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(22,806 posts) Mon Feb 9, 2026, 11:28 AM 20 hrs ago

UW student builds impressive igloo on Lake Mendota with hand-cut ice blocks

MADISON, (WKOW) — University of Wisconsin student Henry Fries has built an igloo on Lake Mendota using hand-cut ice blocks. Fries, an igloo builder and architect, drew inspiration from his childhood.

“I kind of started out with ice force and steel force as a kid, and really enjoyed it, but came to university here at UW and there has been a lot of snow, so I ended up getting an ice off for Christmas, and I on a win said, You know what? Go cut some ice and build an igloo,” Fries said. Fries described the construction process, which began with drilling through the ice.

“Yeah, so the first step is to kind of get a pilot hole through the ice here. Then after you get that, the saw that I'm holding here is what I used to cut most of these blocks,” Fries said. Approximately 83 blocks, each weighing between 55 and 70 pounds, were used.

“So igloo there weighs about two and a half tons. So it's a it's a behemoth, and it's pretty sturdy,” he said. The igloo took roughly 30 labor hours to complete, with Fries working about 22 hours. He received help from friends Logan, Alyssa, and Raga. Fries is considering spending a night inside the igloo. “The wind is the big part. It blocks the wind perfectly,” Fries said. While ice is less insulating than snow, “it's pretty comfortable.”

https://www.wkow.com/news/uw-student-builds-impressive-igloo-on-lake-mendota-with-hand-cut-ice-blocks/article_faa7626f-234e-40a8-a0d0-b6ca19e03c7a.html