I remember two great thrills as a boy. One was building dens, the other playing in the snow and making snowmen. Over the years I must have built dozens of hideaways, and even more snowmen. In fact, if I’d managed to preserve all my icy creations, I’d now have an army of carrot-nosed friends.

In my early days of snow play and den construction, I’d always wondered what it would be like to combine the two, to live like an eskimo in a den made of ice.

Last winter in the Spanish Pyrenees I found out. It’s actually not as hard as it sounds, though working in a team certainly helped.

When we’d finished, we sat under the stars admiring our handiwork. My igloo certainly wasn’t perfect, but it was mine. There was only one thing left to do, try it out. We each had the option of sleeping in a nearby mountain retreat; I politely refused. That night, snug in my icy den, I slept one of the best night sleeps I ever had – my childhood dream finally fulfilled.

Contact us if you’d like to experience building your own igloo in the Spanish Pyrenees.