If you’re looking for a chill place to party this winter, look no further than the Lake Monona Igloo.
The igloo, which is situated about 150 feet from the Brittingham Shelter on Monona Bay, has become a place for parties and hanging out. It comes complete with a “love grotto” and it’s available for rent.
The igloo is currently listed on Airbnb from $70 a night. The weekly price is listed as $350 a week, with a monthly rent of $1200. Andrew Conley, one of the igloo’s builders, said people can stay in the igloo “as long as it lasts.”
Phil Geiger, another builder, said he and a group of coworkers built their first large igloo three years ago in the middle of Lake Monona and have been itching for a chance to build another ever since.
Geiger said the production of this igloo started in the middle of January and winter conditions have been ideal for construction.
“We chose this year because the conditions have been perfect,” he said. “We have enough snow and it is cold enough and has been cold enough for a while that we are able to drill a hole in the ice and mix water with the snow that has fallen on the lake.”
The team mixed snow and water in a 17 gallon bin to form slush bricks which could then be cut and stacked using a spiraled dome method, much like the Inuit method for building igloos, Geiger said.
Conley said building the main chamber of the igloo as well as the “love grotto” section took about four-and-a-half days. He said the main chamber of the igloo is about 12 feet in diameter and 10 to 12 feet tall.
The igloo fits about 35 people, and the builders often host parties there on the weekends. According to Geiger, the igloo is a “really cool place to chill.”
Geiger said more than 25 people have contributed to the total construction of the igloo. Conley said construction went much faster than the structure they created three years ago.
Geiger built his first igloo back in 2008 with some of his high school friends. After moving to Madison, he said he realized the conditions were perfect for igloo building especially with the frozen lakes.
Nolan Johnson, another of the igloo’s builder, said the crew has seen many people from the community out walking by the igloo and stopping to check it out. He said people will often just come hang out in the igloo.
Johnson added the builders want the community to be involved in the igloo, and want it to be a place where people feel comfortable visiting and spending time.
Group members agreed although they began as friends and coworkers, they have now bonded as “igloo coworkers.”
