Love of ice sculpting leads Alberta couple to design room in Icehotel

A couple from Red Deer took ice carving to the next level when  they travelled to Sweden to design a hotel room made entirely of snow.

Alberta sculptors Dawn Detarando and Brian McArthur from Red Deer told the Calgary Eyeopener on Wednesday that the Icehotel in Jukkasjarvi puts out an open call every year to artists all over the world.

After being chosen to help create one of the 15 ice rooms that will be rented out this season, the two seized the opportunity. 

The hotel room that the two artists specifically designed — which McArthur says is about 35 feet by 15 feet — was named "Feline Lair."

He describes it as a jungle theme since it's covered with figures of cats, birds, leaves and flowers — all of which are carved straight from ice.

"I kind of wanted to portray that and take you almost away from the snow in a way and contrast the two kinds of worlds," he said.

Upon entry, the couple says, you are greeted by an ice cat that lights your way into the interior bedroom, while a much larger cat lies stoically at the base of your bed.

The room comes with a couch, side tables, a headboard made out of ice and a double bed covered in reindeer hide.

The couple says that despite the temperature dipping to –17 C outside, the rooms were still cozy, like "winter camping."

"We were having to shovel snow out and bring it out in wheelbarrows," said Detarando. "When we would return back to our room, I'd comment to Brian that even though we'd been freezing minutes before, I would say how warm this room is."

How it's created

Detarando and McArthur explain that the hotel is constructed by big machines that collect and make snow. 

"They start to create the hotel in March. They harvest the ice out of the Torne River (a river in northern Sweden and Finland) and they stockpile it for the upcoming season," said McArthur.

"They have snow-makers and they collect piles of snow and then they start to blow them over large metal forms," he said.

The couple relates the process to building an igloo, and that once the structure of the hotel was ready, large ice blocks were placed into the room for them to chip away at.

"It's a really fun medium, you can create something really large," said McArthur. "It's really ephemeral. It only lasts for a short time but that's kind of a nice beautiful thing about it.

By the end of December, the hotel is ready to be rented out.

Do you have what it takes?

Detarando says the two became snow carvers several years ago after entering a ice sculpting competition at the Festival du Voyageur in Winnipeg.

Detarando and McArthur are OK that their creation will eventually melt away.

"It's very reductive and it's a good process to go through and then you take some good pictures and you have those memories and you let it go," said Detarando.

The artists add that they're just happy thousands of people will come and enjoy their work, and that not only will hotel guests see the ice carving, but civilians are allowed to venture through the hotel daily.

Would you ever stay in a hotel made out of ice? Tells us in the comments below!