By the time Christmas Day arrives, most families are huddled around their Christmas Tree, furiously opening presents, and beginning preparations for the day of celebration. Not so an unusual group of Canadian Northern Inuits, artisan craftsmen and women, who spend their days getting ready for an opening of another kind. For weeks they’ve been compacting snow, carving elaborate frescos, and painstakingly designing chamber after chamber, block by block, on the slopes of Switzerland’s highest mountains. And on December 25th, when everyone else is trying to keep themselves warm, the doors to the Iglu-Dorf villages open for the season.
Website - http://www.iglu-dorf.com/en/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Iglu.Dorf
Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/user/igludorfofficial
What began back in the 1990’s, when photographer Adrian Gunter fashioned himself an ice home to stay warm on the peaks, has turned into something of an annual ritual – and a profitable one at that. His novel idea caught on, and year after year he was joined by more friends, random skiers, and eventually tourists on the hunt for somewhere unique to stay. His igloo became a village, his village became two, and this season six villages capable of accommodating over fifty people each will be open from the slopes of Andorra to Germany’s highest peak.
So why go? Why give up your family Christmas roast and your cozy fire for an ice bed and down jacket? Well, why not? Quite apart from the view from the tops of these spectacular mountains, the experience of staying in an igloo is always going to be a party talking point. Each little home is crafted from carefully fashioned blocks of ice in true Inuit-style. But these dome houses are not quite as traditional inside. There’s no ice hole for catching your fish, and no smoke hole for your fire. No, igloos on the European slopes are a little more stylish than that.
Check out your welcome pack, a fluffy snuggly sleeping bag to save you bringing your own, and mulled wine waiting to warm you up, in case you’re cold halfway up a mountain in the middle of winter. Check in with your better half and your snow bed will be covered with warm woolen sheepskin for that romantic and decadent touch, and the inner walls of your private igloo will have been carved with images of necking swans or leaping dolphins – presumably depending upon the mood your artisan was in at the time of creation. And finally, for guests with an aversion to the cold, hot igloos have finally made an appearance – purpose-built, heated tents in the size and shape of a traditional ice hut.
In the village you’ll find a shop, and while it’s far from a glitzy high-rise shopping mall, and sells nothing more than a few trinkets and souvenirs, the novelty of leaning on an ice counter, spending real money halfway up some of Europe’s tallest peaks, makes it an attraction worth visiting. While you’re here, the choice of events and activities extends further than enjoying the snow-covered vista. Spend some time snowshoeing across the slopes, learn the craft of igloo building for yourself, or enjoy a BBQ beneath the stars. The bars here are open around the clock, and marriage temples can be purpose built for that special occasion, complete with romantic red roses freshly frozen in ice.
The original ice hotel in Sweden still holds its own as a bucket-list favourite, but perhaps that’s because Iglu-Dorf isn’t quite as well-known just yet. But with its increasing number of destinations, cheap flights for just a few Euros or Swiss Francs (depending which village you decide to head for) it’s all set to become the icing on the snow-topped cake for winter destinations in Europe.
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