Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Eye of God at Newchurch in Pendle
St. Govor’s Well.
St. Govor’s Well
Shivsrushti
Pierced domes of Hammam Seffarine.
Hammam Seffarine
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Tripe is fried to a crisp.
L’Osteria della Trippa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Rats didn’t take over the city by being foolhardy.
Do New York City Rats Deserve Their Bad Rap?
2 days ago
The Secret Gardens Saving the World’s Rarest Plants
3 days ago
Solo travel can be challenging and sometimes lonely, but it also often leads to the greatest adventures.
Dear Atlas: How Do I Unplug on a Solo Trip?
3 days ago
Museum of Friends
The Art in This Museum Was Donated for Free
3 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Colorado Estes Park Frozen Dead Guy Days

Frozen Dead Guy Days

An annual festival celebrating Colorado's most famous frozen corpse.

Estes Park, Colorado

Added By
Leslie McIntyre
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Contestants line up for the Tuff Shed Coffin Races   Jerry W. Lewis / CC BY-ND 2.0
Contestants line up for the Tuff Shed Coffin Races   Jerry W. Lewis / CC BY-ND 2.0
The Parade of Hearses   Matt Beldyk
The Parade of Hearses   Matt Beldyk
Tuff Shed - Grandpa Bredo’s home since 1995   4Neus/Flickr user
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Prior to his death, Bredo Morstoel was unknown to all but two of the good people of Nederland, Colorado. In fact, he'd never set foot in the town, but lived his entire 89 years in his native Norway, probably never once dreaming that the bizarre events precipitated by his death would ignite controversy and plant the seeds for a wild celebration thousands of miles from his home.

When Morstoel passed away in 1989, his grandson Trygve Bauge arranged to have the body shipped to Trans Time, a San Francisco-based cryonics facility where Morestoel was preserved while Trygve built his own cryonics chamber in Nederland where he lived with his mother, Aud. Trygve and Aud shared the belief, central to cryonics, that science would one day find a cure for the body's frailties, and that forward-thinking individuals would have their earthly remains preserved to await the day they could be reanimated.

Four years later, Trygve had constructed a shed designed to withstand all manner of natural and man-made disasters. He had his grandfather's body shipped to its new home where he kept it packed in a steady supply of dry ice. Despite its exceedingly low-tech methods of preservation, the rudimentary facility later attracted another client, a Chicago man taken by liver failure.

Plans to upgrade the fledgling cryonics facility came to an abrupt halt in the mid-90s when Trygve, who had been living in the United States without a visa, was deported, leaving the frozen bodies in the hands of his mother. After a flurry of town meetings and legislative action that resulted in Aud's eviction and the Chicago man being returned to his loved ones, it was decided that Morestoel's body could remain in his shed under the care of the so-called "Ice Man," Bo Shaffer, whom Trygve hired as Morestoel's caretaker. Once a month, Shaffer packed Morestoel's body with 1,600 pounds of dry ice, keeping him preserved at a constant temperature of -60 degrees Fahrenheit (though professional cryonics facilities put the ideal temperature at -321 degrees, according to Vice's Sam McPheeters). After the original shed was damaged by heavy winds in 1995, Shaffer led the call to build a new, stronger home for his frozen charge.

The commercial potential of the strange saga of Grandpa Bredo (as he's now affectionately known in Nederland) was first realized in 2002 when it was suggested as a theme for the town's upcoming spring festival. Now, over a decade later, the annual Frozen Dead Guy Days celebration continues to attract all manner of fun-loving oddballs with promises of live music, adult beverages, crazy costumes, and a wide assortment of offbeat events. Trygve, who receives a share of the proceeds from festival-led tours of Grandpa Bredo's shed, dubbed it "Cryonics' first Mardi Gras," according to the Frozen Dead Guy Days website. Popular events include Ice Turkey Bowling, the Parade of Hearses, Tuff Shed Coffin Races, frozen t-shirt contests, snowy beach volleyball, and the Salmon Toss. Perhaps one day the man himself, finally revived by medical science, will preside over the proceedings. 

Related Tags

Strange Science Wondrous Performances Rites And Rituals Festivals Catacombs And Crypts

Community Contributors

Added By

Leslie McIntyre

Edited By

kathcamp86

  • kathcamp86

Published

September 9, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.vice.com/read/the-corpse-428-v17n5
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frozen_Dead_Guy_Days
Frozen Dead Guy Days
1125 Rooftop Wy
Estes Park, Colorado, 80517
United States
40.373086, -105.504294
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Birch Ruins

Estes Park, Colorado

miles away

The Stanley Hotel

Estes Park, Colorado

miles away

Birthplace of the American Board of Orthodontics

Estes Park, Colorado

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Estes Park

Estes Park

Colorado

Places 5

Nearby Places

Birch Ruins

Estes Park, Colorado

miles away

The Stanley Hotel

Estes Park, Colorado

miles away

Birthplace of the American Board of Orthodontics

Estes Park, Colorado

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Estes Park

Estes Park

Colorado

Places 5

Related Stories and Lists

Frozen Dead Guy

Podcast

By The Podcast Team

Baby Jumping and Worm Charming: 60 of the World's Oddest Traditions

List

By Molly McBride Jacobson

100 Wonders: A Visit with a Frozen Dead Guy

mummies

By Dylan Thuras

Related Places

  • Chios Rocket War.

    Chios, Greece

    Chios Rocket War

    Two churches shoot bottle rockets at each others' bell towers in an unusual Easter celebration.

  • A monster with two smaller monsters in tow.

    Mohács, Hungary

    Busójárás

    Festival of Perpetual Life and Rebirth.

  • The Christmas Zamboni, Madrid Christmas Parade 2018

    Madrid, New Mexico

    Madrid Christmas Parade

    A ghost town revived by hippies and wanderers throws its own special brand of holiday parade.

  • El  Carnaval de la Vega. (bebeto/Atlas Obscura)

    La Vega, Dominican Republic

    El Carnaval de la Vega

    Largest pre-Lent festival in the Dominican Republic.

  • Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste, France

    Fêtes de l’Ours (Festival of the Bears)

    Take black faced bears with giant clubs, white faced barbers wielding axes, hunters armed with shotguns, and mix in a lot of drinking.

  • Floats are pulled by teams of up to 100 men

    Kyoto, Japan

    Yamaboko Festival in Kyoto - Gion Festival

    Japan's largest and oldest annual procession of floats, begun in 869.

  • Witch carving in the woods leading to the Witches’ Dance Floor.

    Thale, Germany

    Hexentanzplatz (Witches' Dance Floor)

    This enchanting mountain plateau celebrates spooky local folklore.

  • Darshan of Athi Varadar at Sri Varadharaja Perumal Temple.

    Kanchipuram, India

    Athi Varadar Idol

    An effigy of the deity emerges from a temple's water every 40 years.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.