Snow Hole

[some like it cold]

When i went to Sweden this february we made a snow hole to sleep in for one of the survival nights. Basically piled up a load of snow on the first few days waited for it to settle and freeze then excavated it. Im taking my lad to Canada in january and would like to do the same (albeit on a smaller scale as ours held 18) but was reading somewhere you can only do it with certain types of snow can anyone shed any light on this or give any useful hints/resources for ice hole/ iglu construction

 

[alecf]

I was trying to build an igloo yesterday and it seemed after a while the snow got too crumbly and it was getting harder to cut blocks that don't crumble as I pick em up or wedge em in place. Some of blocks I forgot to use and came back to a while later were much stronger and had that satisfying 'polystyrene' sound

 

[timboggle]

Aye mate, there are many types of snow and a form of shelter method for all of them, even when the snow is too crumbly to build with, then you're only option maybe to build a 'grave' trench type hole just to get out of the wind/weather.

Some examples below, though I do prefer a good old internal platformed shelter in the bottom picture - much warmer

 

[gowersponger]

dont no if i would risk takeing my boys in one i made over night

 

[Mikey P]

Nice place, Ged!

Snow-holing is generally done in existing drifts - you don't tend to build the drift yourself first as snow holes are often used as quick (well, fairly quick...) temporary shelters.

The type of shelter you built in Sweden has a name (which I conveniently forget ...) and is necessary for fine powder snow which would otherwise collapse (like sand) when you dug into it.

Timboggle's snow-hole is dug into good, consolidated snow, that has probably been lying there for a while and so has compacted. This becomes much stronger and more supportive. It's the same process as you did by piling powder snow and leaving it for a while so most of the air gets squeezed out.

Snowholes are excellent when made properly and are usually much warmer than outside. Just the heat of a couple of people and a stove will often raise the temperature considerably.

In Canada, look for deep drifts of consolidated snow (not fresh powder). Ensure they are out of avalanche zones and enjoy!

You can live in a snow hole for days/weeks if necessary but you have to do a bit of housekeeping. My top tips would be: ensure ventilation (see the walking pole in Timboggle's luxurious cave - keeps vent open), construct a 'cold well' below the sleeping platforms to sink cold air, and keep the ceiling as smooth as possible (helps prevent drips).

 

[Melonfish]

so who's up for building an Ice hotel?

 

[forestwalker]

They are called quinchies. If the temps are low enough -- say below -10 C at least -- they are quite safe. Just throw up a pile of snow, making sure to pat it down as you go, and then leave it alone (anything from a few hours to a day or two; longer times in higher temps).If you push shoirt sticks into the pile (about 20-30 cm) you can tell when you get close to the edge when excavating. When it has hardened start excavating.

For an igloo you need hard packed snow. I have once built one by compressing snow as for a quinchie, allow it to harden and then cutting with a saw.

Once we have a bit more snow -- we only have about 30 cm here yet -- I'll make a quinchie and sleep in it with the kids. They are perfectly safe unless it gets very warm and they start melting.

 

[Everything Mac]

cool! i like it.

 

[Ex Member - Sidney Bounty]

The Inuit, Aivilik and Igloolik languages have over 30 words for snow

 

[Sleepy Weasel]

Lived in one for 4 days in the Finse area of Norway a couple of years ago

We did get the temperature up to 4 degrees with 4 burners going, but the roof started to melt.
Advice on living in snowholes, IMHO is;
Use a good sleeping mat.
Use a good sleeping bag.
Use a bivvi bag to keep your sleeping bag dry.
Don't breath into your bivvi bag, or sleeping bag, your breath will condense and wet it.
Ventilation holes are a must! best case scenario is you get a screaming headache, worst case you don't wake up.
Eat lots, drink lots of warm drinks, you need the calories to keep warm.
Use a candle to heat the interior, and to monitor the ventilation. When the candle goes out, open the ventilation holes up!

Our so called expert chose the frozen lake surface to build the snowcave on, bad move as there was nowhere for the cold air to sink away from us, so we had a fairly cold time of it. We should have taken our cue from the Norwegian Mountain Rescue who were building theirs further up the mountain.

I reckon we had about a metre of snow above us for the roof and that supported our weight, and the weight of the Norwegian Mountain Rescue guys skiing over the top of it.

The last couple of nights we had it blew a storm up outside and noone wanted to go outside to get snow to melt for brews and cooking, so we just started to cut lumps out of the walls. It got quite roomy after a while!

Did I mention it was cold?

 

[robin wood]

My kids built one the other day, rather more kids story book igloo than snow hole.

 

[RobertRogers]

When you shovel fluffy snow into a pile and let it set for a day or so, it often takes on a more solid consistency which then allows you to hollow out the pile.

 

[forestwalker]

My kids built one the other day, rather more kids story book igloo than snow hole.

When I lived in Pennsylvania over 20 yeas ago I built something like that and slept in it. Nice, warm and comfy, but also proof positive I was a bit desperate.

 

[some like it cold]

Thanks for all the replies ive no intention of sleeping in it overnight but would love to do something like that for the little one to have an experience in it

 

[Rory McCanuck]

Depending on whereabouts you are in Canada, you'll likely find the right conditions for some sort of structure. Building "snow forts" is an important part of Canadian childhood, and I'm sure your son would have a lot of fun trying. If you are here long enough, he might get the chance to learn from some of the local experts