こんにちは！イグルスキー米山です。Do you know about igloos?

イグルーを知っていますか？

私は北大山岳部でイグルーを身につけて以来、雪山登山でずっと実践してきました。もう30年以上になります。この間に泊まった数はおそらく200泊くらいです。講習などもして、作った数は300くらいかな？おそらく温帯の住人としては世界一だと思います。はじめは試行錯誤だったけど、今は誰にでも作れる方法を見つけました。

イグルーは誰にでも40分で作れます

ただ、作るのにちょっとコツがいるので、初めて自分だけで作ると長く時間がかかります。屋根がどうしても塞げないこともあります。まして冬山登山でテン場を作るときは、疲れ切って実力ぎりぎりの気分のときも多く、なかなか新しいことに手を出せません。あまりやる人が居ない理由はこのあたりではないかなと思います。

イグルーは、テントや雪洞に比べ利便性が高いのです。厳しく、長期の、雪山登山者にこそ強く推薦する技術です。その理由はおいおい説明します。誰でもここにあるコツを飲み込んで2、3回作れば、実用レベルになります。

でも、雪山登山には縁が無いけどイグルーに泊まってみたいという人、北日本の豪雪地に住んでいて、幼稚園の庭に作って子供と遊びたいという人、イグルーキャンプをやってみたいという人も、条件さえ満たせば作れます。そんな人達にも、なんとか完成できる技術を伝えたいです。

多分世界一イグルーを作っているイグルスキー米山の、唯一無二のイグルーウェブサイトです。他の誰にも出来ない仕事だから、とてもやりがいを感じます。

きょうはここまで。またね。

Do you know about igloos?

Hello! I’m Igloosky Yoneyama. “Igloo” is a dome-shaped house made of snow blocks that indigenous peoples in Canada and Alaska used to live in. It’s a locally sourced, almost bare-handed (only saw and shovel) accommodation that’s perfect for cold, windy, and soundproof conditions, allowing for a peaceful sleep even during severe blizzards.

Ever since I learned how to build igloos in Hokkaido University’s mountain club, I’ve been practicing it on snow mountain climbs for over 30 years now. I’ve probably spent around 200 nights in them during this time. I’ve also conducted workshops, so I’ve probably built about 300 of them. I believe I’m likely the world’s most experienced in this regard as a temperate zone dweller. It was trial and error at first, but now I’ve found methods that anyone can use.

The igloos I make for mountaineering prioritize practicality in winter. I can build one for 3 to 4 people in just 40 minutes to outperform a tent. Isn’t that impressive? Plus, it’s more comfortable, safer, and lighter than a tent.

Anyone can build an igloo in 40 minutes.

However, there’s a bit of a knack to building one, so if you’re doing it alone for the first time, it may take longer. Sometimes, you can’t close the roof. Especially when setting up a campsite during winter mountain climbing, when you’re exhausted and feeling like you’re at the limit of your abilities, it’s hard to try something new. I think this is why not many people do it.

Igloos are more convenient than tents or snow caves. It’s a technique I strongly recommend for experienced, long-term snow mountain climbers. I’ll explain the reasons for this later. Once you’ve absorbed the tips here and built a couple of igloos, you’ll reach a practical level.

However, even if you’re not into snow mountain climbing but want to try staying in an igloo, or if you live in a heavy snowfall area in northern Japan and want to play with your kids by making one in the kindergarten yard, or if you want to try igloo camping, you can do it if you meet the conditions. I want to pass on the techniques to such people so they can somehow complete it.

It’s the one and only igloo website of Igloosky Yoneyama, who is probably the world’s top igloo builder, and I feel a great sense of accomplishment because it’s a job that no one else can do.

In this blog, I’ll write about the tips, tools needed, where to build, how to build, how to sleep, the history, and various stories of igloos. You might think there isn’t much to write about, but with every igloo I build, I discover something new and even surprise myself. It’s not difficult to learn how to build one, but it’s incredibly deep.

Since this is my first blog, I’ll try to make it easy to read as I write. The layout is still a mess, isn’t it?

That’s all for today. See you later.