Sleeping in a snow hotel

Sleeping in a snow hotel might sound like a cold choice for many people but I can promise you this is a truly cozy and once in a lifetime experience. After spending one night at a snow hotel in Northern Norway people asked me if I would do it again. I guess in my case the answer is definitely yes. It is the combination of sleeping in such a special place, the ice art, the activities and the chance to see the amazing Northern Lights which makes a stay at a snow hotel so special and different each year.

But how do they actually build a snow hotel?
Of course, during summer, the whole hotel melts down. So, when winter comes around they have to rebuild the whole hotel from scratch. Normally the building process starts in December when the temperatures have stabilized below zero. To build a snow hotel you need a lot of snow and I mean really a lot. So, they have to produce snow with snow making machines. 

Once they have enough snow they blow up giant balloons for the rooms and usually for an ice bar as well. They cover the balloons with snow and let it set for a while until it is stable enough. When the building process is finished it is time for the “finishing touch” – the decorating process. Themes for the decoration change from year to year but the result is an impressive artwork of snow and ice.

What do you need for your overnight at a snow hotel?
Everyone wonders about what’s needed to stay at a snow hotel and the answer may surprise you. Not much. The hotels give you everything you need for a comfortable night’s sleep. Mostly this includes clean wool socks,  a sheet sack, and of course a sleeping bag rated for minus-30 degrees Celsius. The beds at snow hotels usually have normal mattresses with an extra thermal insulation layer.

Ice blocks placed around the beds make it look like you’re sleeping on ice, but you’re not. The temperature inside the snow hotel is a constant minus-4 degrees Celsius, so you do need your usual winter gear for roaming around. Bathrooms, showers, a sauna, restaurant and lounge are in a heated lodge, open all night and easily accessed from the snow hotel.

How is it to sleep in a snow hotel?
Sleeping in a snow hotel room, made completly of snow and ice, beautifully lighted and decorated, will surely give you a memorable and unique experience. Once you enter your room for the night you will be amazed. Who knew that there are so many shades of white and blue? And there is this profound silence in the whole snow hotel. And once you are into your sleeping bag you are warm as toast. 

After a hopefully good night sleep you will have coffee and breakfast in the warm restaurant. During breakfast you will also get a certificate, declaring you made it through the night. Here you also have the chance to exchange stories with your fellow overnighters and wonder if you´d ever do it again? I really hope your answer will be the same as mine – definetly yes!