Did you know that people called Inuits once lived in houses made of snow? What other things helped Inuits live in the cold?

How are the ice blocks of igloos so perfectly formed and fitted, and able, it’s been said, to withstand the weight of a polar bear? How can you determine if the fresh snow that’s fallen outside your front door is as good for making a slab shelter as a snowman? What is a slab shelter, anyway? For that matter, what are drift caves, spruce traps, snow block walls, and bivy bag shelters, and how would you go about building them, whether for winter fun or protection from the weather? In this instructive, whimsical, illustrated manual, Norbert E. Yankielun, a seasoned cold-regions explorer and researcher, takes readers step-by-step through the process of constructing and inhabiting a range of useful snow structures—from the most basic to the more complex. Whether you’re a veteran backcountry skier or a backyard builder, this is one book you won’t want to be without.

Describes how an igloo is constructed and the role it plays in the lives of the Eskimo people. Also discusses many other aspects of Eskimo culture that have helped them adapt to life in the Arctic.