Midnight Sun to Keep IceHotel Open Year-Round

IceHotel
(Image credit: IceHotel)

The IceHotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, is a destination for the hot-blooded — or anyone, for that matter, who thinks sleeping on a block of ice sounds cozy.

Normally, the hotel is constructed in winter out of ice cut from a the Torne Riverand then left to melt as the temperatures outside turn to spring.

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But now, thanks to the midnight sun that shines all day long over the Arctic landscape, the IceHotel's sister, the IceHotel 365, will be open as many days as its name suggests.

The new hotel will built from river ice just like its sister, but will use solar-powered refrigeration to keep the frozen walls from melting.

"...we'll be able to produce roughly 75 kilowatts from April to September, which gives us an energy surplus that we can use to run our existing buildings, like our restaurants, offices and warm rooms," said founder Yngve Bergqvist in a press release

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Nine luxury suites, each with a sauna and bathroom, will accommodate guests brave enough to strip naked in freezing temperatures. An ice bar will serve chilled champagne and an ice gallery will present works of art.

Guests will be able to take year-round advantage of local activities, including dogsledding, watching the northern lights or taking a boat trip on the river — all beneath the light of the midnight sun. 

Originally published on Discovery News.

Tracy Staedter
Live Science Contributor
Tracy Staedter is a science journalist with more than 20 years of experience. She has worked as an editor for Seeker, Discovery, MIT Technology Review, Scientific American Explorations, Astronomy and Earth and authored the children’s science book, Rocks and Minerals, part of the Reader’s Digest Pathfinders series. In 2013, she founded the Boston-based writing workshop Fresh Pond Writers.