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The Arctic Circle
and the Original House Made of Ice
By Rita Cook
No two people will express their feelings about Sweden's Ice Hotel in
the same way. It will affect each person differently. From the rooms,
all designed and creatively carved of ice by international artists, to
the hotel itself melting away every year as the thaw sets in, the unique
experience of the Ice Hotel is that you will never experience it again,
in that same way.
But that is now, what about then, as in when it all began?
It began meagerly 14 years ago - one room. The 2004 season boasted 50-rooms
with 5,000 square metres built of 30,000 tons of snow and 4,000 tons of
ice. Best described as a fairy-tale like experience, you enter the ice
hotel through reindeer-skin covered doors. Inside, in addition to the
rooms, there is a reception area, hall of pillars, Iceart exhibition,
Absolut Icebar, Icehotel cinema and an Icechurch. In the evening guests
gather in the Icebar before going to bed for a drink "in the rocks"
- iceglasses taken straight from the ice of the River Torne.
Icehotel is located in the village of Jukkasjarvi, 160 miles north of
the Arctic Circle. Every year in October the artists and local villagers,
most from the Sami tribe in the area, begin to build the new ice hotel,
which opens in mid-December. Snow canons and front loaders start by forming
the snow over the steel sections that are the main structure of the Icehotel.
Sections are moved around and replaced by ice pillars put in place to
give support to the snow arches.
 In
December the exterior is complete, molded and created as in years past
and then the interior work begins. As the artists create their masterpieces,
each hotel room and suite is representative of the artist's unique dream.
Colors play as important a role as the design. Soft reds, blues, yellows
and green line the rooms, each boasting a unique sculpture, window design,
or interior decoration, candles stand in corners lighting the way to a
simplicity unlike you have ever known.
As night creeps into the Icehotel the sound is silence. In this land of
the Northern Lights you can truly imagine a world where anything is possible.
When you spend the night in the Icehotel you will sleep on a large slab
of ice covered with reindeer hides. In addition, each person is given
an ultra-warm sleeping bag and most people remark how "warm"
they felt during the night even though the temperature is usually a steady
five degrees below zero, however nothing compared to the winter temperatures
outside, which can dip much lower.
Depending on when you visit, there's a good chance you won't get the daylight
this far north. I was there opening week and saw about two hours of low
light before it grew dark again. This alone gives you the magical feel
of being in another world. Everything is by the light of the moon with
the snow glistening to shed an otherworldly light.
 Most
people stay at the Icehotel for two or three nights, but you will only
spend one night in the actual Icehotel and the additional nights in the
Scandinavian bungalows also on the property.
If you're lucky you will experience the Northern Lights, more spectacular
here than anywhere else on earth. The Sami people of the area call them
"the lights that can be heard" their glow in the darkness leaves
a magical aura creating a feeling of eternity.
The best way to get to the Ice Hotel is by dog sled from the airport in
Kiruna. Nothing compares to the sound of packed ice and the panting of
the dogs as they glide across the frozen lake to their destination. An
excellent way to explore the wilderness of the Arctic, forests and trees
glide by as you become one with the dogs and the frozen world around you.
 For
More Information:
Icehotel
SE-981 91 Jukkasjarvi, Sweden
+46 980 668 00
www.icehotel.com
Prices: Rooms start at SEK 1780 - single, SEK 1980 - double
Photos by A. Anthony Mastracchio
Related Pages:
Rita Cook is the editor-in-chief
of Insider Magazine and enjoys spending her time traveling on freelance
assignments as well. Living in Los Angeles, Cook is also a film producer
who currently has a film in development, "The Kiss of the Vampire."
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