinshu University Alpine Club’s unofficial uniform is the aloha shirt, so they gifted me one as well. Apparently, polyester is the preferred material.
4人用炊事集会イグルーは座って鍋を囲むサイズ。２〜３人なら横になれるサイズThe four-person cooking and gathering igloo was big enough for everyone to sit around a hot pot. If there were only two or three people, they could lie down comfortably.
こんなにたくさん誰が食うんだよ〜と思いましたが食ってしまったシチュー。Initially, I thought, “Who’s going to eat all this?” but we ended up finishing the stew.
シンヤさん！もうすぐ届くぞ、頑張れよ〜！という声かけが迫真。これ埋没者には効くんだよ。Hearing someone shout, “Shinya! We’re almost there! Hang in there!” was incredibly intense?it really works for the buried victim.
First Time with Shinshu University Alpine Club and Igloos
I held the first workshop to encourage the Shinshu University Alpine Club to incorporate igloos more into their activities.Participants included one third-year student, six second-years, four first-years, plus four alumnus and friends. We built an igloo village on the gentle slopes of Kaminotanbo in Tsugaike. Each team of four constructed a communal dining igloo in the center, surrounded by individual igloos. Everyone quickly mastered the technique, cutting out massive tombstone-sized blocks and finishing their structures in no time. Young people learn fast?no complaints at all!
For over 30 years, I’ve had many close climbing friends from Shinshu University. It’s a bit late, but I was really happy to finally connect with current students through igloo building.
Shinshu University students come from Matsumoto (Faculty of General Education, Science, Humanities, and Medicine), Nagano (Education and Engineering), and Ina (Agriculture). Most students are from outside the prefecture and chose Shinshu University because they love the mountains. The club members are overwhelmingly “mountain people” or “nature lovers,” and the similarity to Hokkaido University is striking. One participant was the daughter of a close climbing friend from my Aomori days, which led to this whole event happening.
Immersed in the Students’ Cheerful Atmosphere and Serious Beacon Training
Living together in the igloos with students and sharing their routines was fascinating?rice topped with stew thickened with flour, zenzai (sweet red bean soup) for breakfast, the “atocha” pot-washing tradition, and the secret stash of special treats everyone brought.
The next day, we joined an avalanche burial rescue training session. It had been over 30 years since my last formal training.
My beacon experience had stopped at the old Ortovox models with just arrows and lights. This was my first time updating my knowledge on the latest beacons and search procedures. Modern beacons are amazing!
After their realistic voice-call excavation drills, the students openly discussed what was unclear and how to improve, which was incredibly valuable. The training was laser-focused on shaving off even a single second in rescue time. It was the first time in a long while that I felt the urge to record a video.
Snow Conditions This Time
This time, there was a 60cm layer of fluffy new snow, making it tough to walk. Even compacting it with skis wasn’t enough, and the first layer of blocks we dug out was too crumbly. These weak blocks ended up being a liability in the igloo walls, so we abandoned them and moved to the second layer sooner. Once we hit a good layer, massive tombstone-sized blocks were easy to cut. However, digging too deep meant we couldn’t reach high enough to place the second row of blocks effectively. The key was to start sealing the roof with long blocks as soon as possible. Snow conditions change every time, so adapting to the situation is crucial.
Ski Descent and Student Gear Reality
We skied down from the site. At Shinshu University, mountain skiing is considered an “extra” to regular winter mountaineering with snowshoes, so not everyone owns backcountry skis. Some students carried their alpine skis up. These days, mountain skis are too expensive for students. If you have unused ones, consider donating them!
There was even a rare sight of someone climbing on a splitboard while carrying an 80L Gasherbrum pack?balancing that must have been seriously tough.
The Joy of Down-Mountain Meals
We celebrated our descent with a meal at Donmaru. Then, we had an ice cream showdown at Tsuruya, where each person was allowed up to 151 yen. The fact that everyone played rock-paper-scissors to decide who would pay reminded me so much of Hokkaido University?it was nostalgic.
An Igloo Workshop at Norikura – Organized for the Suzuran Mountain Club
I was asked by a senior member of the Hokkaido University Mountaineering Club to serve as an instructor for an igloo workshop organized by the Suzuran Mountain Club. However, due to scheduling conflicts, I couldn’t make it. Instead, three representatives from the club came to Norikura-dake for an intensive pre-training session. The senior member mentioned that while they had built igloos several times before, it took them about three hours each time. They wanted to learn how to build one in under an hour. So, I taught them the world’s fastest “Igloosky Method.”
The Suzuran Mountain Club has been around for decades. Back in the 1990s, they were very active in mountaineering and backcountry skiing, producing excellent activity reports one after another. I believe they were one of the clubs that pioneered backcountry skiing among social clubs during my generation. I once organized an igloo workshop expedition for Suzuran members I had met through PC communication networks back then. It was a trip that started from Shiratori-yama and ended with skiing down to the Sea of Japan.
One of those members, Mr. Furumoto, later passed away in an accident while climbing a stream on Mt. Zaru.
Reducing the construction time from 3 hours to 1 hour.
As expected, those with prior experience in building igloos picked up the technique quickly. They cut long, neat blocks and finished the igloo in about an hour. The key to speed lies in refining the block-cutting technique. Once the first layer of cubic blocks was completed, they swiftly moved on to cutting longer blocks.
We built a central igloo with space for three people to gather and connected it via tunnels to three smaller personal igloos surrounding it. The senior members planned to stay overnight and aim for the summit tomorrow. As for me, skied down , taking only 20 minutes to descend before catching a bus back to Matsumoto.
The weather was clear, with weak winds and a pleasant atmosphere, but the temperature dropped considerably. By the time I sped downhill on skis, my? body was chilled.
On the way home, I bought tonkatsu and some sake from Niigata.
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