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FARMINGTON — Armed with plastic drawers from a four-drawer storage rolling cart, two ladders and a snow machine, three brothers and a host of friends built an igloo in their front yard — fully equipped with power.
Mitchell Adams, 17 and Tim Mason, 17, saw an opportunity to build something bigger than their usual ski jump after January's storms left them with an iced-over ski ramp and plenty of snow. The teens decided an igloo was the best way to take advantage of the fresh powder.
"My kids love to ski and they love ski jumps, so really, this whole thing originated because every year for the last three or four years, they build a ski jump in our yard," Allyson Adams, Mitchell's mom said.
The teens involved the younger Adams boys: Jake, 15, and Austin, 12, both helped work on the project.
It didn't take long for the whole neighborhood to catch the spirit. Kids from neighboring houses would come help for a little while; Mitchell's friends would drive over after school to help as well.
"After about halfway, it sort of became a mission," Allyson said.
The "thick-blooded" boys used to skiing spent most of their spare time in the last few weeks outside molding bricks and laying them on top of each other.
Before they finished, they even thought to lay an extension cord down in the snow to the inside of the igloo.
"The igloo has power," Allyson said.
They finished it earlier this week. Completed, the igloo measured 9 feet tall and 10 feet wide, with a little extra square footage tacked on by the entry. The entry connects to the ski ramp, which is about 10 feet tall. A black PVC pipe sticks out at the top — a chimney, Allyson said.
Once inside, the outside noise is gone. The foot or so of snow making up the walls blocks any sounds from the interior. Using the extension cord, the boys have plugged in a lamp — the glow of which you can see from outside — and placed some lawn chairs around so they can sit, though it's tall enough to stand.
Friday night, Austin had a birthday party, part of which took place in the igloo. Later that night, Allyson said the boys planned to sleep in it.
