Tech Tips - Building Snow Shelters
Tech Tips - Building Snow Shelters by
From: Bill Rhodes
Anywhere the snowpack is sufficently
deep, you can probably build a snow cave.The snow should be consolidated
enough so that it does not collapse as you dig. Sometimes a steep area
will have plenty of snow at the bottom, even if it's just the steep face
of a boulder. Dig into the side of a snow mound rather than into the front,where
the snow deposits. Also, be careful not to dig in at the bottom of an avalanche
slope.
If the snow is the right
consistency, the best way to dig a cave is to cut blocks and remove them.
The best tool for a snow cave is a snow saw or a pruning saw (or machete,
bayonet, et cetera). Next best is a shovel. Or use anything that will work.
How to build: Start
low on the snow drift and dig a hole straight in about three feet in diameter.
Turn up at about a 45 degree angle for another three feet, then dig straight
in again and start enlarging the area in front of you. Poke 1 foot long
sticks into the outside of the snow mound. That way when you're digging
it out, you can tell when the roof is 1 foot thick.
Angling up at 45 degrees
before you dig inward will make your sleeping platform higher than the
air inlet, so you will be in the higher, warmer air. Dig out enough to
make a shelf for your waterproof groundcloth, foam pad and sleeping bag.
If neccessary, you can create a wide enough area for two or more people.
Form an inner dome by carving
the snow overhead. This will give the cave needed strength. Smooth the
overhead snow dome as well as you can to prevent dripping. Make a hole
in the roof with a stick or ski pole for ventillation. If you intend to
use a stove or make a small fire, create the vent hole right above where
the stove or fire will be. The vent should be about two inches wide, in
use it will widen by melting some of the snow around it. Make sure the
cave opening is large enough to admit sufficient air for the cave occupant(s)
and the fire. You can carve a few small shelves for items you want to keep
handy.
The smaller the snow cave,
the warmer it will be. Larger caves with interconnecting chambers are for
fun times. Caves just large enough to hold its occupants huddled together
are the most appropriate for emergencies.
Now some more words from me....
I agree with practically everything he says here. The only things I would add is to remember that if you use a candle lantern it is also a fire -as I found out as it tumbled out through the hole it melted in my wall once! and be sure to take your digging tools INTO the cave with you, as you never know when you will have to dig out of the thing. Likewise keep your ski pole /walking stick in the cave to keep the top vent open, it would really suck if that froze over somehow. Also, you have to block off the entrance at night to reduce air flow, but not enough to stop it. This is eaiser said than written, believe me, when you are in there, you will see!
Other than that, in a non survival situation, there is no greater fun than messing about with snow caves. I try to build one every winter as early as possible in an out of way place and use it again and again if I can.
There are other options for using snow as a shelter if the snow is not right, ranging from trenches to igloos. I am also sure there are other books which cover this, I just like this one. Got it at REI.
If there is anything else I can do to help, let me know.
From: Paul Wake
Are there techniques other than building with bricks?
- Yes, and it's a lot simpler
than trying to make an igloo. It's called a quinzee (this spelling
is wrong; I'm too lazy to look up the right spelling). If you can put a
tall, thin pole in the ground to mark the middle of the pile, you might
do so. Then pile snow up (use a snowshovel). It's work, so be careful about
sweating too much in the cold,or you'll get cold. Once you have a big pile
(how big depends on how big a shelter you want), let it set for awhile.
Then take some thin sticks(if you have some about) and poke them into the
sides of the pile just afew inches, all around, so that the pile looks
sort of like a porcupine.
Then dig a tunnel into it
from the bottom of one side, to the center pole f you used on, and start
hollowing it out. You'll know when the wall is about the right thickness
when you reach the inside end of the little sticks you've stuck in the
pile (you'll also know when you see a blue glow in the walls from the
outside light); you don't want to make the walls too thin or burrow
right out. Try to keep the inside as smooth as possible, so water drips
less. Take out the center pole and remove all the ridiculous looking sticks
from the outside. You might well want to carefully punch a ventilation
hole in the roof. If you want, you can shape a little entrance tunnel,
plan the structure so the doorway is below the level of the surrounding
snow, or so forth.
A way to do the whole process
faster is to pile up a bunch of gear and then pile the snow on top of the
gear; when you dig into the pile, you'll pull out the gear, leaving an
open space there and requiring less overall snow throwing.
A good structure should last
for days even in relatively warm weather (over time it slowly slumps
down and outward, in sort of a very slow fluid manner (which, of course,
it is). In really cold weather I'd think it would last much longer;
pretty good for a simple pile-and-dig-out structure! It's kind of fun just
to build one out in the yard after a big snowfall and just let the kids
play in it.
