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travel / adventure / guides / winter 2005
| Travel & Adventure Guides |
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BY NATALIE ST-DENIS
ILLUSTRATIONS: MARY READ (www.maryread.com)
Inuit certainly had it right when it came to building winter shelters for people on the move. The igloo, the Taj Mahal of snow shelters, exemplifies everything that makes these structures work. The only material required
is snow, which is usually abundant in wilderness backcountry. Its construction
calls for a minimum of tools — a shovel
and a saw — which lightens the load for campers and hikers. It's far superior to a
tent for protecting you from wind, water
and sound, even during gale-force storms. Most important, it's warm. The typical temperature inside a snow shelter is 0°C, regardless of the temperature outside. Add
a few candles, and the chill in the air is gone.
While building the traditional igloo calls for
lots of practice, snow shelters that are less technically
demanding and are suitable for short-term use can
be equally effective. The amount of snow and its
texture will dictate the design of your shelter.
But the three we describe here — the quinzhee, the snow cave and the trench shelter — will introduce you to the art of shovelling, cutting and stacking your way to a happy, snowy abode.
Knowing how to build a snow shelter can be a
lifesaver for the backcountry enthusiast. After
a full day of activities, there's nothing like retiring to a cosy snow home. If you're a weekend winter camper, this is a fun-filled activity for you and your kids.
INSIDER'S TIPS
- Choose a location away from
hazardous areas. Steer clear of
avalanche slopes, which could bury
you alive.
- Dig the entrance tunnel perpendicular
to prevailing winds to avoid drift.
- Try to keep the level of the shelter
floor one metre above the entrance
tunnel to contain warm air.
- Level the shelter floor and sleep areas for a comfortable, non-slip sleep.
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CHECK IT OUT
For more information on building snow shelters, take a look at: Mountaineering:
The Freedom of the Hills (7th edition),
edited by Steven M. Cox and Kris Fulsaas, The Mountaineers (2003).
Snow
Caves for Fun & Survival, Ernest Wilkinson, Johnson Books (1992).
Quinzhee |
Snow Cave |
Trench Shelter
QUINZHEE
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The quinzhee can be made out of any kind
of snow, even if it's only 15 centimetres
deep. You start with a
mound of snow, from which you sculpt
the interior. It's a simple structure to build,
but you'll have some downtime while the exterior solidifies.
Step 1. Clear a two-to-three-metre-diameter
circular foundation. Dig to bare
ground or to a solid layer of snow.
Step 2. Return the removed snow and
any available surrounding snow to the
circle, heaping it into a dome-shaped
pile up to two metres high at the centre.
Be sure to mix the snow, compact it and
break up any hard pieces.
Step 3. Insert ski poles or branches into
the mound at regular intervals to a
depth of 30 centimetres.
Step 4. Wait two to three hours for the
snow crystals to bond together.
Step 5. Excavate an entrance tunnel,
then remove snow from the interior of
the dome to sculpt a chamber with 30-
centimetre-thick walls, using the tips of
the ski poles or branches as guides.
Step 6. Use any loosened snow to
construct an elevated sleeping platform.
Step 7. Seal the tunnel entrance with a
nylon pack.
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INSIDER'S TIPS
- Create a dome-shaped roofline inside the shelter
for added strength.
- Excavate snow by cutting blocks, rather than scraping
or shovelling it away.
It's faster, easier and gives you additional
building materials for details on your
snow home. The ideal size for a snow block is one
metre long by 50 centimetres
wide by 20 centimetres thick.
- Smooth the surface of the inside walls to prevent
drips.
- Build walls at least 30 centimetres thick. They
provide warmth, absorb moisture
and are stronger.
- Always punch a ski-pole hole into the roof of
the shelter for ventilation.
- You'll want a foam sleeping pad and a good
winter sleeping bag to keep you
toasty overnight.
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SNOW CAVE
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The snow cave requires about two metres of deep
snow and is easy to build in a compacted snowdrift,
which you'll usually find on the lee side of
a wind-exposed ridge.
Step 1. At the base of the drift, clear a chamber
approximately two metres high, one metre wide and
one metre forward into the drift. Cut out large blocks
with your saw (see Insider's Tips), and set
them aside for later use.
Step 2. Excavate a dome-shaped room by digging into
the drift in all directions, starting one metre beyond
the tunnel entrance.
Step 3. To reduce the size of the tunnel entrance
by half, lean some reserved snow blocks against each
other to form an arch.
Step 4. Fill any gaps above the arch with
snow blocks and loose snow.
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TRENCH SHELTER
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The trench shelter is quick to construct and provides
lots of room without too much laborious shovelling.
It does, however, require a bit more technique than
the other two structures. You can successfully build
this shelter in a drift or wherever there is at least
one metre of packed snow.
Step 1. Excavate a pit into the snow two metres long,
half a metre wide and one metre deep.
Step 2. As you are digging, be sure to cut blocks
out of the trench (see Insider's Tips) and
reserve them for later.
Step 3. Once the digging is complete, lean pairs
of blocks against each other to form
an A-frame roof over the trench. Be sure to close
the back end. To fit the roofing blocks together
tightly, you may need to shave the corner ends. Fill
any cracks with loose snow.
Step 4. Smooth the inside walls and roof blocks into
a dome shape, and compact any loose snow into a sleeping
platform or remove it from the trench.
Step 5. Create a low tunnel entrance by digging down
at the front to a level beneath the depth of the
trench floor. From there, excavate a tunnel into
the trench. |
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