The construction of the Snowhotel started around the end of November when we had consistent temperatures below 0°C, in addition to already having some snow fall. Most of the snow used in construction is actually pumped down from a mountain lake about 150m above sea level and then fed into a big snow cannon. In order for the snow cannon to produce the ideal type of snow for building we need temperatures at or below -4°C, if it’s too warm and the snow cannon is just spraying out water which then freezes into icicles… as you can probably see on some of the dog houses!
Once there is enough snow (usually a large pile about 10m high) a front end loader is used to start moving the snow into a more suitable location for the tractor/snow blower to shoot the snow onto the building frame.
The rooms are made with large inflatable balloons which the snow is piled onto and left to harden/compress giving the hotel its distinct shape. After the snow has set in place; the balloon is deflated and removed and the room is ready to be used! This was done 27 times for the hotel this year: 1 big balloon and 26 smaller balloons for the hotel rooms. The hallways/doors were built using a similar technique, instead of using balloons it was metal frame with a plastic covering in the shape of an upside-down U. The snow was piled on in the same way and once it had set it, the frame was removed and the next part of the hallway was started upon.
The construction of the hotel itself took about three weeks after which some artists from China were flown in and started to decorate the inside of the hotel with intricate snow and ice carvings. These artists also work at the ice and snow festival in Harbin, China. They are extremely talented and it’s incredible to watch them work and see their works of art come to life!
Not much more to say really – just enjoy the photos!
My Nordic Life 
So beautiful josh! And fascinating the way they construct it!