Once inside, discover the sharp, clean lines of giant ice sculptures carved from ice that looks as pure as a precious stone. Then, explore the soft, warm curves of figures shaped out of the snow. The main hall at the end of the tunnel is the high point of the attraction, with dappled lighting that adds to the overall effect of absolute serenity. Be sure not to miss this unique opportunity that disappears along with the return of the summer sun.
In autumn, around the 20th November, the construction of an enormous igloo begins. 120 metres long and 3 metres high, it features a huge 20m² room. Every year, it takes 100 days of work to realise this masterpiece. It takes 10,000 m³ of high-density snow (much more compact than that used on the slopes) to build the cave. A dozen sculptors come from all over Europe each year to spend a week demonstrating their talents in the cave's twists and turns to the absolute joy of its visitors. There are only 2 such ventures realised in the entire world.
- Frédéric BEAUDOUIN: originally from Paris. One of the few sculptors in all of France who specialises in ice sculpting.
- Pierre BERNARD: a native of Annecy, sculptor in wood and stone. Pierre organises the team of sculptors.
- Gérard DUCRET: a sculptor and ski instructor in Risoul. Sculptor in wood and stone.
- Christian BURGER: from the Briançon region. Sculptor in stone, bronze and wood.
- Monik GRANDEMANGE: from the Vosges region. A faithful devotee of the ice cave. Sculptor in wood, stone and bronze.
- Marcel PIOT: from the Dévoluy mountain range, not far from Gap. Sculptor in wood and stone.
- Fernand TERRIER: from Annecy. Sculptor in bronze and stone
- Pierre CALLON: from Montpellier. Sculptor in wood and stone.
- Carina TORNATORIS: from Montpellier. Sculptor in stone and wood.
- We could also include PEPITO, Serge PILLARD, Roberto ALEXANDRIA, Philippe MENIER, Edith PIOT and many others as the sculpting team changes each year.
Working alongside this team, five diggers are charged with the very difficult and physical task of constructing the main igloo. They clear several thousand cubic metres of snow each year to prepare the site for the sculptures, the installation of electricity and flooring. Sébastien ROHRER, instructor in Arc 2000 and Jean-Claude BERGER have dedicated themselves to this task.