Montreal father makes backyard igloo that won't collapse
When Éric Villiard's two young boys started building igloos in the family's backyard, it stirred a terrifying memory from his childhood.
Villiard was crushed under a snow fort he built when he was 10. Luckily, his father was watching and rushed out to save him.
Thirty years later, Villiard has come up with a way to prevent his own children from being buried in the snow.
"My oldest one was making some tunnels in the snow banks. I didn't like it. No parent likes that," said Villiard.
"So I came up with the idea of having a plastic structure that has the form of an igloo, that you just pile in the snow, and it's safe for the children to play inside."
Villiard spent two years building his igloo prototype in his garage. It's made of strong polyurethane, which he says can support up to half a ton of snow.
Finding the money to manufacture his creation wasn't easy. He created a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to reproduce the igloos.
After only two months, Villiard raised more than $300,000. Everything is made in Quebec, prompting the provincial agency Investissement Québec to help with funding.
More than 1,500 Play Snow igloos have been sold across Quebec and Canada, at $200 each.
"It comes from my heart. It's a legitimate project," said Villiard.
"To see the reaction, not only with the kids but with the parents, it makes me really, really proud as a father."
Villiard has big plans for his Play Snow company.
The next step is to produce tunnels and a castle that connect with the igloo, so kids can create a whole igloo village in their backyards, without the danger of it collapsing.
"The parents are worry free when they see their kids making igloos now, so it's a good thing," says Villiard.
For more information on the igloo structures, go to playsnow.ca.
