By Jack Reaney SENIOR EDITOR
A mid-mountain igloo with hot and cold drinks, cozy furniture and a family-friendly aprés ambience is Big Sky Resort’s newest attraction. Iglu opened Jan. 24, and could become a fixture for years.
Big Sky Resort parent company Boyne Resorts continues to focus on giving North American skiing a touch of European alpine tradition. The latest project—somewhat of a surprise, as its construction was overshadowed by a new gondola and Kircliff attraction—aims to show skiers something they’ve never seen before.
“I think [guests] think it’s pretty cool. I would say the biggest reaction is, ‘oh wow,’ when people see it,” resort PR Manager Megan Munley told EBS during a site tour on Jan. 29. “… The care and the work that our team put into building this has been really remarkable, and they did such a good job with all of the details.”
Another Boyne-owned ski area, Sunday River Resort in Maine, has featured an igloo for three years. Big Sky Resort has become the third Boyne resort with an igloo attraction, also joining Boyne Mountain in Michigan, which opened its first igloo on Jan. 13.
The experience is lively with ample seating, mellow house music, colorfully lit walls and daylight blocked out by door flaps. Details shine, such as the interior bar counter: it’s made of ice blocks, with snow depicting the resort’s logo carved into the ice and backlit sharply in blue. Furniture is curated by Arhaus, a design and furnishing company with a showroom in Bozeman. Ice sculptures are carved by renowned artist Shintaro Okamoto.
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“I would say it’s very chill. It’s low-key,” Munley said. Music doesn’t drown out conversation, and it’s not a wild party—at least not yet, as the resort plans for Iglu to be involved with various events including the April 11 pond skim, among the resort’s Spring Series.
How it’s done
The 1,350-square-foot igloo has a capacity of 90 people, and the structure is 100% snow, requiring roughly 4,000 cubic feet in total. No support beams, no metal frame, just a carefully assembled traditional igloo constructed by a 23-year-old Austrian company, Alpeniglu, whose expertise spans Europe.
“This was a challenging project,” said Caleb Teigen, construction manager for Big Sky Resort. “… The unique thing about this is, you go from nothing to, three weeks later, being open.”
While the three-week sprint was demanding, the project’s biggest challenge was receiving permits. Building codes do not recognize snow and ice as common materials, so the resort spent extra time finding an engineering firm willing to take on such a unique medium.
Teigen explained the snow is like working with concrete. Crews begin with a frame and a bubble, and blow man-made snow around the bubble, allowing it to freeze and set overnight. Igloos must be made using man-made snow, as those crystals are more consistent and reliably bond into a firm structure. The process is repeated until side walls are roughly 12 feet thick, at least. Finally, crews deflate the bubble and begin constructing entrances.
Engineers carefully reviewed the science from Alpeniglu, and determined it’s 100% safe for people to be inside the igloo, Teigen explained. As part of that assurance, the resort must continually monitor roof thickness and perform other regular safety checks. The arch-shaped domes build on ancient technology, Teigen points out, and the science still works in 2026, making the igloo a solid and trustworthy structure.
Alpeniglu’s portfolio includes over 600 igloos, Teigen said, and he praised owner Benno Reitbauer for being at the forefront of a unique industry. Big Sky Resort is learning from one of the best—should the igloo remain a reoccurring fixture of Big Sky, Teigen’s team will eventually take over the construction.
“They’ll come in, teach our team how to build the igloo, and work with us… for up to three years, [and] that fourth year our team would then be able to take it over and build it on our own,” Teigen said.
The igloo site was chosen for views, and also fits in with the increasingly vibrant bowl area including a new gondola, recently built tram, and spring events such as the pond skim.
At the end of the season, resort staff will carefully remove the roof of the igloo, allowing it to safely melt under the summer sun.
“Built entirely from snow, the Iglu at Big Sky is certainly not your average mountain ‘venue’, and that’s rather the point,” Simon Harris, resort VP of food and beverage, stated in writing via email. “The craftsmanship from our Austrian building partners is superb, and the fact the whole structure is fleeting, is unique in its own right. Inside, our partnership with Arhaus adds an unexpected layer of warmth and luxury, that is befitting of the Big Sky experience.”
Munley and other resort leaders look forward to hearing feedback from guests who experience a new type of ski resort rest stop.
“I think the Iglu offers another touchpoint for guests to experience something that they might not have seen anywhere else in North America,” Munley said.
