"Ice that grows in height is of no interest to us. We want it to grow downwards. That’s how we get the crystal-clear ice that has become the signature of ICEHOTEL," says Alf Kero, who manages ICEHOTEL Production.
The slow, natural freeze-in gives the Torne River ice unique properties that cannot be created artificially, for example, with common tap water. Ice from the Torne River is perfectly crystal-clear and completely free from bubbles and cracks. And, thanks to its pristine natural source, 200 km north of the Arctic Circle, it is also free of pollutants. This results in high-quality ice that is ideal for sculpting and building. Since it is natural and contains no additives, it makes superb ice for drinks.
"We harvest ice from mid-March until mid- April. By then, the ice is about 80 centimetres thick. We use machines and custom-made tools that have been specially designed for our specific requirements. Each year, we learn something new and refine the technology successively. The operations at ICEHOTEL are constantly developing," explains Alf.
The ice field is divided into a grid pattern that marks the size of the ice blocks. Then, the difficult task of sawing out and lifting the heavy blocks from the river begins. Beneath the ice, the wild river rushes. The tractors must not be too heavy and the drivers have to know exactly what they are doing, so the machines don’t end up in the frigid water.
Each ice block weighs two tonnes. The top surface layer is sawn off. The ice is then sorted in two classes: crystal-clear, for example, for ice glasses and dishes, and ice that is veiled, which is used for sculpting.
"The drawings and ideas for the next year’s ICEHOTEL are usually ready by January. ICEHOTEL Production works in close consultation with the architects and artists. At harvest time, the artists are curious about the quality of the ice.
We can see that the ice has different properties, depending on temperature and The ice field is divided into a grid marking the size of the ice blocks. It definitely varies from year to year. Long periods with temperatures below minus twenty degrees are favourable for the raw material," says Alf.
The ice is then stored at about -5°C until the coming autumn and will be used in next season’s version of ICEHOTEL.
ICEHOTEL borrows only a marginal amount of water in frozen form each year from the mighty Torne River. Watch the flowing river for a minute, right where it passes Jukkasjärvi, and the equivalent of the annual ‘water loan’ for ICEHOTEL passes before your eyes.
Most of it is returned to the eco-cycle when spring arrives and ICEHOTEL melts silently back into the river again.