That is the question, isn’t it?! Should I stay in an ice hotel – snow hotel where the sleeping temperature is 17°F (-8°C)? We spent two nights at the Snowhotel in Kirkenes, Norway in February and here’s how it went for us. To note, one of us has winter camping experience and the other has not slept in a sleeping bag for 40 years (roughly). Not just for winter, sleeping in a snowhotel is available 365 at the Snowhotel in Kirkenes.
Snow What?
Even if you aren’t a Polar Explorer like Minnesota’s own Ann Bancroft, you too can travel North to sleep in the snow. The Snowhotel is a winter wonderland located high above the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway. It might be closer to the Russian border than it is to the Barents Sea. Yes, it’s that far North! A remote oasis of winter adventure.
We were spending two nights at the Snowhotel before traveling South on a Hurtigruten Cruise (More on that later). I was in love with the idea of having my 79YO Mother experience winter as I know it – with winter activities available in an accessible way… dog sledding, sauna-ing, King Crab fishing, snowshoeing, and sleeping in a bed made of ice. She was game, so off we went to the Arctic Circle. We had two nights reserved, one night in the Snowhotel, the second in the Gamma Cabins.
A Snowhotel of Snow and Ice!
The Snowhotel in Kirkenes is exactly what it sounds like… sleeping rooms literally made of snow. There’s an Ice Bar, and a dozen or so rooms artistically carved out of the ice and snow. Each room is carved with its own theme… from Zelda to Love Birds and everything in between. They don’t have to completely remake the hotel each year, but there is constant snow making during the winter months in preparation for any Summer construction.
We had the Viking Room (and he didn’t even snore!) The rooms are quite well done and I was impressed with the individual ice carvings and humorous pieces that decorated the hotel, like the Welcome Bear at Reception! Each room is well lit and the beds are formed blocks of ice with a comfy mattress to sleep. You don’t sleep directly on the ice, you sleep on a mattress – think summer camp style. (Minus the bugs!) Made with 2ft+ walls, it was so quiet inside you could hear the snow freezing! (Just kidding)
Welcome to your own snow cave?
Each reservation begins with a welcome orientation complete with warm lingonberry juice, reindeer sausage and Hjertevafler (delicious heart shaped pancakes with whipped sour cream). Next we bundled up for a tour of the Snowhotel. First stop of course is the Ice Bar, where shot glasses made of ice waited for us with more lingonberry juice! Our guide led us through the hotel to the Restaurant where our gear was waiting for us.
We were led though the basics of layering with our own clothes and adding the sleeping gear that is provided: sleeping bag, balaclava, thick wool socks and sheet liner. After dinner we trotted off to our rooms bundled with gear.
Did we make it through the night?
Happy to report we did stay in our room for the night. We left dinner about 9:30 and stayed in our room until 6 am. In the morning, I think my Mother RAN to the main lodge area and immediately took a hot shower and got a cup of hot coffee. Not sure in what order.
For myself, it was a typical winter camping night out. Half sleeping, half wondering why my left cheek was cold, and questioning if I should get up and go pee but arguing against it because I would get cold. I wouldn’t say I slept well, but I think if I wasn’t worried about my Mother, and her comfort, I might have slept better.
In hindsight, I should have practiced getting into the sleeping bag in the warm room with Mom. She hadn’t slept in a sleeping bag in 40 years and it takes a bit of futzing to get a 79YO body into a bag after it has been a bit. Lessons learned for next time!
All that being said, she loves being able to tell her girlfriends about her Snowhotel in Kirkenes adventure! “You slept where?!”
Tips for a successful night in the Snowhotel
- Hydrate before dinner, and take care not to drink too much wine with dinner (they have amazing options). This will prevent a midnight run to the bathroom (back in the main lodge) and having to warm your sleeping bag up again.
- Don’t overdress or underdress in your sleeping bag. Go for Goldilocks. I was perfectly warm in my woolies, hat and gloves and socks. The sleeping bags are rated to -30F and are plenty warm.
- Wear your jacket and boots to your room. Remove your jacket and put underneath (or even inside) your sleeping bag. You won’t need to sleep in it.
- Don’t psych yourself out over this. I think my partner had more fears than she let on and did not have as much fun as I did.
- Talk through all the scenarios. Breathe, its only one night! Have fun, take lots of photos, and there are options if you need to call it quits at 1 am. But you have gotten this far for this is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure and it is so worth it!
- P.S. The sauna the next morning is AH-mazing! Enjoy!
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