The Ice Cabin Rosa is right at home on Lake Winnipeg's winter beauty By: Shel Zolkowich  Posted: 7:00 PM CST Friday, Mar. 5, 2021

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This article was published 04/03/2021 (1395 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

“She walks in beauty like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies…”

— Lord Byron

Her name is Rosa and as one of her builders says, she stands proud on the lake.

It seems a disservice to call Rosa an ice fishing shack. And for the record, she is in fact that, with a single hole accessible from her interior. But one glimpse of her resting on Lake Winnipeg’s ice near Riverton hints that she may be more. Much more. She was named for a beloved great aunt who bore a robust sense of adventure.

The 280-square-foot cabin boasts a striking A-frame silhouette with sharp dormers, floor-to-ceiling windows and a bold blue-and-white striped roofline. Inside she’s no less impressive, with modern rustic furnishings, craftsman-quality woodwork and a stop-you-in-your-tracks suspended woodstove.

“I think it’s about time we celebrate winter here,” said her creator, Mark Myrowich. “I see the lake, its ice and vastness, its stillness and voice, as truly beautiful and I wanted to experience it in a comfortable way.”

A trip to Iceland last year with its tiny homes and farm stays inspired Myrowich to get to work knocking off at least one item from his bucket list.

“I thought about the concept of the ice hotels, but those have been done, so I wanted to do something a bit different, but that still celebrated winter.”

The Icelandic side of his Ukrainian/Icelandic heritage holds a love for all things Viking, including the annual encampment at Gimli as part of the Islendingadagurinn, the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba. Their temporary tents evoked a sense of adventure and exploration, he said.

“Plus COVID has made us turn our attention to what we have locally instead of seeking for things afar. It was really a culmination of things that led to this build,” he said.

Myrowich took his scribbles and ideas to Winnipeg architect Wojtek Rzeszowski of Voitec Architecture who added a few twists and truly brought his vision to life. He then enlisted the help of two expert local builders and in seven weeks, Rosa was complete.

Her list of attributes is long but Myrowich says three stand out for him.

“The way she looks on the ice is really something. Her angles match the jagged edges of the ice and her colours parallel the ice, snow and sky,” he said.

Myrowich is also thrilled with the exterior of Baltic birch, from Russia, with its uniform warmth and smoothness.

Inside, it’s that wood-burning stove, suspended by chains, that catches everyone’s eye. “It started off being a practical consideration that quickly turned into a wicked design feature,” he said.

Myrowich purchased a stove from Montreal’s Cubic Mini Woodstoves, products that are often used in tiny homes. “We wanted to keep it off the floor for safety so we had to raise it up somehow. The team from Ventrix Heating & Ventilation in Arborg quickly came up with the idea of chains, and it did the trick,” he said.

Rosa’s interior includes a pair of sofas, a comfortable bed, loft and worktable, all framed by those soaring windows offering unparalleled views of Lake Winnipeg’s sunsets and dancing aurora borealis. Myrowich sheepishly admits that neither he nor girlfriend Julie Rzesauskas fishes, so time spent in the ice cabin is for reading, relaxing and creating snow art — another of Myrowich’s passions.

This winter is dedicated to testing Rosa’s limits with the ultimate goal of opening her up for rentals in the next ice season. In fact, Myrowich would love to see an entire village of Rosa look-alikes with people gathering around a communal dining space, enjoying a walleye dinner prepared by a chef and gazing to the heavens to enjoy the stars and spectacles, enjoying an on-site sauna, then tucking in to their individual luxury cabins. An encampment, just like the Vikings.

But fear not if you’ve already fallen in love with Rosa. Once the ice season comes to an end, she’ll make the journey to Myrowich’s farm south of Riverton, where she’ll be offered for overnight, off-the-grid accommodations. There may even be a sunrise boat ride on the agenda, along with freshly roasted local coffee, the Iceland treat vinarterta and a walleye dinner delivered right to Rosa’s door.

shel@shelzolkewich.com