Igloo Ed
by Katherine Weadley
(published in the Lyons Recorder Newspaper, Dec. 27, 2007)

On the north face of Long's peak, a 14,000 foot mountain, two Lyons men build an igloo in the dark. Although they are cold they will be warm and out of the wind soon in a permanent structure they built themselves. It looks like child’s play but this structure is the difference between life and death for them this night.

"It's better than a tent," said Tom Woods, a patent attorney and avid mountaineer. Woods and Ed Huesers, known by most as "Igloo Ed," met in the online "14ers.com" forum. With four others they organized a climb to the north face of Longs Peak just after Christmas. "It's one of the easier winter routes, but it's a technical climb. We had four people including Igloo Ed, Kevin from Nederland, Ryan from Taos, N.M. and myself. With the recent snowfall the avalanche danger became too great and two people dropped out and then it was just me and Igloo Ed," said Woods.

Igloo Ed and Woods left Lyons Wednesday night and drove up to Rocky Mountain National Park. From there they snow-shoed in and several hours later they had built a two person igloo with the “Icebox.” It is a device that Igloo Ed invented, manufactures and distributes internationally. "An igloo resists wind, it's warmer and you can stand up in it. It's a much better shelter. If you were moving every night building an igloo is a kooky idea, but it's ideal for a base camp," said Woods. "If you need a bed or a table you just build one out of snow," he said.

This is Igloo Ed's 10th year of marketing his igloo-making-device called the "Icebox." Although the biggest market for the Icebox is families, the Icebox was initially developed for mountaineers. "It's popular for families in the backyard. Once you build an igloo it can last three months," said Igloo Ed. Winter campers, fishermen and hunters also use this device. According to Igloo Ed the Icebox weighs only five pounds and is much lighter than a four season tent.

For hunters, according to Igloo Ed, the Icebox "extends their reach.” Hunters can carry the igloo kit into the forest, build the igloo and have a quick, easy base camp that blends in with the environment. The tent takes about three hours to build according to Igloo Ed. "It's easier to build an igloo in the daytime than at night," jokes Woods.

According to Woods the igloo actually traps heat. “You can build a door in the wall but the best thing to do is build a tunnel to get outside. The tunnel traps even more heat because naturally, heat rises," said Igloo Ed. The other advantage to an igloo over a tent, according to Igloo Ed is that the igloo is almost windproof. "A tent can get shredded or blown down in high mountain winds. You don't even notice the wind in an igloo," he said. Another perk to the igloo kit, according to Woods is "You can make an igloo out of any kind of snow. It doesn't have to be ideal igloo-making-snow. Any snow will work."

Winter camping is part of Woods' training for a Denali climb. Also known as Mt. McKinley, Denali is in Alaska and at 20,320 feet it's the highest mountain on the North American continent. "I don't go winter camping recreationally, only for training," said Woods. He plans his Denali ascent for the spring of 2009 with his friend Carl Schwappach of Minnesota, also a patent attorney and Dr. Bill David of Boston, one of the leading authorities on Lou Gehrig's disease. As part of their training for their Denali ascent they plan a winter ascent of Mt. Rainier in the state of Washington in March of 2008. In November they plan to ascent Aconcagua in Argentina. "It's the highest peak in the world outside the Himalaya," said Woods.

Like Woods, Igloo Ed is a mountaineer. "I've pretty much done all the peaks along the Front Range. The first time I climbed Longs Peak was in 1977. I don't do any indoor gym climbing," said Igloo Ed. He's also climbed Mount Temple in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. He's climbed Gannett Peak, the highest peak in Wyoming. Due to its remoteness, difficulty and lack of accessibility Gannett is considered a mountaineering challenge.

Igloo Ed's Icebox igloo-making-device retails for about $170 and can be found in stores internationally. All of the Recreational Equipment Incorporated (REI) stores carry it as well as Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder, Jax in Ft. Collins or Backcountry Escapes in Longmont. "I've also got distributors in places such as Norway and Austria. I also sell a lot of Iceboxes in Minnesota," said Igloo Ed.

While Woods is planning an ascent of Denali Igloo Ed's next goal is building an igloo on top of Longs Peak. He also plans a ten night, 32 mile loop climb in the Grand Tetons of Wyoming with four igloo sites this spring. Igloo Ed has lived in Lyons since 1977. "Climbers are independent folk. I don't know a lot of climbers in Lyons. But I like living in Lyons. I like the slow life," said Igloo Ed.