2026 has proved to be a year of record-breaking snowfall, with Pittsburgh receiving more than 11 inches in a late January snowstorm that swept the East Coast, according to CBS News. While some hunkered down with hot chocolate and Zoom calls, other families, such as the Ashcrofts, turned to a different kind of winter hobby: enormous igloo construction.
Kari and Pete Ashcroft have proudly kept a winter tradition of building a large-scale snow fortress in their backyard since 2020. Each year, the Lebo parents have made it a personal goal to outdo themselves, along with their two sons, Thomas and Mark.
Pete, the primary engineer, grew up in Canada, where long winters and heavy snowfall were a hallmark of his childhood. He regularly built forts in his own youth and, after his sons grew old enough, decided to recreate the tradition in Mt. Lebanon.
“So the first year…Mark is 4 and Thomas is 6 and they’re tiny, so the fort is tiny,” Pete explained. “Then the next year got a little bit bigger. And the next year got even bigger. Last year was the first fort where an adult could stand up inside it, and we were pretty proud of that.”
The igloo’s height is estimated at around 8 feet, with grown adults able to stand comfortably inside. The interior features a couch, a chair and a lantern for nighttime enjoyment. With help from about a dozen neighborhood kids, ranging from third to sixth grade in the Markham area, their team has grown exponentially from past years.
“When all these kids helped, it was like a machine,” Pete said.
The fort’s construction is a serious endeavor. Thomas, Mark and Pete work together for hours each day over multiple weeks, with some neighborhood kids lending a hand. Year after year, their project has grown. This year, building began Jan. 25 and didn’t end until Feb. 9.
“Over the years, it became this massive fort,” Thomas said. “It took a lot of effort, like two hours a day. But it’s been really cool.”
Pete recalled that he knew this was a big deal when even their pizza delivery man was impressed by the monument in their yard.
“The pizza delivery folks would say, ‘You guys build some gigantic snow forts,’ and I’d say, ‘Yeah, we do,’” Pete said.
If the towering igloo wasn’t enough, the Ashcrofts also built a bobsled track snaking down their yard, mostly constructed by Thomas and a team of neighborhood friends. The track has multiple jumps and even uses a constructed cardboard boundary to avoid collisions with the house. A once-typical residential yard has transformed into a winter wonderland.
“We’re a snow-fort-building-machine family at this point,” Pete said. “This year was the best one yet.”
