In Kühtai in the Ötztal (Tyrol, Austria) there is the possibility of spending the night in an igloo. For this purpose, igloos are built for 2-4 people and turned into so-called Igloo Village The interested adventurer can then spend a night here and experience the 5-star class of the outdoor winter.

The igloos are not made using traditional methods, but with the help of modern technology. First, balloons are inflated, which are then buried under masses of snow using snow cannons. The advantage of artificial snow is its relatively high density, so that the at least 1 m thick layer of snow really becomes solid (= icy). After the air has been let out of the balloon, it can be pulled out through a hole, which will later become the entrance, and the igloo is finished from the inside. A door closes the whole thing and the sculptor takes care of the interior design.

The result of a long period of work is a very spacious igloo with wonderful wall reliefs and a door that is rather rudimentary to operate due to the natural movement of the ice. You can neither close nor open the door properly. Otherwise, the interior consists of a platform (= bed) on which rubber mattresses are placed for insulation. A few lambskins and colorful LED lighting round off the whole thing.

The central meeting point for all residents is a communal area consisting of three large, connected igloos. This includes a bar, an igloo with seating and a heated igloo for the dinner buffet. To prevent you from constantly slipping, all igloos are lined with coarse wood shavings. After an optional snowshoe hike, there is a celebration in these igloos, because "standing still is death" (our expert's exact words).

An igloo has an interior temperature of -5 to 0°C and therefore you get proper sleeping bags with a comfortable temperature for the night ¹of -18°C. However, you also have to get in and out of your sleeping bag - including functional underwear. When the temperature is below freezing, you change very quickly and of course you have to store your clothes in the sleeping bag at the foot end for the morning. The rest, e.g. hiking boots, winter jacket, etc., are packed so that nothing gets wet. Then you seal everything up and put on your hat... The fact that the only toilet (with a sink) is at the lift house 200m away means you can't get up in the night. So you voluntarily go there again before going to bed.

So far, so good. The catch was the outside temperature of -18°C on March 5, 2010. That is cold, very cold. Neither the higher temperatures in the igloo (remember: the door doesn't even come close to closing) nor the high-tech sleeping bag help. It stays cold, even if it is cold enough to sleep in. Sensitive people should wear additional "onion layers" in addition to the obligatory socks and hat. A couple traveling with us opened the bottle of Prosecco from the "romance package" late in the evening and were allowed to enjoy it as a sorbet.

¹ The comfort temperature is the lower temperature limit at which an average woman (25 years, 160 cm, 60 kg) can sleep comfortably.